Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire

Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire (1768-1835), last Holy Roman Emperor (1792-1806) and, as Francis I, first emperor of Austria (1804-1835). Born in Florence, and educated in Vienna, he succeeded his father Leopold II as Holy Roman Emperor. From the start of his reign until 1815 Francis was involved in the wars of the French Revolution and in the Napoleonic Wars. After the extension of French control over western Germany and the reorganization of the German states by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803, Francis consolidated his power in Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, and northern Italy and proclaimed himself emperor of Austria in 1804. Two years later he formally dissolved the old Holy Roman Empire. As emperor of Austria, Francis gave Prince Klemens von Metternich almost complete control of foreign affairs after 1809 and devoted himself to the internal administration of the empire. The marriage of his daughter Marie-Louise to Napoleon in 1810 earned Francis three peaceful years in which to re-create Austrian strength for participation in the campaign that would bring about (1814-1815) Napoleon's downfall. By the decisions of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Francis recovered most of the territory Austria had lost to Napoleon. The last 20 years of his reign were marked by paternalistic measures, reactionary tendencies, and the repression of liberalism.