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Holy Roman Emperor Franz II is already an emperor, why should he call himself Emperor of Austria

author:Captain's Joke

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On August 11, 1804, Holy Roman Emperor Franz II proclaimed himself Emperor Franz I of Austria. Since Franz II is already Holy Roman Emperor, why call himself Emperor of Austria, the captain will explain it for you.

First, the family lineage is prominent

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II is already an emperor, why should he call himself Emperor of Austria

Franz was born on 12 February 1768 in Florence, capital of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the son of Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Maria Luisa, Princess of Spain. And Franz's grandmother was the last female heir of the Habsburg dynasty, Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresia, so Franz's family was very prominent and received a good aristocratic education from childhood.

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II is already an emperor, why should he call himself Emperor of Austria

Franz 's uncle , the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, had no sons , so his father Leopold II was the first in line to the throne. And he is the second in line to the throne. So as a teenager, Franz went to Vienna to receive court education and was groomed by the Habsburg-Lorraine family as heir to the throne.

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II is already an emperor, why should he call himself Emperor of Austria

In 1790, Joseph II died and his brother Leopold II became Holy Roman Emperor. However, Leopold II died suddenly after less than two years of reign, and Franz succeeded his father as Holy Roman Emperor Franz II in 1792.

Second, the situation in Europe

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II is already an emperor, why should he call himself Emperor of Austria

The situation at the time of Franz II's accession to the throne was very serious, the Holy Roman Empire was completely fragmented after the Thirty Years' War in 1648, the German land was divided by the division of princes, and the emperor was not only unable to extend his power to the entire empire, but also faced the threat of the European overlord Kingdom of France externally, and was often challenged by the Kingdom of Prussia internally.

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II is already an emperor, why should he call himself Emperor of Austria

Although France had no time to expand eastward due to the outbreak of the Revolution, the Revolution's idea of "freedom, equality, and fraternity" seriously shook the absolute monarchy in Europe, so Franz II decided to unite Prussia and the Kingdom of Great Britain to form the first anti-French alliance and send troops to support his uncle King Louis XVI of France to help him suppress the revolutionaries. However, the French army not only defeated the First Anti-French Coalition, but also annexed all the territory of the Holy Roman Empire west of the Rhine.

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II is already an emperor, why should he call himself Emperor of Austria

In 1799-1801, Franz II joined the Second Coalition to overthrow the French Republic. However, Austria not only failed to regain lost territory, but was also forced to recognize French control of the west bank of the Rhine and lose large areas of the Italian peninsula.

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II is already an emperor, why should he call himself Emperor of Austria

In 1803, the Imperial Council of the Holy Roman Empire, with the support of Napoleon Bonaparte, the first consul of France, promoted the mediation of the quarry and the secularization of the church, that is, all the property and territories of the church were transferred to the monarchs of the German states; The privileges of most of the Imperial Free Cities were abolished and incorporated into the nearby German states; The territories of the imperial knights were also incorporated into the nearby German states.

The ecclesiastical princes were an important tool for the Holy Roman Emperor to strengthen his centralized power in order to control the localities, and because his appointment and dismissal power was firmly in the hands of the emperor, he was particularly loyal to the emperor. The imperial knights were vassals directly subordinate to the emperor and were far more loyal to the emperor than most German states. Due to the disappearance of the princes and knights of the Empire, the Holy Roman Emperor's control over the Empire was greatly reduced, and the Empire lost two important pillars to maintain its existence, so to speak, in name only.

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II is already an emperor, why should he call himself Emperor of Austria

At the same time, the German states of Prussia, the Electorate of Baden, and the Electorate of Württemberg benefited greatly from this reform, acquiring numerous properties and territories, and naturally had a good impression of Napoleon and were even more disobedient to the orders of Franz II. Therefore, Franz II believed that sooner or later the Holy Roman Empire would dissolve and that he needed to keep the vast Habsburg territories.

Third, the Austrian Emperor

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II is already an emperor, why should he call himself Emperor of Austria

On May 18, 1804, Napoleon became "Empereur des Français (Emperor of the French)". Franz II was so angry that in order to continue his confrontation with Napoleon after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and maintain his family's status and fiefdom, he was crowned "Kaiser von Österreich Franz I" on August 11. Since then, Franz has become the only person in European history to hold the title of two emperors.

In 1805, Emperor Franz I of Austria participated in the Third Anti-French Coalition in the hope of maintaining the existence of the Holy Roman Empire, but the coalition army suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz, and Franz I had to recognize Napoleon as the hegemon of Europe and was forced to cede the dominance of Germany to the French Empire.

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II is already an emperor, why should he call himself Emperor of Austria

In January 1806, the monarchs of the German states of Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg were crowned kings with the support of Napoleon, and in July they organized the Rhine Confederation that was subordinate to France, openly separating from the Holy Roman Empire.

Napoleon, in order to show the legitimacy of the Rhine Confederation, forced Franz to renounce the title of Holy Roman Emperor on August 6, leading to the complete demise of the Holy Roman Empire. Franz I also no longer held two emperor titles, maintaining the title of Austrian emperor until his death in 1835.

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