Francis I of Austria
Francis II and I (German: Franz II.; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor as Francis II from 1792 to 1806, and the first Emperor of Austria as Francis I from 1804 to 1835. He was also King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, and served as the first president of the German Confederation following its establishment in 1815.
The eldest son of future Emperor Leopold II and Maria Luisa of Spain, Francis was born in Florence, where his father ruled as Grand Duke of Tuscany. Leopold became Holy Roman Emperor in 1790 but died two years later, and Francis succeeded him. His empire immediately became embroiled in the French Revolutionary Wars, the first of which ended in Austrian defeat and the loss of the left bank of the Rhine to France. After another French victory in the War of the Second Coalition, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French. In response, Francis assumed the title of Emperor of Austria. He continued his leading role as Napoleon's adversary in the Napoleonic Wars, and suffered successive defeats that greatly weakened Austria as a European power. In 1806, after Napoleon created the Confederation of the Rhine, Francis abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor, which in effect marked the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. Following the defeat of the Fifth Coalition, Francis ceded more territory to France and was forced to wed his daughter Marie Louise to Napoleon.
In 1813, Francis turned against Napoleon and finally defeated him in the War of the Sixth Coalition, forcing the French emperor to abdicate. Austria took part as a leading member of the Holy Alliance at the Congress of Vienna, which was largely dominated by Francis' chancellor Klemens von Metternich, culminating in a new European order and the restoration of most of Francis' ancient dominions. Due to the establishment of the Concert of Europe, which resisted popular nationalist and liberal tendencies, Francis was viewed as a reactionary later in his reign. Francis died in 1835 at the age of 67 and was succeeded by his son, Ferdinand I.
Children
changeFrom his first wife Elisabeth of Württemberg, one daughter, who died in infancy, and his second wife Maria Teresa of the Two Sicilies, eight daughters and four sons, of whom five died in infancy or childhood:
Name | Picture | Birth | Death | Notes |
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By Elisabeth of Württemberg | ||||
Archduchess Ludovika Elisabeth | 18 February 1790 | 24 June 1791 (aged 1) | Died in infancy and buried in the Imperial Crypt, Vienna, Austria. | |
By Maria Teresa of the Two Sicilies | ||||
Archduchess Maria Ludovika | 12 December 1791 | 17 December 1847 (aged 56) | Married first Bonaparte, had issue, married second Adam, count of Neipperg, had issue, married third to Charles, Count of Bombelles, no issue. | |
Emperor Ferdinand I | 19 April 1793 | 29 June 1875 (aged 82) | Married Maria Anna of Savoy, Princess of Sardinia, no issue. | |
Archduchess Marie Caroline | 8 June 1794 | 16 March 1795 (aged 9 months) | Died in childhood, no issue. | |
Archduchess Caroline Ludovika | 22 December 1795 | 30 June 1797 (aged 1) | Died in childhood, no issue. | |
Archduchess Caroline Josepha Leopoldine | 22 January 1797 | 11 December 1826 (aged 29) | Renamed Maria Leopoldina upon her marriage; married Pedro I of Brazil (a.k.a. Pedro IV of Portugal); issue included Maria II of Portugal and Pedro II of Brazil. | |
Archduchess Maria Klementina | 1 March 1798 | 3 September 1881 (aged 83) | Married her maternal uncle Leopold, Prince of Salerno, had issue. | |
Archduke Joseph Franz Leopold | 9 April 1799 | 30 June 1807 (aged 8) | Died some weeks after his mother in childhood, no issue. | |
Archduchess Maria Karolina | 8 April 1801 | 22 May 1832 (aged 31) | Married Crown Prince (later King) Frederick Augustus II of Saxony, no issue. | |
Archduke Franz Karl | 17 December 1802 | 8 March 1878 (aged 75) | Married Princess Sophie of Bavaria; issue included Franz Joseph I of Austria and Maximilian I of Mexico. | |
Archduchess Marie Anne | 8 June 1804 | 28 December 1858 (aged 54) | Born intellectually disabled (like her eldest brother, Emperor Ferdinand I) and to have suffered from a severe facial deformity. Died unmarried. | |
Archduke Johann Nepomuk | 30 August 1805 | 19 February 1809 (aged 3) | Died in childhood, no issue. | |
Archduchess Amalie Theresa | 6 April 1807 | 9 April 1807 (aged 3 days) | Died in childhood, no issue. |
Ancestors
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See also
changeReferences
change- ↑ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 109.
Regnal titles
changeFrancis I of Austria Cadet branch of the House of Lorraine Born: 12 February 1768 Died: 2 March 1835
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Regnal titles | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Leopold II |
Holy Roman Emperor King in Germany 1792–1806 |
Dissolution |
Duke of Brabant, Limburg and Luxembourg; Count of Flanders, Hainaut and Namur 1792–1793 |
French Revolutionary Wars | |
Duke of Milan 1792–1796 |
King of Hungary, Bohemia, Galicia and Lodomeria, and Croatia, Archduke of Austria 1792–1835 |
Succeeded by Ferdinand I & V |
New title | Emperor of Austria 1804–1835 |
King of Lombardy-Venetia 1815–1835 |
Political offices | ||
New title | Head of the Präsidialmacht Austria 1815–1835 |
Succeeded by Ferdinand I of Austria |
Warning: Default sort key "Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor" overrides earlier default sort key "Francis 02, Holy Roman Emperor".