In six pages this Hapsburg emperor is examined in terms of his Enlightenment religious reforms and efforts to eliminate feudalism. Six sources are cited in the bibliography.
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between 1741 and 1790 during the period we know as the Enlightenment (Ingrao, 1994). He served as the king of Bohemia and Hungary, as the Holy Roman emperor between
1765 and his death in 1790, and was the first emperor of Hapsburg (Ingrao, 1994). Geocities.com (2002, PG) describes his empire as:
"Multi national in nature, the empire stretched from todays Austria to southern Poland to the edge of Eurasia. The only ties bonding
the empire together were the sovereign and the fact that Hapsburg lands remained staunchly Catholic, even after the Reformation".
Joseph IIs power was limited in Hapsburg until the death of his mother in 1780. Prior to that time she, Maria Theresa, had ruled
alongside Joseph II and they often quarreled over their differing views (Geocities.com, 2002). Although Maria Theresa had implemented some reforms, Joseph II saw the need for a much more
rapid program of social change. He was, after all, a child of the Enlightenment and had studied under some of the greatest minds of his time period (Geocities.com, 2002).
Maria Theresa was considerably more conservative (Geocities.com, 2002). Joseph IIs reforms, although compatible with the philosophies of the Enlightenment which were taking hold at the time, however, were
more a reflection of his own personality than a prevailing social climate. Many contend, in fact, that on his death the enlightenment in Austria would die as well (Geocities.com,
2002). Multifaceted Issues Confronting Joseph II