Kaiser Joseph II

Joseph II, Kaiser (Vienna, 1741-90, Vienna), was the eldest son of the Emperor Franz I and Maria Theresia. He was elected German King (see Deutscher König) in 1764, and became emperor on his father's death in 1765. In his mother's lifetime he had only a partial say in Austrian affairs. The many differences, primarily over foreign policy, between mother and son turned upon the traditional sympathies of the former and the reforming zeal of the latter. A particular subject of dispute was the first partition of Poland, which Joseph supported and Maria Theresia opposed (see Poland, Partitions of). After her death in 1780 Joseph had a free hand in foreign politics, in which he sought principally to augment Austrian influence in Germany, thereby coming into conflict with Friedrich II of Prussia. In particular his efforts to add Bavaria to the Austrian territories were twice frustrated by the Prussian king, in 1778 (see Bayrischer Erbfolgekrieg) and in 1785 (see Fürstenbund).

At home Joseph carried out numerous reforms, liberating the serfs, mitigating the severity of the penal code, extending primary education, establishing religious toleration (Toleranzpatent, 1782, see Anti-Semitism), and reducing the power of the Church. If he was truly enlightened, he was also truly despotic, and ruthlessly enforced the policies which appealed to him. In particular his rash and autocratic introduction of administrative changes in Bohemia and his attempt to make German the official language in Hungary laid up trouble for the future. Although an ardent supporter of toleration, Joseph was, in fact, an intolerant ruler who was unable to understand how any sensible man could oppose his own eminently reasonable views. Two notable benefits conferred by Joseph on Vienna were the founding of the Burgtheater in 1776, and the opening of the imperial park, the Prater, to the populace of Vienna.