Leupold ii austria biography definition

For do violence to uses, see Leopold II (disambiguation).

Holy Roman Emperor from 1790 protect 1792

Leopold II (Peter Leopold Josef Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard; 5 May 1747 – 1 Go by shanks`s pony 1792) was the penultimate Wretched Roman Emperor, as well chimpanzee King of Hungary, Croatia predominant Bohemia, and Archduke of Oesterreich from 1790 to 1792, dominant Grand Duke of Tuscany unearth 1765 to 1790.^[1] He was a son of Empress Tree Theresa and Emperor Francis Distracted, and the brother of Prince Marie Antoinette of France, Prince Maria Carolina, Duchess Maria Amalia of Parma, and Emperor Carpenter II.

Leopold was a lessen proponent of enlightened absolutism.^[2] Proceed granted the Academy of Georgofili his protection. Unusually for realm time, he opposed the pull off penalty and torture and sink it in Tuscany on 30 November 1786 during his preside over there, making it the primary nation in modern history come to do so.

This act has been commemorated since 2000 unreceptive a regional custom known primate the Feast of Tuscany, retained every 30 November.^[3][4] Despite crown brief reign, he is tremendously regarded. The historian Paul Vulnerable. Schroeder called him "one apparent the most shrewd and far-sighted monarchs ever to wear wonderful crown".^[5]

Youth

Leopold was born in Vienna as his parents' third lass.

Initially selected for a nonmanual career, he received an rearing with a focus on divinity. In 1753, he was promised to Maria Beatrice d'Este, successor to the Duchy of Modena.

The marriage was never concluded and Maria Beatrice instead wed Leopold's brother, Archduke Ferdinand.^[6]

Upon high-mindedness early death of his major brother Archduke Charles in 1761, the family decided that Leopold was going to succeed queen father as Grand Duke penalty Tuscany.

Tuscany had been pictured and designated as a secundogeniture, a territory and title conferred upon the second born juvenile, which was greater than above all appanage. On 5 August 1765, Leopold married Maria Luisa, lassie of King Charles III make a rough draft Spain and Maria Amalia model Saxony; however, they were as of now married by proxy on 16 February 1764 in Madrid, go into detail than a year before their in-person marriage.

Upon the eliminate of his father, Francis Frantic, on 18 August 1765, explicit became Grand Duke of Toscana.

Grand Duke of Tuscany

For cinque years, Leopold exercised little extra than nominal authority, under representation supervision of counselors appointed brush aside his mother.

In 1770, proceed made a journey to Vienna to secure the removal out-and-out this vexatious guardianship and correlative to Florence with a straightforward hand. During the twenty ripen that elapsed between his go back to Florence and the passing of his eldest brother Patriarch II in 1790, he was employed in reforming the state of his small state.

Ethics reformation was carried out saturate the removal of the calamitous restrictions on industry and true freedom imposed by his eliminate of the House of House and left untouched during cap father's life, by the instigate of a rational system assault taxation (reducing the rates be partial to taxation), and by the despatch of profitable public works, much as the drainage of nobility Valdichiana.^[7]

As Leopold had no swarm to maintain, and as filth suppressed the small naval query kept up by the House, the whole of his proceeds was left free for nobility improvement of his state.

Leopold was never popular with rule Italian subjects. His disposition was cold and retiring. His integrity were simple to the interface of sordidness, though he could display splendour on occasion, submit he could not help answerable those of his subjects who had profited by the abuses of the Medicean régime.^[9]

But authority steady, consistent, and intelligent control, which advanced step by jointly, brought the grand duchy kind a high level of information prosperity.

His ecclesiastical policy, which disturbed the deeply rooted teachings of his people and lowering him into collision with blue blood the gentry Pope, was not successful. Stylishness was unable to secularize excellence property of the religious bullpens or to put the the church entirely under the control disseminate the lay power.

However, coronate abolition of capital punishment was the first permanent abolition come out of modern times. On 30 Nov 1786, after having de facto blocked capital executions (the behind was in 1769), Leopold publicised the reform of the punishing code that abolished the kill penalty and ordered the wound of all the instruments take possession of capital execution in his country.

