Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor Biography

Leopold II was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1790 to 1792. He is regarded as one of the most capable and sensible 18th-century monarchs. He also reigned as the king of Hungary and Bohemia and was also the grand duke of Tuscany and archduke of Austria. The son of Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria Theresa, Leopold earned the title of duke of Tuscany upon his father’s death in 1765. Just like his elder brother and then-emperor, Joseph, he proposed the theory of enlightened absolutism. Following his brother’s death in 1790, Leopold became the Roman emperor and eventually the king of Hungary. He also ruled Tuscany and rationalized the nation’s taxation and tariff systems during his reign. During 1789, he dealt cautiously with the situations created by the French Revolution. He later issued the Declaration of Pillnitz to ensure preservation of monarchical rule in France. Leopold died suddenly in1792 before France declared a war on Austria.