Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
| Joseph I | |
|---|---|
| Imperator Romanorum | |
Portrait by Frans van Stampart, c. 1705
| |
| Holy Roman Emperor | |
| Reign | 5 May 1705 – 17 April 1711 |
| Predecessor | Leopold I |
| Successor | Charles VI |
| King of Hungary, Croatia and Slavonia | |
| Reign | 9 December 1687 – 17 April 1711 |
| Coronation | 9 December 1687 |
| Predecessor | Leopold I |
| Successor | Charles III |
| Co-ruler | Leopold I (1687–1705) |
| Archduke of Austria and King of Bohemia | |
| Reign | 5 May 1705 – 17 April 1711 |
| Predecessor | Leopold VI/I |
| Successor | Charles III/II |
| Born | 26 July 1678 Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 17 April 1711 (aged 32) Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire |
| Burial | 20 April 1711 Imperial Crypt, Vienna |
| Spouse | Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick (m. 1699) |
| Issue | Maria Josepha of Austria Archduke Leopold Joseph Maria Amalia, Holy Roman Empress |
| Names German: Joseph Jacob Ignaz Johann Anton Eustachius[1] | |
| House | House of Habsburg |
| Father | Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg |
| Religion | Catholic Church |
Joseph I (Joseph Jacob Ignaz Johann Anton Eustachius; 26 July 1678 – 17 April 1711) was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1705 until his death in 1711. He was the eldest son of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor from his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg. Joseph was crowned King of Hungary at the age of nine in 1687 and was elected King of the Romans at the age of eleven in 1690. He succeeded to the thrones of Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire when his father died.
Joseph continued the War of the Spanish Succession, begun by his father against Louis XIV of France, in an attempt to make his younger brother Charles (later Emperor Charles VI) King of Spain. In the process, however, owing to the victories won by his military commander, Prince Eugene of Savoy, he did succeed in establishing Austrian hegemony over Italy. Joseph also had to contend with a protracted revolt in Hungary, fomented by Louis XIV. Neither conflict was resolved until the Treaty of Utrecht, after his death.
His motto was Amore et Timore (Latin for "Through Love and Fear").[2] Like his father and grandfather, he was a composer.[3]
Early life
Born in Vienna, Joseph was educated strictly by Charles Theodore, Prince of Salm, and became a good linguist. Perhaps due to the influence of his formerly Protestant tutor he was a less devout Catholic than his parents and other relatives and developed into an adherent of the early Age of Enlightenment.[4] He had two great enthusiasms: music and hunting.[4]
Although Joseph was the first son and child born of his parents' marriage, he was his father's third son and seventh child. Previously, Leopold had been married to Infanta Margaret Theresa of Spain, who had given him four children, one of whom survived infancy. He then married Claudia Felicitas of Austria, who gave him two short-lived daughters. Thus, Joseph had six half-siblings. In 1684, the six-year-old Archduke had his first portrait painted by Benjamin Block. At the age of nine, on 9 December 1687, he was crowned King of Hungary, and at the age of eleven, on 23 January 1690, King of the Romans.
Military service
In 1702, at the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession, Joseph saw his only military service. He joined the Imperial General, Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden, in the Siege of Landau.
