Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor

Born

5 May 1747

Died

1 March 1792

Grand Duke of Tuscany for twenty-five years before succeeding his brother Joseph II in 1790, Leopold II was the elder brother of Marie Antoinette. He had governed Tuscany as a reforming prince, abolishing the death penalty there in 1786, and on his accession settled the wars and quarrels he had inherited in order to keep his hands free. After the flight to Varennes he issued the Padua Circular inviting the European sovereigns to make a joint declaration on Louis XVI’s behalf, and at Pillnitz in August 1791, with Frederick William II of Prussia, declared the king’s position a matter of common concern to the sovereigns of Europe. The declaration promised action only if all the powers agreed, which he knew Britain would not; it was read in France as a threat. He died in Vienna on 1 March 1792.

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5 May 1747Birth of Leopold II See them in the timeline →