Emperor Joseph II

Giuseppe II, son of Maria Theresa of Austria, was Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (1764-1790) and a reformer in the era of enlightened despotism. In foreign policy, he participated in the partition of Poland and fought against the Turks. Internally, he reorganized the state into a bureaucratic structure, abolishing serfdom, tithes, and forced labor. He enacted an enlightened penal code and implemented an anti-clerical policy, dissolving religious orders, reducing ecclesiastical privileges, and promoting religious tolerance. His centralizing policy sparked revolts in Hungary and the Austrian Netherlands, leading to the creation of the United States of Belgium (1789). His death in 1790 saw a significant rollback of his reforms by his successor, his brother Leopold II.