Francis II (1768-1835) was the last Holy Roman emperor. He also reigned as Emperor Francis I of Austria. Francis strongly opposed revolutionary movements generated in Europe by the French Revolution (1789-1799).
Francis was born on Feb. 12, 1768, in Florence, Italy, and belonged to the Habsburg (or Hapsburg) family. He succeeded his father, Leopold II, as ruler of Austria in 1792 and was elected Holy Roman emperor that same year. In 1804, Francis adopted the additional title of emperor of Austria. By 1806, Emperor Napoleon I of France had forced Francis to resign as Holy Roman emperor, and the Holy Roman Empire ended. After 1809, Francis allowed his shrewd foreign minister, Prince von Metternich, to direct Austria’s foreign affairs. Under Metternich’s guidance, Austria in time joined Britain, Prussia, and Russia to fight Napoleon. The united European powers defeated Napoleon in 1814 and 1815.
As emperor of Austria, Francis blocked all efforts aimed at even modest political reform. These efforts included growing demands for local self-government by Bohemians, Croatians, Hungarians, Italians, and other groups. At the end of his reign, Francis urged his successor to “Rule and change nothing.” Francis died on March 2, 1835.
