Succession of Joseph II as Sole Ruler
- When
- 29 November 1780
- Where
- Habsburg monarchy succession
- Part of
- Death of Maria Theresa
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor since 1765, became sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy upon his mother's death on 29 November 1780.
The death of Maria Theresa on 29 November 1780 left her eldest son Joseph II free to pursue his own policy. Already Holy Roman Emperor since 18 August 1765, he now became sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy, a position he held until his death on 20 February 1790. He immediately directed his government on a new course, attempting to realise his ideal of enlightened despotism acting on a definite system for the good of all, and seized the chance to act on his ideas in earnest.
Sources
- Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-23
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.