Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor

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Francis I
Holy Roman Emperor
Reign 1740-1765
Full name François Stephen
Titles Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Born 8 December 1708
Birthplace Nancy
Died 18 August 1765
Place of death Innsbruck
Buried Imperial Crypt, Vienna
Predecessor Charles VII
Successor Joseph II
Consort Maria Theresa of Austria
Issue Archduchess Maria Elisabeth
Archduchess Maria Anna
Archduchess Maria Caroline
Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II
Maria Christina
Archduchess Maria Elisabeth
Archduke Carlos Joseph
Archduchess Marie Amalie
Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II
Archduchess Maria Caroline
Archduchess Maria Johanna Gabriela
Archduchess Maria Josepha
Queen Maria Caroline
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este
Queen Marie Antoinette
Archduke Maximilian Francis
Royal House Lorraine
Father Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
Mother Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans
Austrian Royalty
House of Habsburg-Lorraine

Armorial of the Holy Roman Empire
Maria Theresa & Francis I
Children include
   Joseph II
   Archduchess Maria Christina
   Archduchess Marie Amalie
   Leopold II
   Archduchess Marie Caroline
   Archduke Ferdinand
   Archduchess Marie Antoinette
   Archduke Maximilian
Grandchildren include
   Francis IV of Modena
   Archduke Ferdinand Karl
Joseph II
Leopold II
Children include
   Archduchess Maria Theresia
   Francis II
   Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany
   Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
   Archduke Alexander Leopold
   Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary
   Archduke Johann
   Archduke Rainer
   Archduke Louis
   Archduke Rudolph
Grandchildren include
   Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany
   Archduchess Maria Theresa
   Archduke Albert, Duke of Teschen
   Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska
   Archduke Joseph Karl
Francis II

Francis I (8 December 170818 August 1765)[1] (born as François Stephen, also known as Franz Stefan and Francis III Stephen, Duke of Lorraine) was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectivly executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty.

Contents

[edit] Early Life

Gold coin, commemorating Emperor Francis' coronation in 1745
Gold coin, commemorating Emperor Francis' coronation in 1745
Silver coin of Francis I, dated 1754.  The Latin inscription reads on the obverse FRANCISCVS D[EI] G[RATIA] ROM[ANORVM] IMP[ERATOR] SEMP[ER] AVG[VUSTVS], or in English, "Francis, by the Grace of God, Emperor of the Romans, forever Augustus" and on the reverse MONETA REIP[VBLICAE] RATISBON[AE] or in English, "Mint of the Republic of Ratisbon."
Silver coin of Francis I, dated 1754. The Latin inscription reads on the obverse FRANCISCVS D[EI] G[RATIA] ROM[ANORVM] IMP[ERATOR] SEMP[ER] AVG[VUSTVS], or in English, "Francis, by the Grace of God, Emperor of the Romans, forever Augustus" and on the reverse MONETA REIP[VBLICAE] RATISBON[AE] or in English, "Mint of the Republic of Ratisbon."

He was born in Nancy, Lorraine (now in France), the oldest surviving son of Leopold Joseph, duke of Lorraine, and his wife Elizabeth Charlotte, daughter of Philippe I, duc d'Orléans and Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine. He was connected with the Habsburgs through his grandmother Eleanore, daughter of Emperor Ferdinand III, and wife of Charles Leopold of Lorraine, his grandfather.

Emperor Charles VI favored the family, who, besides being his cousins, had served the house of Austria with distinction. He had designed to marry his daughter Maria Theresa to Francis' older brother Clement. On Clement's death, Charles adopted the younger brother as his future son-in-law. Francis was brought up in Vienna with Maria Theresa on the understanding that they were to be married, and a real affection arose between them.

At the age of 15, when he was brought to Vienna, he was established in the Silesian Duchy of Cieszyn, which had been mediatized and granted to his father by the emperor in 1722. He succeeded his father as Duke of Lorraine in 1729, but the emperor, at the end of the War of the Polish Succession, agreed to compensate the French candidate Stanislaus Leszczynski for the loss of his crown in 1735 and persuaded Francis to exchange Lorraine for the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

[edit] Marries and becomes Emperor

Francis I
Francis I

On 12 February 1736 Francis and Maria Theresa were married, and they went for a short time to Florence, when he succeeded to the grand duchy on the death of Gian Gastone de' Medici, the last of the ruling house of Medici. His wife secured his election to the Empire on 13 September 1745, in succession to Charles VII, and she made him co-regent of her hereditary dominions.

Francis was well content to leave the wielding of power to his able wife. He had a natural fund of good sense and some business capacity and was a useful assistant to Maria Theresa in the laborious task of governing the complicated Austrian dominions, but his functions appear to have been primarily secretarial. He also took a great interest in the natural sciences. He was a member of the Freemasons.[2]

He died suddenly in his carriage while returning from the opera at Innsbruck on 18 August 1765. He is buried in tomb number 55 in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna.

Maria Theresa and Francis I had sixteen children--their youngest daughter was the future queen consort of France, Marie Antoinette (1755-1793). He was officially succeeded by his eldest son Joseph II although the real power remained with his wife. Another son was the Emperor Leopold II. See Children of Francis Stephen and Maria Theresa for a full list.

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[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Encyclopedia of Austria: Franz I
  2. ^ "In Mozart's Vienna, Freemasonry had flourished under the Hapsburgs mainly due to the influence of Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, who, himself, was a Freemason." Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart - Master Mason.


This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Born: 8 December 1708 Died: 18 August 1765
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Leopold
Duke of Lorraine
1729-1737
Succeeded by
Stanislaus Leszczynski I of Poland
Duke of Teschen
1729-1765
Succeeded by
Joseph II
Preceded by
Gian Gastone de' Medici
Grand Duke of Tuscany
1737-1765
Succeeded by
Leopold II
Preceded by
Charles VII
King in Germany
17451764
Succeeded by
Joseph II
Holy Roman Emperor
17451765
Preceded by
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
as queen-, duchess- and archduchess consort
Consort to the Duchess of Parma and Piacenza
1741–1748
Succeeded by
Princess Louise-Élisabeth of France
as duchess consort
Consort to the Queen of Bohemia
1743–1765
Succeeded by
Maria Louisa of Spain
as queen- and archduchess consort
Consort to the Queen of Hungary, Croatia and Slavonia
1741–1765
Consort to the Archduchess of Austria
1740–1765