Background
He was the seventh son of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Louisa of Spain. He was born in Florence, where his father was ruling as Grand Duke of Tuscany.
He was the seventh son of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Louisa of Spain. He was born in Florence, where his father was ruling as Grand Duke of Tuscany.
Joseph was one of fifteen children born to Leopold II and Maria Louisa of Spain. In 1796, he was made Palatine of Hungary (nádor in Hungarian). This old title was, in effect, a deputy of the king, when he was absent from the country.
Throughout his years in office he supported and promoted economic reforms, public works, and construction projects that aimed to bring Hungary closer to Europe.
He did not govern with a heavy hand, harsh measures were usually imposed from Vienna. His years saw the first steamboat and railroad in Hungary, the regulation of the Danube, and the founding of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
His statue now stands in a place of honor at the very heart of Budapest in a square named for him, in front of the Ministry of Finance. Joseph married the Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia (1783–1801), on 30 October 1799 at Saint St. Petersburg.
Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
