Enlightenment Joseph II of Austria Despot Reforms Thinker/Ideas The most radical royal reformer was Joseph II of Austria. The son and successor of Maria Theresa, Joseph II ruled Austria from 1780 to 1790 and began a wide-ranging program of social, economic, and religious reforms based on Enlightenment ideas. Frederick II He introduced legal reforms and freedom of the press. He also supported freedom of worship, even for Protestant, Orthodox Christians, and Jews. He seized and sold many buildings and much land belonging to the church and established a civil service to run the government. Joseph wanted to break down the old feudal system of hereditary and clerical power and Catherine the privilege. Great In his most radical reform, Joseph abolished serfdom and ordered that peasants be paid for their labor with cash. Not surprisingly, the nobles firmly resisted this change. Like many of reforms, it was undone after his death. Joseph’s Joseph II
Joseph II of Austria The most radical royal reformer was Joseph II of Austria. The son and successor of Maria Theresa, Joseph II ruled Austria from 1780 to 1790 and began a wide-ranging program of social, economic, and religious reforms based on Enlightenment ideas. He introduced legal reforms and freedom of the press. He also supported freedom of worship, even for Protestant, Orthodox Christians, and Jews. He seized and sold many buildings and much land belonging to the church and established a civil service to run the government. Joseph wanted to break down the old feudal system of hereditary and clerical power and privilege. In his most radical reform, Joseph abolished serfdom and ordered that peasants be paid for their labor with cash. Not surprisingly, the nobles firmly resisted this change. Like many of Joseph’s reforms, it was undone after his death. Despot Reforms Enlightenment Thinker/Ideas Frederick II Catherine the Great Joseph II
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