JOSEPH II., eldest son of Maria Theresa and of Francis of Lorraine, was elected King of the Romans in 1764, and in the following year, ou the death of his father, he became emperor. As long as his mother lived he had little real power, as Maria Theresa retained the adminis tration of her vast territories in her own hands ; but on her decease in 1780 he became possessed of all the hereditary Austrian dominions. Joseph soon displayed considerable ambition mixed with much rest lessness; ho was however kept in check by France and by Frederick of Prussia. After the death of Frederick in 1786, Joseph joined Catharine of Russia in a war against Turkey, which his general Laudon carried on with success, taking Belgrade and other fortresses in 1789. But the threatening aspect of affairs in Franco and Brabant arrested the progress of the Austrian armies, and Joseph himself died in 1790. The character in which Joseph is chiefly viewed is that of a reformer— in many instances a wise one, but in others rash and inconsiderate. Ho abolished all separate jurisdictions, and divided the Austrian monarchy into thirteen governments subdivided into circles, all under a uniform administration, civil and judicial. Ho abolished feudal servitudes, and substituted a fixed tax in lieu of corvtea, taskworks, tithes, hcriots, &c. He issued the edict of toleration, by which all Christians of whatever denomination were declared equally citizens, and eqnally eligible to all offices and dignities. Wherever there was a population of 3000 iuhabitants, whether Protestants or Greeks, they were allowed to build a church for themselves, provided they estab lished at the same time a permanent fund for the support of the minister and relief of the poor. The Jews were allowed the exercise of all trades and professions, with access to the public schools and universities. He took away from the clergy the censorship of the
press, and gave it to a commission of literary men resident at Vienna. Ho opened colleges and universities, enlarged those already existing, endowed new professorships, and collected libraries. He encouraged manufactories', but, according to the old system, he placed exorbitant duties on foreign articles. Ile subjected the monastic) fraternities to diocesan jurisdiction, and ho suppressed many convents ; but he did It in a harsh manner, without regard to the necessities and feelings of the older inmates, who were turned adrift into the world with only small pensions, and in some cases even without them. He forbade pilgrimages and processions, prohibited the pomp of funeral cere monies, declared marriage to be a purely civil contract, forbade all papal bulls to be published throughout his dominions without the permission of the goverument, abolished the privileges of the University of Louvain, and established a now theological seminary in its place. These innovations, in a country so strongly attached to its old institu tions and religion as the Belgian provinces were, ed to an insurrection, and ultimately to the separation of those fine territories from the Austrian monarchy. Hie scheme of establishing the German as the universal language throughout his dominions led to a revolt in Hungary, which his more temperate successor Leopold lied some difficulty in pacifying. In short, Joseph, with all his liberality, was perfectly despotio in carrying his measures into effect, without regard to the feelings, prejudices, or Interests of individuals.