Leopold II.

Leopold II of Tuscany, whose full name was Leopold Johann Joseph Franz Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Tuscany, was born in Florence on October 3, 1797, and died in Rome on January 28, 1870. He was the penultimate grand duke of Tuscany and the last to rule the country de facto. His reign began under a comparatively mild and reform-minded policy but ended amid the political upheaval of the Italian Risorgimento and the fall of the Tuscan dynasty. Leopold was the second son of Grand Duke Ferdinand III and Luisa Maria Amalia of Bourbon-Sicily. After the death of his elder brother Francesco Leopoldo in 1800, he became heir to the throne. He spent most of his childhood in exile because his father had been forced to leave Tuscany following the Napoleonic invasion. The family lived first in Vienna, then in Salzburg from 1803, and from 1805 in Würzburg. During these years Leopold was taught by German and Italian tutors. He showed a particular interest in literature and the humanities. After Napoleon’s first abdication, Leopold returned to Florence on September 15, 1814. The population welcomed him warmly, partly because his father had refrained from taking revenge against former supporters of French rule. Leopold was regarded as approachable and good-natured. Because of his slightly protruding lower lip, he acquired the humorous nickname “Broncio,” while his pale blond hair earned him the name “Canapone.” He continued his studies in law, art, and literature and also devoted himself to agriculture. With great personal interest, he collected and organized the writings of Galileo Galilei. He also published an edition of Lorenzo de’ Medici’s poems that he had personally edited, after which he was appointed a member of the Accademia della Crusca. On October 28, 1817, Leopold married Maria Anna Carolina of Saxony. The couple had several daughters and were closely attached to one another. Beginning in 1819, they undertook an extended journey through Europe, visiting, among other places, Munich, Dresden, Prague, Vienna, and Venice. Leopold gained his first significant political experience in 1822, when he took part with his father in the Congress of the Holy Alliance in Verona. After Ferdinand III’s death on June 18, 1824, Leopold assumed the government. From the outset, he sought political independence and was supported in this by his minister Vittorio Fossombroni. His government launched a number of economic and infrastructure projects, including a reduction in the meat tax, the continuation of the drainage works in the Maremma, the expansion of the port of Livorno, the construction of new roads, the promotion of tourism, and the exploitation of the grand duchy’s mines. In 1825, Leopold also reformed the territorial administration, replacing the existing provinces with new administrative districts. During the first decades of his rule, Tuscany was considered one of the most tolerant states in Italy. Censorship was applied cautiously, allowing writers and intellectuals who were persecuted or unwelcome elsewhere, such as Giacomo Leopardi, Alessandro Manzoni, Guglielmo Pepe, and Niccolò Tommaseo, to find refuge in Tuscany. Tuscan authors including Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi, Giovan Pietro Vieusseux, and Giuseppe Giusti were likewise able to work with relative freedom. One exception was the closure of the journal “L’Antologia” in 1833 under Austrian pressure, although its founder faced no further criminal consequences. Political unrest was rare and was largely confined to Livorno. After Maria Anna Carolina’s death in 1832, Leopold married Maria Antonia of Bourbon-Sicily in 1833. They had ten children, including the heir to the throne, Ferdinand, who was born in 1835. Leopold continued to support scientific and technological development. He permitted congresses of Italian scientists to be held in Pisa and Florence in 1839 and 1841, despite warnings from Austria and the Papal States. At the same time, plans were developed for a railway network, some of which were subsequently carried out. He also demonstrated personal commitment during times of crisis. During the severe flood that struck Florence in November 1844, he opened the Pitti Palace to the homeless, took part in rescue work from a boat, and visited affected outlying districts. The political changes of 1847 and 1848 initially led Leopold to introduce further reforms. He granted freedom of the press, established a civic guard, and abolished the death penalty. On February 17, 1848, he promulgated a constitution that granted full rights to citizens of all religions. In March, he supported the Kingdom of Sardinia’s war against Austria and sent Tuscan troops and volunteers to fight in northern Italy. The Tuscan flag was also replaced with an Italian tricolor bearing the grand ducal coat of arms. Leopold’s position changed, however, as Sardinia’s expansionist intentions became clearer. Following severe unrest in Livorno, he was forced in August 1848 to replace Gino Capponi’s moderate government with a democratic administration led by Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi and Giuseppe Montanelli. On January 30, 1849, Leopold left Florence and fled first to Siena and Porto Santo Stefano, and later to Gaeta, where he came under the protection of Ferdinand II of Bourbon-Sicily. After Sardinia’s defeat at Novara, he returned in the spring of 1849. His return took place under the escort of Austrian troops, who occupied and plundered Livorno before taking Florence. Leopold’s appearance in an Austrian general’s uniform destroyed the former bond that many Tuscans had felt with their grand duke. In the following years, Leopold became increasingly estranged from his former loyal subjects. The constitution and the civic guard were abolished, Austrian troops remained in the country, and the uprising in Livorno was violently suppressed. The death penalty was also reintroduced for certain crimes. In April 1859, as war between France, Sardinia, and Austria approached, Leopold declared Tuscany neutral. When his army refused to obey him and he declined to participate in the war against Austria, he left Florence on April 27. His peaceful departure, without violence and with only a few personal belongings, restored some of his former popularity. The people of Florence said farewell to him with the cry “Addio, babbo Leopoldo!” and accompanied the family to the border. Leopold withdrew to the Viennese court and did not officially abdicate until July 21, 1859. He then lived in Bohemia. In 1869, he traveled to Rome, where he died on January 28, 1870. He was initially buried in the Church of Santi Apostoli; in 1914, his remains were transferred to Vienna and placed in the Capuchin Crypt. His first marriage produced four daughters, while his second produced ten children, including Ferdinand IV, the last Tuscan heir to the throne.