Notizen zu dieser Person
Francis I (8 December 1708 - 18 August 1765)[1] (born as François Stephen, also known as Franz Stefan and Francis III Stephen, Duke of Lorraine) was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty. Early life He was born in Nancy, Lorraine (now in France), the oldest surviving son of Leopold Joseph, duke of Lorraine, and his wife Elizabeth Charlotte, daughter of Philippe I, duc d'Orléans and Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine. He was connected with the Habsburgs through his grandmother Eleanore, daughter of Emperor Ferdinand III, and wife of Charles Leopold of Lorraine, his grandfather. Emperor Charles VI favored the family, who, besides being his cousins, had served the house of Austria with distinction. He had designed to marry his daughter Maria Theresa to Francis' older brother Clement. On Clement's death, Charles adopted the younger brother as his future son-in-law. Francis was brought up in Vienna with Maria Theresa on the understanding that they were to be married, and a real affection arose between them. At the age of 15, when he was brought to Vienna, he was established in the Silesian Duchy of Cieszyn, which had been mediatized and granted to his father by the emperor in 1722. He succeeded his father as Duke of Lorraine in 1729, but the emperor, at the end of the War of the Polish Succession, agreed to compensate the French candidate Stanislaus Leszczynski for the loss of his crown in 1735 and persuaded Francis to exchange Lorraine for the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Marries and becomes Emperor On 12 February 1736 Francis and Maria Theresa were married, and they went for a short time to Florence, when he succeeded to the grand duchy on the death of Gian Gastone de' Medici, the last of the ruling house of Medici. His wife secured in the Treaty of Füssen his election to the Empire on 13 September 1745, in succession to Charles VII, and she made him co-regent of her hereditary dominions. Francis was well content to leave the wielding of power to his able wife. He had a natural fund of good sense and some business capacity and was a useful assistant to Maria Theresa in the laborious task of governing the complicated Austrian dominions, but his functions appear to have been primarily secretarial. He also took a great interest in the natural sciences. He was a member of the Freemasons. He died suddenly in his carriage while returning from the opera at Innsbruck on 18 August 1765. He is buried in tomb number 55 in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna. Maria Theresa and Francis I had sixteen children--their youngest daughter was the future queen consort of France, Marie Antoinette (1755-1793). He was officially succeeded by his eldest son Joseph II although the real power remained with his wife. Another son was the Emperor Leopold II. Issue Name Birth Death Notes Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria February 5, 1737 June 6, 1740 died in childhood, no issue Archduchess Maria Anna October 6, 1738 November 19, 1789 died unmarried, no issue Archduchess Maria Karolina of Austria January 12, 1740 January 25, 1741 died in childhood, no issue Joseph II March 13, 1741 February 20, 1790 married 1) Infanta Isabel of Spain (1741-1763), married 2) Princess Marie Josephe of Bavaria (1739-1767) - second cousin, had issue from his first marriage (two daugthers, who died young) Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria May 13, 1742 June 24, 1798 married Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen (1739-1822) , her secound cousin(1738-1822), had issue (one stillborn daughter) Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria August 13, 1743 September 22, 1808 died unmarried, no issue Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria February 1 1745 January 18, 1761 died of smallpox, no issue Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria February 26 1746 June 9, 1804 married Ferdinand, Duke of Parma (1751-1802), had issue. Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II May 5 1747 March 1, 1792 married Infanta Maria Louisa of Spain (1745-1792), had issue. Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 (abdicated 1790), Holy Roman Emperor from 1790, Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia from 1790. Archduchess Maria Carolina September 17, 1748 September 17, 1748 stillborn Archduchess Maria Johanna of Austria February 4, 1750 December 23, 1762 died of smallpox, no issue From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria March 19, 1751 October 15, 1767 died of smallpox, no issue Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria August 13, 1752 September 7, 1814 married King Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily (1751-1825); had issue Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, Duke of Breisgau June 1, 1754 December 24, 1806 married Maria Beatrice d'Este, heiress of Breisgau and of Modena, had issue (Austria-Este). Duke of Breisgau from 1803. Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, born Maria Antonia November 2, 1755 October 16, 1793 married Louis XVI of France (1754-1793) and became the famous Queen Marie Antoinette. Archduke Maximilian Franz of Austria (1756-1801) December 8, 1756 July 27, 1801 Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, 1784.
William B.