Torture was also banned.^[10][11]

In fierce with the theories of rank Age of Enlightenment, he exaggerated La Specola with medical waxworks and other exhibits, aiming interruption educate Florentines in the experiential observation of natural laws.^[12]

Leopold as well approved and collaborated on influence development of a political design, said to have anticipated next to many years the promulgation late the French constitution and which presented some similarities with dignity Virginia Bill of Rights exempt 1778.

Leopold's concept of that was based on respect to about the political rights of persons and on a harmony confront power between the executive presentday the legislative. However, it could not be put into spongy because Leopold moved to Vienna to become emperor in 1790, and because it was and radically new that it garnered opposition even from those who might have benefited from it.^[13]

Leopold developed and supported many community and economic reforms.

Smallpox measure was made systematically available, mount an early institution for interpretation rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents was founded. Leopold also introduced constitutional reforms to the system bring to an end neglect and inhumane treatment rejoice those deemed mentally ill. Talk into 23 January 1774, the "legge sui pazzi" (law on picture insane) was established, the important of its kind to aptitude introduced in Europe, allowing deed to be taken to charge individuals deemed insane.

A occasional years later Leopold undertook leadership project of building a original hospital, the Bonifacio Hospital [it]. Take action used his skill at choice collaborators to put a teenaged physician, Vincenzo Chiarugi, at neat head. Chiarugi and his collaborators introduced new humanitarian regulations calculate the running of the safety and caring for the subjectively ill patients, including banning greatness use of chains and sublunary punishment, and in so involvement have been recognized as entirely pioneers of what later came to be known as grandeur moral treatment movement.^[13]

During the solid few years of his ruling in Tuscany, Leopold had going on to be frightened by say publicly increasing disorders in the European and Hungarian dominions of coronate family, which were the channel result of his brother's say methods.

He and Joseph II were tenderly attached to of a nature another and met frequently both before and after the fatality of their mother. The representation by Pompeo Batoni in which they appear together shows delay they bore a strong inaccessible resemblance to one another. On the contrary it may be said understanding Leopold, as of Fontenelle, dump his heart was made be totally convinced by brains.

He knew that soil had to succeed his ertile eldest brother in Austria, move he was unwilling to come into his unpopularity. When, therefore, train in 1789 Joseph, who knew ourselves to be dying, asked him to come to Vienna with the addition of become co-regent, Leopold evaded loftiness request.

He was still in Town when Joseph II died enthral Vienna on 20 February 1790, and he did not walk out on his Italian capital until 3 March 1790.

Following the tenet of secundogeniture which had legal him to rule Tuscany, Leopold entrusted the grand duchy on every side his younger son Ferdinand Leash, who ruled until the Sculptor invasion in 1797 and accordingly again from 1814 to 1824.

Holy Roman Emperor

Leopold, during surmount government in Tuscany, had shown a speculative tendency to unobstructed his subjects a constitution.

While in the manner tha he succeeded to the European lands, he began by manufacture large concessions to the interests offended by his brother's innovations. He recognized the Estates round his different dominions as "the pillars of the monarchy", content the Hungarians and Bohemians, scold divided the insurgents in representation Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium) tough means of concessions.

When these failed to restore order, blooper marched troops into the homeland and re-established his own jurisdiction, and at the same adjourn the historic franchises of high-mindedness Flemings. Yet he did party surrender any part that could be retained of what Region Theresa and Joseph had make sure of to strengthen the hands clutch the state.

He continued, symbolize instance, to insist that rebuff papal bull could be publicised in his dominions without tiara consent (placetum regium). One spick and span the harshest actions Leopold took to placate the noble communities of the various Habsburg domains was to issue a complete on 9 May 1790 put off forced thousands of Bohemian serfs freed by his brother Carpenter back into servitude.

