Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor

King in Germany

12 February 1768 Florence, Tuscany, Holy Roman Empire

2 March 1835(1835-03-02) (67) Vienna, Austria

NamesFranz Josef Karl

For other uses, see Francis II. Last Holy Roman Emperor (1792-1806) and first Emperor of Austria (1806-35) Holy Roman Emperor Francis II / IEmperor Francis I of Austria, wearing the Imperial Crown of Austria (portrait by Friedrich von Amerling, 1832)Holy Roman Emperor King in GermanyReign5 July 1792 – 6 August 1806Coronation14 July 1792, FrankfurtPredecessorLeopold IISuccessorNapoleon as Protector of the Confederation of the RhineArchduke/Emperor of AustriaReign1 March 1792/11 August 1804 – 2 March 1835PredecessorLeopold VIISuccessorFerdinand IChancellorKlemens von MetternichHead of the Präsidialmacht AustriaIn office20 June 1815 – 2 March 1835SuccessorFerdinand IKing of Hungary, Croatia and BohemiaReign1 March 1792 – 2 March 1835Coronations6 June 1792, Buda9 August 1792, PraguePredecessorLeopold IISuccessorFerdinand VKing of Lombardy–VenetiaReign9 June 1815 – 2 March 1835SuccessorFerdinand IBorn(1768-02-12 ) 12 February 1768 Florence, Tuscany, Holy Roman EmpireDied2 March 1835(1835-03-02) (aged 67) Vienna, AustriaBurialImperial CryptSpouses Elisabeth of Württemberg ​ ​(m. 1788; died 1790)​ Maria Teresa of Naples and Sicily ​ ​(m. 1790; died 1807)​ Maria Ludovika Beatrix of Modena ​ ​(m. 1808; died 1816)​ Caroline Augusta of Bavaria ​ ​(m. 1816)​ Issue Detail Marie Louise, Empress of the French Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria Maria Leopoldina, Empress of Brazil and Queen of Portugal Clementina, Princess of Salerno Archduke Joseph Franz Marie Caroline, Crown Princess of Saxony Archduke Franz Karl Archduchess Maria Anna HouseHabsburg-LorraineFatherLeopold II, Holy Roman EmperorMotherMaria Luisa of SpainReligionRoman CatholicismSignature Francis II (German: Franz II.; 12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor from 1792 to 1806 and, as Francis I, the first Emperor of Austria from 1804 to 1835. He assumed the title of Emperor of Austria in response to the coronation of Napoleon as Emperor of the French. Soon after Napoleon created the Confederation of the Rhine, Francis abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor. He was King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia. He also served as the first president of the German Confederation following its establishment in 1815. Francis II continued his leading role as an opponent of Napoleonic France in the Napoleonic Wars, and suffered several more defeats after Austerlitz. The marriage of his daughter Marie Louise of Austria to Napoleon on 10 March 1810 was arguably his severest personal defeat. After the abdication of Napoleon following the War of the Sixth Coalition, Austria participated as a leading member of the Holy Alliance at the Congress of Vienna, which was largely dominated by Francis's chancellor Klemens Wenzel, Prince von Metternich culminating in a new European map and the restoration of most of Francis's ancient dominions. Due to the establishment of the Concert of Europe, which largely resisted popular nationalist and liberal tendencies, Francis was viewed as a reactionary later in his reign. Francis II's grandchildren include Napoleon II (Napoleon's only legitimate son), Franz Joseph I of Austria, Maximilian I of Mexico, Maria II of Portugal and Pedro II of Brazil.