General Notes

Leopold I (Holy Roman Empire) (1640-1705), Holy Roman emperor (1658-1705),
king of Bohemia (1656-1705), and king of Hungary (1655-87), who extended the
Habsburg possessions, created a standing imperial army, and consolidated the
central Austrian administration. He was born in Vienna, the son of Emperor
Ferdinand III. His reign was marked by wars, particularly against the Ottoman
Turks and France. The first war against the Turks was concluded by a
compromise in 1664, but when the Turks besieged Vienna in 1683, they were
defeated by John III Sobieski of Poland, leading the combined Polish and
imperial forces. Leopold's general, Prince Eugene of Savoy, finally defeated
the Turks at Senta in 1697, and the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699) acknowledged
Habsburg control over virtually all Hungary.
Leopold's wars with France were less successful. The first ended in the Treaty
of Nijmegen (1679), which enhanced Louis XIV's power. Leopold later joined the
League of Augsburg and the Grand Alliance against France. Peace was ultimately
made by the Treaty of Ryswick (1697), but four years later Leopold was again
embroiled with France in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14). He did
not, however, live to see it to a conclusion; he died on May 5, 1705, and was
succeeded by his son, Joseph I.