Emperor Francis II.(I.)
*12.02.1768 Florence, Italy - †02.03.1835 Vienna
Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (until 1806)
Emperor of Austria (from 1804)
King of Jerusalem, Hungary, Bohemia, Lombardy, etc.
Archduke of Austria
Francis was a grandson of Maria Theresia was born in Florence as the eldest son of Emperor Leopold II. and Maria Ludovika of Spain. Since Emperor Joseph II. was childless, the Archduke, as his eldest nephew, was designated as his successor and came to Vienna in 1784. After the death of his father (1792), Francis succeeded him as emperor.
During the Napoleonic Wars, Austria suffered defeat at the hands of Napoleon's superior armies, apart from a few isolated victories, and was forced to accept territorial losses and oppressive peace terms.
In 1804, Franz established the hereditary empire in Austria and, in order to abolish the Holy Roman Empire (among other things, to prevent Napoleon from succeeding to the throne), he abdicated the imperial crown in 1806.
The Congress of Vienna in 1814/15 brought restoration, but also the loss of Belgium and Further Austria.
Preserving tradition, fear of innovation, censorship and informants – associated with the name of Prince Metternich, the powerful State Chancellor – characterised the reign of Emperor Francis. Nevertheless, the country experienced a cultural renaissance, the Biedermeier period, with important names from literature, music and theatre associated with this period.
Emperor Franz was married four times and had twelve children with his second wife, Maria Theresa of Naples.
The sarcophagus
The chest-shaped copper sarcophagus created by Pietro Nobile stands on a tall black marble pedestal, rests on bear paws and features rich rod ornamentation. The lower part is decorated with characteristic Empire wreaths – clear circles in the centre of rectangles.
The long sides are framed by pilaster-like strips. The centre of these surfaces is filled with palmettes and vine ornaments as well as the imperial double eagle. A dissolving vine borders the wide field of the inscription panel on the long sides. The lion's head handles are located on the two short sides.
The lid, decorated with leaf and vine ornamentation, is set off by profiles and bordered by a palmette wreath. On the lid is the richly decorated cushion with the imperial crown, the golden fleece, the imperial orb, the sceptre, the sword and a cross without a corpus.
The inscription on the left long side of the sarcophagus reads:
FRANCISCVS. I.P.F.A. AVSTRIAE. IMPERATOR HIEROS. HVNG. BOH. LOMB. VENET. DALM. CROAT. SLAV. GALIC. LOD. ET. ILLYR. REX ARCHIDVX. AUSTRIAE. DVX LOTHARING. SALISB. STYR. CARINTH. CARNIOL. SVP. ET. INF. SILES. MAGN. PRINC. TRANSILV. MARCH. MORAV. COMES. HABSB. ET. TYROL. ETC. ETC. ETC. NATVS. FLORENTIAE. XII. FEBR. MDCCLXVIII. DIVI LEOPOLDI II. FILIVS DIVAE. MARIAE. THERESIAE. NEPOS
Francis I, Father of Happy Austria, Emperor of Austria, King of Jerusalem, Hungary, Bohemia, Lombardy, Venetia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Galicia, Lodomeria and Illyria. Archduke of Austria, Duke of Lorraine, Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia, Upper and Lower Carniola, Silesia, Grand Duke of Transylvania, Margrave of Moravia, Count of Habsburg and Tyrol, etc. etc. etc., born in Florence on 12 February 1768, son of the sublime Leopold II., grandson of the sublime Maria Theresa.
The inscription on the right-hand side reads:
SYMBOLVUM: "IVSTITIA. REGNORUM. FVUNDAMENTVM" FACTIS, ET. LEGIBVS. PROBAVIT OBIIT. VINDOB. ANTE. HORAM. PRIM. MATVT. II. MART. MDCCCXXXV.
He confirmed the motto ‘Justice is the foundation of empires’ through his deeds and laws. He died in Vienna before the first hour of the morning on 2 March 1835.
Inscription on the pedestal at the head:
MDCCCXXXV.
Inscription on the pedestal at the foot:
II. MARTII.