Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor who continued the War of the Spanish Succession and established Austrian hegemony over Italy.
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, ruled from 1658 until his death in 1705, a reign of over 46 years that made him the second-longest-serving Habsburg emperor. Born in Vienna in 1640, he was the second son of Ferdinand III and originally destined for a clerical career, receiving a thorough education in theology, metaphysics, and jurisprudence under Jesuit tutors. This training left a lasting mark: Leopold was deeply religious, personifying the pious Catholic attitude of his house, and retained a lifelong interest in astrology and alchemy. He was also a composer and a significant patron of music. Fluent in Latin, Italian, and Spanish, he preferred Italian over German, even founding an Italian literary academy in Vienna in 1656. Physically, he had the typical Habsburg jaw, was short and thin, and was known as cold and reserved in public, though open with close associates. His reign was defined by two major conflicts: a long rivalry with his cousin Louis XIV of France, and the Great Turkish War against the Ottoman Empire. In the east, Leopold’s forces, led by Prince Eugene of Savoy, achieved victory, and the Treaty of Karlowitz recovered almost all of Hungary, lost after the 1526 Battle of Mohács. In the west, he fought three wars against France: the Franco-Dutch War, the Nine Years’ War, and the War of the Spanish Succession. This last war began when Leopold sought to give the entire Spanish inheritance to his younger son Charles, ignoring the will of Charles II of Spain. The early years saw Austrian victories at Schellenberg and Blenheim, but the war continued until 1714, nine years after Leopold’s death, and Austria did not emerge as triumphant as it had against the Ottomans.
- field
- Monarch, composer
- nationality
- Holy Roman Empire (House of Habsburg)
- known_for
- War of the Spanish Succession, Austrian hegemony over Italy
Lore & Background
Joseph continued the War of the Spanish Succession, begun by his father against Louis XIV of France, in an attempt to make his younger brother Charles (later Emperor Charles VI) King of Spain. Owing to the victories won by his military commander, Prince Eugene of Savoy, he succeeded in establishing Austrian hegemony over Italy. Joseph also had to contend with a protracted revolt in Hungary, fomented by Louis XIV. Neither conflict was resolved until the Treaty of Utrecht, after his death. His motto was Amore et Timore (Latin for 'Through Love and Fear'). Like his father and grandfather, he was a composer. Born in Vienna, Joseph was educated strictly by Charles Theodore, Prince of Salm, and became a good linguist. Perhaps due to the influence of his formerly Protestant tutor he was a less devout Catholic than his parents and other relatives and developed into an adherent of the early Age of Enlightenment. He had two great enthusiasms: music and hunting. At the age of nine, on 9 December 1687, he was crowned King of Hungary, and at the age of eleven, on 23 January 1690, King of the Romans. In 1702, at the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession, Joseph saw his only military service. He joined the Imperial General, Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden, in the Siege of Landau.
Reader's Guide
Prior to his ascension, Joseph had surrounded himself with reform-hungry advisors and the young court of Vienna was ambitious in the elaboration of innovative plans. He was described as a 'forward-looking ruler'. The large number of privy councillors was reduced and attempts were made to make the bureaucracy more efficient. Measures were taken to modernise the central bodies and a certain success was achieved in stabilising the chronically poor Habsburg finances. Joseph also endeavoured to strengthen his position in the Holy Roman Empire — as a means of strengthening Austria's standing as a great power. When he sought to lay claim to imperial rights in Italy and gain territories for the Habsburgs, he even risked a military conflict with the Pope over the Duchy of Mantua. Joseph I was threatened with excommunication by Pope Clement XI on 16 June 1708. In Hungary, Joseph had inherited the kuruc rebellion from his father Leopold I. Although Joseph was compelled to take military action, he refrained — unlike his predecessors — from seeking to teach his subjects a lesson by executing the leaders. Instead, he agreed to a compromise peace, which in the long term facilitated the integration of Hungary into the Habsburg domains. During the whole of his reign, Hungary was disturbed by the conflict with Francis Rákóczi II, who eventually took refuge in the Ottoman Empire. The emperor reversed many of the authoritarian measures of his father, thus helping to placate opponents. He began the attempts to settle the question of the Austrian inheritance by a pragmatic sanction, which was continued by his brother Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor. During the smallpox epidemic of 1711, which killed Louis, Grand Dauphin and three siblings of the future Emperor Francis I, Joseph became infected. He died on 17 April in the Hofburg palace. He had previously promised his wife to stop having affairs, should he survive.
Did You Know?
- Joseph was crowned King of Hungary at age nine on 9 December 1687, and King of the Romans at age eleven on 23 January 1690.
- His motto was Amore et Timore, Latin for 'Through Love and Fear'.
- He was threatened with excommunication by Pope Clement XI on 16 June 1708 over the Duchy of Mantua.
- Joseph's edict of 1710 ordered that Romani in Bohemia have their right ears cut off, in Moravia the left ear, and in Austria be branded with a gallows symbol.
- He died of smallpox on 17 April 1711 in the Hofburg palace during an epidemic that also killed Louis, Grand Dauphin.
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