Holy Roman Emperor
Prior to his ascension, Joseph had surrounded himself with reform-hungry advisors and the young court of Vienna was ambitious in the elaboration of innovative plans. He was described as a "forward-looking ruler".[4] The large number of privy councillors was reduced and attempts were made to make the bureaucracy more efficient. Measures were taken to modernise the central bodies and a certain success was achieved in stabilising the chronically poor Habsburg finances. Joseph also endeavoured to strengthen his position in the Holy Roman Empire — as a means of strengthening Austria's standing as a great power. When he sought to lay claim to imperial rights in Italy and gain territories for the Habsburgs, he even risked a military conflict with the Pope over the Duchy of Mantua.[4] Joseph I was threatened with excommunication by Pope Clement XI on 16 June 1708.[5]
In Hungary, Joseph had inherited the kuruc rebellion from his father Leopold I: once again, nobles in Transylvania (Siebenbürgen) had risen against Habsburg rule, even advancing for a time as far as Vienna. Although Joseph was compelled to take military action, he refrained — unlike his predecessors — from seeking to teach his subjects a lesson by executing the leaders. Instead, he agreed to a compromise peace, which in the long term facilitated the integration of Hungary into the Habsburg domains.[4] It was his good fortune to govern the Austrian dominions and to be head of the Empire, during the years in which his trusted general, Prince Eugene of Savoy, either acting alone in Italy or with the Duke of Marlborough in Germany and Flanders, was beating the armies of Louis XIV of France. During the whole of his reign, Hungary was disturbed by the conflict with Francis Rákóczi II, who eventually took refuge in the Ottoman Empire. The emperor reversed many of the authoritarian measures of his father, thus helping to placate opponents. He began the attempts to settle the question of the Austrian inheritance by a pragmatic sanction, which was continued by his brother Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor.
Religious and ethnic policies
During the Rákóczi's rebellion (1703–1711) in the Kingdom of Hungary, Joseph's government was also faced with various religious and ethnic challenges. A significant portion of the Hungarian nobility and people belonged to the Reformed Church (Calvinists). Hoping to gain full religious freedom and equality, Hungarian Calvinists were supportive of Rákóczi's movement, thus forcing the imperial court in Vienna to reexamine some staunchly pro-Catholic policies.[6] At the same time, eastern and southern regions of the Kingdom were also inhabited by Eastern Orthodox Christians, mainly Serbs and Romanians. In order to secure their loyalty, Joseph issued (in 1706) official confirmation of religious liberties that were previously granted to Eastern Orthodox subjects by his father, late emperor Leopold I. In 1708, Joseph confirmed the establishment of the Metropolitanate of Krušedol.[7]
In 1710, Joseph extended his father's edict of outlawry against the Romani (Gypsies) in the Habsburg lands. Per Leopold, any Romani who entered the kingdom was to be declared an outlaw by letters patent. If the same person returned to Bohemia a second time, they were to be "treated with all possible severity". Joseph ordered that in the Kingdom of Bohemia they were to have their right ears cut off; in the Margraviate of Moravia, the left ear was to be cut off; in Austria, they would be branded on the back with a branding iron, representing the gallows. These mutilations were to enable the authorities to identify Romani who had been outlawed and returned. Joseph's edict specified "that all adult males were to be hanged without trial, whereas women and young males were to be flogged and banished forever." Officials who failed to enforce the edict could be fined 100 reichsthaler. Helping Romani was punishable by a half-year's forced labor. "Mass killings" of Romani were reported as a result.[8]
Death
During the smallpox epidemic of 1711, which killed Louis, Grand Dauphin and three siblings of the future Emperor Francis I, Joseph became infected. He died on 17 April in the Hofburg palace. He had previously promised his wife to stop having affairs, should he survive.
The Emperor was buried in the Imperial Crypt, the resting place of the majority of the Habsburgs. His funeral took place on 20 April, in tomb no. 35 in Karl's Vault. His tomb was designed by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, decorated with pictures of various battles from the War of Spanish Succession. Josefstadt (the eighth district of Vienna) is named for Joseph.
Marriage and lack of heirs
On 24 February 1699, he married Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg in Vienna. They had three children and their only son died of hydrocephalus before his first birthday. Joseph had a passion for love affairs (none of which resulted in illegitimate children) and he caught a sexually transmittable disease, probably syphilis, which he passed on to his wife while they were trying to produce a new heir. This incident rendered her sterile.[4] Their father, who was still alive during these events, made Joseph and his brother Charles sign the Mutual Pact of Succession, under which Joseph's daughters would have precedence over Charles's daughters, in case neither fathered a son. This ruling, which made no provision for the accession of Charles's daughter Maria Theresa, led to the War of the Austrian Succession.
