Alexander the Great served as king of Macedonia from 336 to 323 B.C. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I. The eldest son of the emperor Leopold I, Joseph became king of Hungary in 1687 and king of the Romans, the imperial successor-designate, in 1690. The judiciary and the executive had already been separated at the top; Joseph extended this process to the lower administrative levels. Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. And with his Edict of Toleration, Joseph gave minority religions, such as Protestants, Greek Orthodox and Jews, the ability to live and worship more freely. Maria Theresa had made fewer than 100 each year. After his father died, in 1765, he became emperor, but Maria Theresa made all the important decisions. Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michel Adam; English: Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 1780 until his death. Joseph was crowned King of Hungary at the age of nine in 1687, and King in Germany at the age of eleven in 1690. Joseph also encountered difficulties outside his empire. Joseph II (Joseph Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. On February 20, 1790, when he was 48 years old, Joseph passed away in Vienna. 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. Chief Joseph was a Nez Perce chief who, faced with settlement by whites of tribal lands in Oregon, led his followers in a dramatic effort to escape to Canada. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed ), memorial page for Joseph II (13 Mar 1741–20 Feb 1790), Find a Grave Memorial no. During his time in power, Joseph issued decrees that promoted equality and education, but the speed and scope of his reforms led to problems for him and his empire. Joseph II of hasburg-lothringen was considered as one of the enlightened monarchs in europe together with King Friedrich II of Prussia and Empress Catherine of Russia. Biography. By 1790, Joseph faced numerous problems in his empire, including a loss of control in the Austrian Netherlands. The Emperor by Anton von Maron. Fo… But Maria Theresa objected to the idea of religious tolerance and refused to institute reforms that Joseph, a disciple of the Enlightenment, desperately wanted. To obtain a personal view of the situation in eastern and western Europe, Joseph visited France, where he was enthusiastically received by the intellectual elite, and then also visited Catherine of Russia. An “enlightened despot,” he sought to introduce administrative, legal, economic, and ecclesiastical reforms—with only measured success. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. During his time of leadership, he united Greece, reestablished the Corinthian League and conquered the Persian Empire. Joseph, the eldest son of Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen of Lorraine (the future emperor Francis I), was strictly and thoroughly educated. Joseph’s first marriage in 1760 to the Bourbon princess Isabella of Parma, whom he loved passionately, ended in tragedy when she died of smallpox three years later. We strive for accuracy and fairness. 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