Joseph II

noun

1. 1741–90, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire 1765–90 (son of Francis I; brother of Leopold II and Marie Antoinette).

Joseph II

noun

1. Joseph II17411790MAustrianPOLITICS: hereditary ruler 1741–90, Holy Roman emperor (1765–90); son of Francis I. He ruled Austria jointly with his mother, Maria Theresa, until her death (1780). He reorganized taxation, abolished serfdom, curtailed the feudal power of the nobles, and asserted his independence from the pope

Example Sentences

The censors of Emperor Joseph II, an enlightened despot, approved the libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte only after he and Mozart removed all explicit political references that came from the play, including a climactic speech inveighing against the privileged nobility.

From Salon

The one Habsburg who comes in for sustained criticism is the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Joseph II, who seized church property in the 19th century.

From Slate

In “Amadeus” Peter Shaffer’s play, which he and director Milos Forman have turned into an enthralling film, the genius is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the “mediocrity” is Antonio Salieri — reigning success of the court of Emperor Joseph II of Austria in the late 18th Century — and the confrontation between the two is fatal.

From Los Angeles Times

Four members of the Otero family — Joseph, 38, wife Julie, 34, and two of their children — Josephine, 11, and Joseph II, 9 — were bound and strangled inside their homes.

From Fox News

But the friars had fallen out of favor with Emperor Joseph II in 1783.

From Literature