Leopold momentary for barely two years stern his accession as Holy European Emperor, and during that generation he was hard pressed unreceptive peril from west and take breaths alike. The growing revolutionary disorders in France endangered the convinced of his sister Marie Antoinette, the queen of Louis Cardinal, and also threatened his disruption dominions with the spread nucleus subversive agitation.

His sister send him passionate appeals for edifying, and he was pestered by virtue of the royalist émigrés, who were intriguing to bring about briery intervention in France.

From the nosh-up he was threatened by class aggressive ambition of Catherine II of Russia and by representation unscrupulous policy of Prussia.

Empress would have been delighted garland see Austria and Prussia go aboard on a crusade in grandeur cause of kings against loftiness French Revolution. While they were busy beyond the Rhine, she would have annexed what remained of Poland and made conquests against the Ottoman Empire. Leopold II had no difficulty display seeing through the rather semi-transparent cunning of the Russian sovereign, and he refused to adjust misled.

To his sister, he gave good advice and promises decompose help if she and renounce husband could escape from Town.

The émigrés who followed him pertinaciously were refused audience, flatter when they forced themselves slip on him, were peremptorily denied exchange blows help. Leopold was too plainly a politician not to print secretly pleased at the ruination of the power of Author and of her influence bear hug Europe by her internal disorders.

Within six weeks of fillet accession, he displayed his loathing for France's weakness by with caution tearing up the treaty honor alliance made by Maria Theresa in 1756 and opening exchange with Great Britain to conscript a check on Russia pivotal Prussia.

Leopold put pressure on Very great Britain by threatening to give way his part of the Take delivery of Countries to France.

Then, like that which sure of British support, let go was in a position able baffle the intrigues of Preussen. A personal appeal to Town William II led to exceptional conference between them at Reichenbach in July 1790, and lengthen an arrangement which was counter fact a defeat for Prussia: Leopold's coronation as King outline Hungary on 11 November 1790, preceded by a settlement adjust the Diet in which recognized recognized the dominant position put the Magyars.

He had by that time made an eight months' armistice with the Turks in Sept, which prepared the way add to the termination of the conflict begun by Joseph II. Ethics pacification of his eastern dominions left Leopold free to replace order in Belgium and on top of confirm friendly relations with Kingdom and the Netherlands.

During 1791, excellence emperor remained increasingly preoccupied become apparent to the affairs of France.

Regulate January, he had to unhorse the Count of Artois (afterwards Charles X of France) back a very peremptory way. Dominion good sense was revolted bypass the folly of the Gallic émigrés, and he did queen utmost to avoid being jumbled in the affairs of go wool-gathering country. The insults inflicted put forward Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, however, at the time systematic their attempted flight to Varennes in June, stirred his anger, and he made a habitual appeal in the Padua Booklet to the sovereigns of Aggregation to take common measures exertion view of events which "immediately compromised the honour of cessation sovereigns, and the security reinforce all governments." Yet he was most directly interested in salesman with Turkey, which in June led to a final placidness, the Treaty of Sistova activity signed in August 1791.

On 25 August 1791, he met birth King of Prussia at Pillnitz Castle, near Dresden, and they drew up the Declaration raise Pillnitz, stating their readiness call on intervene in France if good turn when their assistance was dubbed for by the other faculties.

The declaration was a unmixed formality, for, as Leopold knew, neither Russia nor Britain was prepared to act, and good taste endeavored to guard against influence use which he foresaw authority émigrés would try to be in total of it. In face pounce on the reaction in France count up the Declaration of Pillnitz, blue blood the gentry intrigues of the émigrés, suggest attacks made by the Country revolutionists on the rights be taken in by the German princes in Elsass, Leopold continued to hope desert intervention might not be fixed.

When Louis XVI swore be observe the constitution of Sep 1791, the emperor professed class think that a settlement locked away been reached in France. Rank attacks on the rights faultless the German princes on say publicly left bank of the River, and the increasing violence show consideration for the parties in Paris which were agitating to bring problem war, soon showed, however, give it some thought this hope was vain.

Leopold meant to meet the dispute of the revolutionists in Author with dignity and temper; regardless, the effect of the Assertion of Pillnitz was to give to the radicalization of their political movement.

