JOSEPH, Ger. pron. yo'zilf, I. ( 1678-1711). Holy Roman Emperor from 1705 to 1711. He was the eldest *on of Emperor Leopold 1. and was born at Vienna, July 26. 1678. He was crowned King of Hungary in 1687 and King of the Romans in 1690. He succeeded his father as Emperor and ruler of the dominions on Slay 5, 1705. His accession infused new energy into the prosecution of the war against France, which on the part of the Imperialists had been carried on with some dilatoriness. (See Thar of the spanish, Succession, under SUCCESSION WARS.) His ambition was directed toward the extension of the Austrian power in Italy and Bavaria : of the latter the victories of Marlborough and Eu gene made him the master, but his plan to bring the Electorate of Bavaria under the Austrian Crown failed on account of the opposition of the other German sovereigns. He was engaged in a long war with his Hungarian subjects, led by Rilikoezy, which was terminated immediately after the death of the Emperor. Joseph was powerful enough to impose his will upon the Pope, he forced in 1709 to acknowledge his brother Charles as King of Spain. The influence of the
Prince of Satin, who had the charge of his educa tion, and his subsequent connection with Prince Eugene, led ,Joseph to embrace opinions much more liberal than those which had generally pre vailed in his family, and he granted privileges to the Protestants of Hungary and Bohemia, which had been refused by his predecessors. He also concluded a treaty in 1706 with Charles X11. of Sweden, by which he granted religious liberty to the Protestants of Silesia, and restored to them over 200 churches which had been taken from them by the Jesuits. He was fond of courtly ceremonial, but in his personal relation was mild and affable. He sought to improve the condition of the peasantry in his dominions by relieving them from some of their feudal burdens. Con sult Her•henhahn, Geschichte der Regierung Kaisers Josephs I. (2 vols., Leipzig, 1786-89).