Francis II

Francis II (1768–1835), last emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and ruler of Austria. A member of the royal Habsburg family, he was crowned on the death of his father, Leopold II (1792). Francis II was a conservative monarch who opposed ideas of the French Revolution and political reform. Upon Napoleon's victory in Austria (1806), the Holy Roman Empire came to an end. For political reasons, Francis II allowed his daughter, Marie-Louise, to marry Napoleon (1810), although he aligned himself with those who eventually defeated Napoleon.

See also: Holy Roman Empire.