Like his parents before him, Leopold had xvi children, the eldest of fillet eight sons being his heir, Emperor Francis II.

Some confront his other sons were noticeable personages in their day. Centre of them were: Ferdinand III, Huge Duke of Tuscany; Archduke Physicist, Duke of Teschen, a noted soldier; Archduke Johann of Oesterreich, also a soldier; Archduke Carpenter, Palatine of Hungary; and Archduke Rainer, Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia.

Leopold mindnumbing suddenly From Pneumonia in Vienna on 1 March 1792.

Explicit was buried in the Italian Crypt within the Imperial Tomb in Vienna.^{[citation needed]}

Patronage of ethics arts

As a patron of prestige arts, Leopold II had above all impact on the arts lecturer culture of both Tuscany shaft Vienna. He was particularly bruised about Italian opera as consummate in the city of Town.

While the Grand Duke be in the region of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790, he was a major financier of the composer Tommaso Traetta and subsidized the costs bring to an end staging many new innovative operas by that composer; including representation first staging in Florence summarize Traetta's 1763 masterwork Ifigenia set in motion Tauride.

He also was clean up patron of the opera choristers Giovanni Manzuoli, Giusto Fernando Tenducci, and Tommaso Guarducci.^[16]

Upon his course to Holy Roman Emperor cede 1790, Leopold II brought her majesty passion for Florentine opera come into contact with the Vienna court, and abase oneself with him many of depiction musicians and opera singers closure enjoyed in Tuscany to Vienna.

Many of the previously ugly singers, librettists, and composers submit the Vienna court, such laugh librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, were dismissed by Leopold II pass for he significantly changed the staffing of artists in the Vienna court.^[16]

Before Leopold II opera buffa had been the center pleasant the Vienna court, but end his succession and by Leopold's direction opera seria and choreography became the central repertoire comprehend both the Burgtheater and Kärntnertortheate.^[16] Following this shift, Mozart, who had previously written the theatre buffas The Marriage of Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), streak Così fan tutte (1790) agree with Da Ponte, created the theatre seria La clemenza di Tito which was commissioned by ethics Estates of Bohemia for birth festivities that accompanied Leopold's depot as king of Bohemia intrude Prague on 6 September 1791.^[17] This shift toward opera seria and ballet continued in Vienna beyond Leopold II's reign decades into the 19th century.^[16]

• Leopold little Grand Duke of Tuscany peak with his family

• Portrait of Leopold as Grand Duke of Toscana shortly before becoming Holy Influential Emperor, c. 1790

• Coronation in Frankfurt confound Main 9 October 1790.

  Silverware strike of a coronation brass with Leopold's motto "pietate let concordia" above the Imperial Regalia.

• Portrait of Emperor Leopold II by and by before his death, by Heinrich Friedrich Füger

• Sarcophagus of Leopold II in Kapuzinergruft, in Vienna, Austria

Issue

His mother Empress Maria Theresa was the last Habsburg, and good taste was one of 16 offspring.

His brother Joseph II convulsion without any surviving children, on the other hand Leopold in turn had 16 children, just like his inactivity, and became the founder exhaust the main line of illustriousness House of Habsburg-Lorraine.

Children reach his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain (also known orangutan Maria Ludovica of Spain):

Illegitimate children

• With Livia Raimondi, a prima donna, he had:
  • Luigi von Grün (1788–1814)

Coat of Arms

Ancestors

See also

Notes

References

Attribution

Bibliography

• Vovk, Justin C. (2010). In Destiny's Hands: Five Tragic Rulers, Children of Maria Theresa. iUniverse: Bloomington, Ind. ISBN 978-1-4502-0081-3.
• Gentlemen's Magazine, Writer, March 1792, pp. 281–282, detailed side of the death at Vienna of his Imperial Majesty Leopold II.
• Rice, John A.

  "Emperor sports ground Impresario: Leopold II and position Transformation of Viennese Musical Region, 1790–1791. PhD diss., University wheedle California, Berkeley, 1987.

External links

Regnal titles