Joseph II: Volume 2, Against the World, 1780-1790

Description

This second and final volume of Derek Beales's magisterial biography of the emperor Joseph II describes the period when he was sole ruler of the Austrian monarchy. Influenced partly by Enlightenment ideals, Joseph relaxed censorship, introduced wide-ranging religious toleration and fostered a 'new Catholicism' whilst Mozart's music, the greatest cultural achievement of his reign, owed much to Joseph's patronage. He also abolished personal serfdom and diminished the nobles' power, seeking to achieve full personal control over all his provinces. Opposition became serious when his hyperactive foreign policy landed him in war against the Turks, and he died with his Belgian provinces in rebel hands and Hungary threatened by revolt and invasion. Though these pressures forced Joseph to withdraw some of his measures, Derek Beales argues that he left an indelible mark on the history of all his lands, which now form part of fifteen modern states.

Derek Beales is Emeritus Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge, and Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. His previous publications include Joseph II. Volume I: In the Shadow of Maria Theresa, 1741-80 (Cambridge, 1987), Prosperity and Plunder: European Catholic Monasteries in the Age of Revolution, 1650-1810 (Cambridge, 2003) and Enlightenment and Reform in Eighteenth-Century Europe (2005).

'... splendid second volume of his biography of Joseph II ... This book should restore Joseph II to his rightful position, holding a central place in the history of Austria, the Habsburg monarchy, Germany and central Europe.' Steven Beller, The Times Literary Supplement 'Derek Beales's two volumes are a triumphant vindication of the potential and utility of traditional biography, particularly of a figure of such importance, at a time when the value of the genre is once again being reasserted ... Discriminating scholarship, acute psychological insight, a consistently questioning intellect which is never content with received wisdom or the easy answer, and elegant, spacious writing which can be waspish when it needs to be, combine to make this the finest political biography of an eighteenth-century ruler ever written.' Hamish Scott, The Historical Journal '... a magisterial study of the Austrian monarchy and continental Europe in the second half of the eighteenth century.' Francia-Recensio