Issue
| Name | Portrait | Lifespan | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Josepha Queen of Poland |
|
8 December 1699 – 17 November 1757 |
Archduchess of Austria, married Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony |
| Leopold Joseph | 29 October 1700 – 4 August 1701 |
Archduke of Austria, died in infancy | |
| Maria Amalia Holy Roman Empress |
|
22 October 1701 – 11 December 1756 |
Archduchess of Austria, married Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor |
Ancestors
- Ancestors of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
- 8. Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor[9]
- 4. Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor[10]
- 9. Maria Anna of Bavaria[9]
- 2. Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
- 10. Philip III of Spain[11]
- 5. Maria Anna of Spain[10]
- 11. Margaret of Austria[11]
- 1. Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
- 12. Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg[12]
- 6. Philip William, Elector Palatine[10]
- 13. Magdalene of Bavaria[12]
- 3. Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg
- 14. George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt[13]
- 7. Princess Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt[10]
- 15. Sophia Eleonore of Saxony[13]
Male-line family tree
- v
t
e
House of Habsburg[14] - Original line
- Albert
Count of Habsburg
c. 1188–1239 - Rudolf I
of Germany
c. 1218–1291 - Albert I
of Germany
1255–1308 — Hartmann
1263–1281 — Rudolf II
Duke of Austria
1270–1290 - Rudolf I
of Bohemia
1281–1307 — Frederick
the Fair
c. 1289–1330 — Leopold I
Duke of Austria
1290–1326 — Albert II
Duke of Austria
1298–1358 — Henry
the Friendly
1299–1327 — Otto
Duke of Austria
1301–1339 — John
Parricida
c. 1290–1312/1313 - Albertinian line — Leopoldian line
- Rudolf IV
Duke of Austria
1339–1365 — Frederick III
1347–1362 — Albert III
Duke of Austria
1349–1395 — Leopold III
Duke of Austria
1351–1386 — Frederick II
Duke of Austria
1327–1344 — Leopold II
Duke of Austria
1328–1344 - Albert IV
Duke of Austria
1377–1404 — William
Duke of Austria
c. 1370–1406 — Leopold IV
Duke of Austria
1371–1411 — Ernest
Duke of Austria
1377–1424 — Frederick IV
Duke of Austria
1382–1439 - Albert II
of Germany
1397–1439 — Frederick III
HRE
1415–1493 — Albert VI
Archduke of Austria
1418–1463 — Sigismund
Archduke of Austria
1427–1496 - Ladislaus
the Posthumous
1440–1457 — Maximilian I
HRE
1459–1519 - Philip I
of Castile
1478–1506 - Spanish / Iberian line — Austrian / HRE line
- Charles V
HRE
1500–1558 — Ferdinand I
HRE
1503–1564 - Philip II
of Spain
1527–1598 — Maximilian II
HRE
1527–1576 — Ferdinand II
Archduke of Austria
1529–1595 — Charles II
Archduke of Austria
1540–1590 - Carlos
Prince of Asturias
1545–1568 — Philip III
of Spain
1578–1621 — Rudolf II
HRE
1552–1612 — Ernest
of Austria
1553–1595 — Matthias
HRE
1557–1619 — Maximilian III
Archduke of Austria
1558–1618 — Albert VII
Archduke of Austria
1559–1621 — Wenceslaus
Archduke of Austria
1561–1578 — Andrew
Margrave of Burgau
1558–1600 — Charles
Margrave of Burgau
1560–1618 — Ferdinand II
HRE
1578–1637 — Maximilian Ernest
of Austria
1583–1616 — Leopold V
Archduke of Austria
1586–1632 — Charles
of Austria
1590–1624 - Philip IV
of Spain
1605–1665 — Charles
of Austria
1607–1632 — Ferdinand
of Austria
1609–1641 — John-Charles
of Austria
1605–1619 — Ferdinand III
HRE
1608–1657 — Leopold Wilhelm
of Austria
1614–1662 — Ferdinand Charles
Archduke of Austria
1628–1662 — Sigismund Francis
Archduke of Austria
1630–1665 - Balthasar Charles
Prince of Asturias
1629–1646 — Charles II
of Spain
1661–1700 — Ferdinand IV
King of the Romans
1633–1654 — Leopold I
HRE
1640–1705 — Charles Joseph
of Austria
1649–1664 - Joseph I
HRE
1678–1711 — Charles VI
HRE
1685–1740 - Lorraine
- Maria Theresa
HRE
1740–1780 — Francis I
HRE
1745–1765 - Habsburg-Lorraine
- Joseph II
