Francis I of Austria

Reign: 1804 – 1835
Life: 1768–1835

Last Holy Roman Emperor (as Francis II) and first Emperor of Austria (as Francis I).

Leopold became Holy Roman Emperor in 1790 but died two years later, and Francis succeeded him. His empire immediately became embroiled in the French Revolutionary Wars, the first of which ended in Austrian defeat and the loss of the left bank of the Rhine to France. After another French victory in the War of the Second Coalition, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French. He continued his leading role as Napoleon adversary in the Napoleonic Wars, and suffered successive defeats that greatly weakened Austria as a European power. In 1806, after Napoleon created the Confederation of the Rhine, Francis abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor, which in effect marked the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. Following the defeat of the Fifth Coalition, Francis ceded more territory to France and was forced to wed his daughter Marie Louise to Napoleon.

During Francis I of Austria's reign, Frederick William III of Prussia ruled Prussia, Alexander I of Russia ruled Russia, and William I of the Netherlands ruled Netherlands.

Want to learn more? Further reading

Metternich: The First European by Alan Palmer

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The World During Their Reign

The most notable rulers who held power elsewhere at the same time, from European courts to Ottoman, Mughal, and Chinese thrones.

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From the library

Go deeper on Francis I of Austria

Hand-picked histories and biographies for readers who want more than the timeline: the same era, told in full.

Metternich: The First European

Alan Palmer

Francis I's long reign frames Palmer's classic on Metternich and the Congress-system order after Napoleon.

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The Habsburg Empire: A New History
Pieter M. Judson
Judson rethinks the empire Francis ruled, dynastic survival, nationalism, and conservative reaction.
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