JOSEPH II, German emperor, oldest son of Francis I and Maria Theresa: h. Vienna, 13 March 1741; d. there, 20 Feb. 1790. He was elected king of the Romans in 1764, and on the death of his father, 1765, German emperor. His mother declared him coregent in the hereditary states of the house of Austria and gave him the command of the army; but the real authority remained in her hands. In the earlier part of his reign he employed his time in traveling and becoming acquainted with his estates. He visited his sister, Marie Antoinette, at Paris, and Catherine of Russia in 1780. It was also in those years that he began his intimacy with Frederic II of Prussia, resulting later in the partition of Poland. In November 1780 Maria Theresa died and Joseph came into the posses sion of full dominion over his hereditary states. He allowed a greater freedom of the press, put an end to the connection between Rome and the religious orders, diminished the pensions, placed the Jews on a better footing, abolished bondage, suppressed all nunneries and many monasteries, particularly those of the purely contemplative orders. All branches of the government, public education, the police and the peasantry were reformed. By a new code of laws capital pun ishments were abolished. On 9 Feb. 1788 he declared war against the Turks. By the defeat at Lugos (20 Sept. 1788) the army was obliged to retreat, but in the following year fortune favored the Austrian arms and Belgrade sur rendered. With the tax law, introduced in November 1789, nobility and peasantry showed themselves equally dissatisfied and the signal was given for open rebellion. The Netherlands declared themselves independent and expelled the imperial forces from all the provinces, and Luxemburg alone remained in the possession of the imperial troops. The Hungarians also re belled and demanded the restoration of their ancient rights and constitution. Joseph, in Jan uary 1790, declared all the acts of his govern ment in that count revoked, even to the edict ry of toleration (22 June 1781). Joseph was a man of considerable ability, but arbitrary and despotic. Whatever his own reflections or his knowledge of other countries showed to be useful he wished to introduce. But he did not sufficiently consider that he had to do with men who would not see things in the same light as himself ; and that long habit rendered it difficult to change, at once, usages sanctified by time.
Being a freethinker he often grossly overrode the rights of the Church. Toward the end of his reign his friends and even members of his own family treated him with cruel neglect and he died a disappointed, broken-hearted man. There is a large literature on his rule, much of which consists of his correspondence. Consult Arneth, A. von, ed., 'Marie Antoinette, Josef II und Leopold Ihr Briefwechsel> (Vienna 1866); id., 'Maria Theresia und Josef II, Hire etc.' (Vienna 1867-68) ; id., 'Josef II and Katharina von Russland, Ihr 1869) ; id., 'Josef II und Leopold von Toskana, Ihr Briefwechsel von 1781-1790k (2 vols., Vienna 1872); Beer, A., ed., 'Josef II, Leopold II und Kaunitz, Ihr Brief wechsel> (Vienna 1873) ; id., 'Josef W (Vienna 1882) ; id., 'Joseph II und Graf L. Cobenzl, Ihr Briefwechsel' (Vienna 1901) ; Bright, J. F., 'Joseph IP (London 1897) ; Brunner, S., ed., Theologische Dienerschaft am Hofe Jo sef's IP (Vienna 1868) ; • id.. Intimes de l'Empereur Josef II avec le Comte de Cobenzl et le Prince de Kaunitz' (Vienna 1871); id., 'Josef II' (Freiburg 1885); Delplace, L., 'Josef II et la Revolution Brabarcconne' (Bruges 1890) ; Fournier, A., 'Josef II) (Prague 1885) ; Gross-Hoffinger, A. I., 'Ge schichte Josefs II' (Stuttgart 1847) ; Jager, A., 'Kaiser Josef II und Leopold IP (Vienna 1867) ; Juste, T., 'Histoire du Regne de l'Em pereur Josef II et de la Revolution Beige de 1790' (2 vols., Brussels 1845-46) ; Kohut, A., 'Kaiser Josef IP (Dresden 1890) ; Lorenz, 0., 'Josef II und die Belgische Revolution' (Vi enna 1862) ; Lustkandl, W., 'Die Josephinischen Ideen und ihr Erfolie (Vienna 1881) ; Meynert, H., 'Kaiser Josef IP (Vienna 1862) ; Paganel, C., 'Histoire de Josef IP (Paris 1843) ; Schlit ter, H., 'Pius VI und Josef II, 1782-84' (Vi enna 1894) ; id., 'Die Regierung Josefs II in den Oestereichischen Niederlanden> (Vienna 1900); id., Korrespondenz Jo sefs II mit Graf Trauttmansdorff) (Vienna 1902) ; Temperley, H. W. V., 'Frederic the Great and Kaiser Joseph' (London 1915); Wendriski, J., 'Kaiser Josef IP (Vienna 1880) ; Wolf, A., and H. von Zwiedeneck-Siidenhorst. 'Oestereich unter Maria Theresia, Josef II und Leopold IP (Berlin 1882-84) ; Wolf, G., 'Das Unterrichtswesen in Oesterreich unter Josef IP (Vienna 1880).