HRE
1765–1790 — Leopold II
HRE
1790–1792 - Francis II
HRE
1792–1806 - Notes:
References
- Back to citation Johann Burkhard Mencke; Leben und Thaten Sr. Majestät des Römischen Käysers Leopold des Ersten pg 914 https://books.google.com/books?id=AdhXAAAAcAAJ&q=Josephus+Jacobus+Ignatius+Johannes+Antonius+Eustachius&pg=PA914
- Back to citation "Joseph I as Roman-German Emperor, oval portrait with motto". The World of the Habsburgs. english.habsburger.net. Archived from the original on December 14, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
- Back to citation "Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor Songs, Albums,..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 Back to citation occurrence 4.2 Back to citation occurrence 4.3 Back to citation occurrence 4.4 Back to citation occurrence 4.5 "Reforming zeal in the Baroque: Joseph I". The World of the Habsburgs. english.habsburger.net. Archived from the original on December 14, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
- Back to citation Joaquín Lorenzo Villanueva, Misapprehension of Patrick Curties and James Doyle concerning the oath which the bishops of Ireland take to the Roman Pontiff, (1825) page 65
- Back to citation Ingrao 1979, pp. 123–160.
- Back to citation Ćirković 2004, pp. 149–150.
- Back to citation David Crowe (2004): A History of the Gypsies of Eastern Europe and Russia (Palgrave Macmillan) ISBN 0-312-08691-1 p. XI pp. 36–37
- Back to citation occurrence 9.0 Back to citation occurrence 9.1 Eder, Karl (1961). "Ferdinand III.". Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German). Vol. 5. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot. pp. 85–86. (full text online).
- Back to citation occurrence 10.0 Back to citation occurrence 10.1 Back to citation occurrence 10.2 Back to citation occurrence 10.3 Généalogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrième degré inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frédéric Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. p. 100.
- Back to citation occurrence 11.0 Back to citation occurrence 11.1 Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria Anna von Spanien". Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 23 – via Wikisource.
- Back to citation occurrence 12.0 Back to citation occurrence 12.1 Fuchs, Peter (2001). "Philipp Wilhelm". Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German). Vol. 20. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot. p. 384. (full text online).
- Back to citation occurrence 13.0 Back to citation occurrence 13.1 Louda, Jirí; MacLagan, Michael (1999). Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe (2nd ed.). London: Little, Brown and Company. table 84.
- Back to citation "Habsburg family tree". Habsburg family website. 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
Bibliography
- Ćirković, Sima (2004). The Serbs. Malden: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4051-4291-5.
- Herchenhahn, J. C. Geschichte der Regierung Kaiser Josephs I (1786–1789)
- Hochedlinger, Michael (2013). Austria's Wars of Emergence: War, State and Society in the Habsburg Monarchy, 1683–1797. London & New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-88793-5.
- Ingrao, Charles W. (1979). In Quest and Crisis: Emperor Joseph I and the Habsburg Monarchy. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press. ISBN 978-0-911198-53-9.
- Krones von Marchiand, F. Grundriss der österreichischen Geschichte (1882).
- van Noorden, C. Europäische Geschichte im achtzehnten Jahrhundert (1870–1882).
- Wagner, F. Historia Josephi Caesaris (1746).
External links
Media related to Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor at Wikimedia Commons
- Joseph I in the German National Library catalogue
- Joseph I.: "Regina coeli"
- Joseph I (Holy Roman Empire) - MSN Encarta (Archived 2009-10-31)