1-156-432 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Prince Joseph, future Emperor Joseph II of Austria as a child, 18th century. Joseph II succeeded his father Francis I as Holy Roman Emperor in 1765, ruling Austria jointly with his mother, Maria Theresa, until 1780. He was an enlightened ruler, abolishing serfdom, granting freedom of the press and allowing religious freedom, including the emancipation of the Jews. Joseph's foreign policies were unsuccessful however, and toward the end of his reign, rebellions broke out within the empire in Hungary and the Austrian Netherlands. Portrait by the Circle of Marin van Mytens II.