Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor

Francis I
Portrait of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (by Pompeo Batoni, c. 1769, Schönbrunn Palace)
Holy Roman Emperor
Reign13 September 1745 – 18 August 1765
Coronation4 October 1745
Frankfurt Cathedral
PredecessorCharles VII
SuccessorJoseph II
Grand Duke of Tuscany
Reign12 July 1737 – 18 August 1765
PredecessorGian Gastone
SuccessorLeopold I
Archduke of Austria
Reign20 October 1740 – 18 August 1765
PredecessorCharles III
SuccessorMaria Theresa and Joseph II
Co-rulerMaria Theresa
Duke of Lorraine and Bar
Reign27 March 1729 – 9 July 1737
PredecessorLeopold
SuccessorStanislas
Born(1708-12-08)8 December 1708
Lunéville, Duchy of Lorraine, Holy Roman Empire
Died18 August 1765(1765-08-18) (aged 56)
Hofburg, Innsbruck, County of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empire
Burial
Spouse
(m. 1736)
Issue
Names
Francis Stephen
HouseLorraine
FatherLeopold, Duke of Lorraine
MotherÉlisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans
ReligionCatholicism
SignatureFrancis I's signature

Francis I (Francis Stephen; French: François Étienne; German: Franz Stefan; Italian: Francesco Stefano; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765)[1] was Holy Roman Emperor from 1745 to 1765, Archduke of Austria from 1740 to 1765, Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1729 to 1737, and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1737 to 1765. He became the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, Austria, and Tuscany through his marriage to his second cousin Maria Theresa of Austria, daughter of Emperor Charles VI. Francis was the last non-Habsburg monarch of the Empire. The couple were the founders of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, and their marriage produced sixteen children.

Francis was the oldest surviving son of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine, and the French princess Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans. Duke Leopold died in 1729 and was succeeded by his son. In 1736, Francis married Maria Theresa. In 1738, he left the Duchy of Lorraine and Bar for the deposed Polish king Stanisław Leszczyński in exchange for the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, as one of the terms ending the War of the Polish Succession. Following the death of his father-in-law, Charles VI, in 1740, Francis and Maria Theresa became the rulers of the Habsburg domains. Maria Theresa gave her husband responsibility for the empire's financial affairs, which he handled well. Francis died in 1765 and was succeeded by their son, Joseph II, who co-ruled Austria alongside Maria Theresa.


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