See also: François of Lorraine

François Ier (born the December 8th 1708 with Nancy - died the August 18th 1765 with Innsbruck), elected Germanic King of and Emperor of the Romans (1745 - 1765), duke François II of Parma (1738 - 1748), large-duke François II of Tuscany (1737 - 1765), duke François III of Lorraine and Bar (1729 - 1737), duke of Teschen in 1724, viceroy of Hungary in 1732.

Biography

François Ier is the son of the duke Léopold Ier of Lorraine and Bar and of the duchess born Elisabeth Charlotte of Orleans (girl of single Mister brother of King (of France) Louis XIV).

At the fifteen years age, the death of his/her older brother made of him the heir to the throne. A little later it is sent to Vienna at the court of Charles VI, first cousin and friendly of childhood of his father, who raises it like his own son and envisages to marry it with Marie-Therese, his oldest daughter and heiress.

In 1729, 20 years, it succeeds his/her father and must join his fatherland which it left at fifteen years.

It returns to Lunéville but as of the following year, entrusting regency to his mother, the duchess dowager Elisabeth Charlotte, it undertakes a turn of Europe.

With Versailles, it lends homage to king de France, Louis XV for part of sound Duché of Bar according to the feudal mode going back to 1301. With Brussels, he greets his aunt, controlling it Marie Elisabeth of Austria. With Berlin, it assists with the marriage of the future Frederic II of Prussia. During its voyage, it is initiated with the Franc-maçonnerie.

Named in 1731 viceroy of Hungary by the Emperor, it will never turn over in its states.

To put an end War of succession of Poland, Charles VI, in accordance with the proposals of the Cardinal of Fleury, agrees to grant to overcome, Stanislas Leszczyński, beautiful father of Louis XV, a compensation for the loss of the Polish crown: duchies of Lorraine and Bar which, with died of the Polish ex-king will have to become French.

The constrained Emperor François to leave the Duchy of Lorraine and the Duchy of Bar on which its family had reigned for seven hundred years in exchange of the Grand Duchy of Toscane, proposal that François - with back-plate - ends up accepting in spite of objurgations of his mother and his brother the prince Charles-Alexandre of Lorraine and to the great displeasure for its old subjects.

Francois, 27 years and 2 months, marry, on February 12th 1736, the archduchess Marie-Therese, 18 years and 9 months. The young grooms then will take possession of the Toscane, where they remain three months. The transfer of Lorraine, decided by the preliminaries of Vienna of April 11th, 1736, is then formalized by the Traité of Vienna (1738).

Marie-Therese gives him sixteen children:

1. Marie-Elisabeth (February 5th 1737 - January 7th 1740)

2. Marie-Anne (October 6th 1738 - November 19th 1789)
3. Marie-Caroline (January 12th 1740 - January 25th 1741)
4. Joseph II (March 13rd 1741 - February 20th 1790)
5. Marie-Christine (May 13rd 1742 - June 24th 1798), wife in 1766 Albert of Saxony-Teschen (1738 - 1822)
6. Marie-Elisabeth (August 13rd 1743 - September 25th 1808)
7. Charles-Joseph (1745 - January 18th 1761)
8. Marie-Amélie (1746 - 1804), wife in 1769 Ferdinand duke of Parma (1751 - 1802)
9. Léopold II (May 5th 1747 - March 1st 1792)
10. Caroline († September 17th 1748)
11. Jeanne-Gabrielle (November 4th 1750 - December 23rd 1762)
12. Marie-Josephe (March 19th 1751 - October 15th 1767)
13. Marie-Caroline (1752 - 1814), wife in 1768 Ferdinand IV king de Naples and of Deux-Siciles (1751 - 1825)
14. Ferdinand of Austria-Este (June 1st 1754 - December 24th 1806) duke of Modena, marries in 1771 Marie-Beatrice d' Este (1750 - 1829)
15. Marie-Antoinette (November 2nd 1755 - October 16th 1793), wife in 1770 Louis XVI king de France
16. Maximilien (December 8th 1756 - July 26th 1801 ) archbishop of Cologne

In 1740 dies Charles VI. The Pragmatic Sanction, recognized by the whole of the European states, left its possessions to his/her daughter Marie-Therese. However, the new king of Prussia Frederic II asked for compensation territorial and the Voters of Saxony and Bavaria, married to Austrian archduchesses, refused to recognize it like heiress and to elect Francois, Empereur. The king of Sardinia, although having married the sister of Francois, lorgnait the Milanais and the France thought of crushing, once for all, the house of Habsbourg, its rival since nearly 250 years.

This disagreement started the War of succession of Austria (1740-1748).

François is finally elected Empereur of the Romans on September 13rd 1745, with Frankfurt on the Hand and is crowned the next on October 4th, feastday of Saint François d' Assise, his patron saint. Marie-Therese is thus Impératrice only as a wife of François even if it is it which, in the facts, directs the empire and manages its patrimonial territories: François opposed alliance austro-Frenchwoman in vain (1756) and could not marry his daughter Marie-Christine with his nephew, Charles-Maurice of Savoy, duke of Chablais, wire of his sister and king de Sardaigne.

Not very gifted for the war but excels administrator, the emperor " Frantz" created the fortune of the Habsbourg-Lorraine.

Sometimes tired of the invading affection of the empress, it had a short connection with the princess of Auersperg but the empress, very éprise of her husband, put very quickly a term at it.

He dies in 1765 with Innsbrück, just after the marriage of his son Léopold II. He is buried with Vienna in the family vault of the capuchins.

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