Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor

@Holy Roman Emperor, Timeline and Childhood

Francis I served as the Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1740s until his death in 1765

Dec 8, 1708

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Biography

Personal Details

  • Birthday: December 8, 1708
  • Died on: August 18, 1765
  • Nationality: German
  • Famous: Emperors, Holy Roman Emperor, Kings, Historical Personalities, Emperors & Kings
  • Spouses: Maria Theresa
  • Childrens: Marie Antoinette
  • Birth Place: Nancy

Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor born at

Nancy

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Birth Place

Emperor Charles intended to get his daughter married to Leopold Clement, Francis’ elder brother. However, due to the untimely death of Clement, Francis was agreed upon as the future son-in-law after much consideration.

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Personal Life

Francis marriage to Maria Theresa was more of a formal agreement between the two. They tied the nuptials at the Augustinian Church on February 12, 1736 followed by a grand wedding on February 14, 1736.

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Personal Life

Francis and Maria were blessed with sixteen children, including the Queen of France, the Queen of Naples and Sicily, the Duchess of Parma and two Holy Roman Emperors, Joseph II and Leopold II.

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Personal Life

Francis was born on December 8, 1708 to Leopold Joseph, Duke of Lorraine, and Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans in Ducal Palace of Nancy. He was the oldest surviving son of the couple.

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Childhood & Early Life

Francis grandparents were connected to the Habsburg- his grandmother being the daughter of Emperor Ferdinand III. Later on, the family won the favour of Emperor Charles VI as well.

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Childhood & Early Life

Following the death of his elder brother, Francis was taken up as the future son-in-law for Emperor Charles who had wished to marry his daughter Maria Theresa to late Leopold Clement.

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Accession & Reign

Francis was raised in Vienna along with Maria Theresa. In 1729, he succeeded his father as the Duke of Lorraine. Two years later, he was initiated into the freemasonry. Subsequently, he was made Master Mason.

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Accession & Reign

In 1732, he agreed to serve as the Lord Lieutenant of Hungary for Francis. For the same, he moved to Pressburg. Following year, War of the Polish Succession broke out.

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Accession & Reign

In 1735, the Treaty of the Vienna was signed which finally put an end to the War of the Polish Succession. Under the treaty, Emperor Charles VI agreed to the marriage between Francis and Maria only if Francis gave up Lorraine to Stanislaw Leszczyński. In return, Francis was to succeed as the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

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Accession & Reign

In 1737, following the death of the last Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany, Gian Gastone, Francis succeeded as the Grand Duke of Tuscany. With this succession, peace was finally attained. The Spanish troops were replaced by Austrians in the Tuscany borders.

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Accession & Reign