Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor

King of Bohemia

5 May 1747 Vienna, Austria, Holy Roman Empire

1 March 1792(1792-03-01) (44) Vienna, Austria, Holy Roman Empire

Names English: Peter Leopold Joseph Anthony Joachim Pius Gotthard German: Peter Leopold Josef Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard

18th century Habsburg Holy Roman EmperorNot to be confused with Leopold II, Margrave of Austria or Leopold II of Belgium. Holy Roman Emperor Leopold IILeopold II in the regalia of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Pointing to his right on a table are the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, orb and sceptre as symbols of his rule (painting by Johann Daniel Donat, 1806)Holy Roman Emperor King in Germany Archduke of Austria King of Hungary and Croatia King of BohemiaReign30 September 1790 – 1 March 1792 Coronations9 October 1790, Frankfurt 15 November 1790, Pressburg 6 September 1791, PraguePredecessorJoseph IISuccessorFrancis IIChancellorThe Prince of Kaunitz-RietbergGrand Duke of TuscanyReign18 August 1765 – 22 July 1790PredecessorFrancis StephenSuccessorFerdinand IIIBorn(1747-05-05 ) 5 May 1747 Vienna, Austria, Holy Roman EmpireDied1 March 1792(1792-03-01) (aged 44) Vienna, Austria, Holy Roman EmpireBurialImperial CryptSpouseMaria Luisa of Spain ​ ​(m. 1765)​Issue Maria Theresa, Queen of Saxony Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany Archduchess Maria Anna Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen Archduke Alexander Leopold Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary Maria Clementina, Duchess of Calabria Archduke Anton Victor Archduchess Maria Amalia Archduke Johann Archduke Rainer Joseph Archduke Louis Archduke Rudolf HouseHabsburg-LorraineFatherFrancis I, Holy Roman EmperorMotherMaria Theresa, Queen of Hungary and BohemiaReligionRoman CatholicismSignature Leopold II (Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard; 5 May 1747 – 1 March 1792) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Bohemia, and Archduke of Austria from 1790 to 1792, and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. Unusually for his time, he opposed capital punishment and abolished it in Tuscany in 1786 during his rule there, making it the first nation in modern history to do so. He was a son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor Francis I, and the brother of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Maria Carolina of Austria, Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma and Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. Leopold was a moderate proponent of enlightened absolutism. He granted the Academy of Georgofili his protection. Despite his brief reign, he is highly regarded. The historian Paul W. Schroeder called him "one of the most shrewd and sensible monarchs ever to wear a crown".