General Notes

Francis II (Holy Roman Empire) (1768-1835), last Holy Roman emperor
(1792-1806) and, as Francis I, first emperor of Austria (1804-35). Born in
Florence, Italy, and educated in Vienna, he succeeded his father Leopold II as
Holy Roman emperor. From the start of his reign until 1815 Francis was
involved in the wars of the French Revolution and in the Napoleonic Wars.
After the extension of French control over western Germany and the
reorganization of the German states by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803, Francis
consolidated his power in Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, and northern Italy and
proclaimed himself emperor of Austria in 1804. Two years later he formally
dissolved the old Holy Roman Empire. As emperor of Austria, Francis gave
Prince Klemens von Metternich almost complete control of foreign affairs after
1809 and devoted himself to the internal administration of the empire. The
marriage of his daughter Marie Louise to Napoleon in 1810 earned for Francis
three peaceful years in which to re-create Austrian strength for participation
in the campaign that would bring about (1814-15) Napoleon's downfall. By the
decisions of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Francis recovered most of the
territory Austria had lost to Napoleon. The last 20 years of his reign were
marked by paternalistic measures, reactionary tendencies, and repression of
liberalism.