Francis
Francis, the name of several European rulers. The most important historically were two French kings and two Holy Roman Emperors. The French form of the name is François; the German, Franz.
FranceFrancis I(1494–1547) was king, 1515–47. Francis fought several expensive and unsuccessful wars against the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, a Hapsburg who was also king of Spain. In 1525 Francis was captured by Charles' forces. He signed a treaty the following year that secured his release. However, he repudiated it upon returning to France, and throughout his reign, continued warfare against Charles.
During Francis' reign, Protestantism spread through France, resulting in conflicts with the dominant religion, Roman Catholicism. Francis was initially tolerant of the new faith, but in the 1530's began a campaign against suspected heretics. He banned Protestant books and, on several occasions, he instructed the army to destroy predominantly Protestant villages and to arrest their inhabitants.
Francis was a patron of the arts and encouraged the spread of learning. He employed, among others, Leonardo da Vinci and Benvenuto Cellini at the French court.
Francis II(1544–1560) was king, 1559–60. He was the son of Henry II and the grandson of Francis I. In 1558 he married Mary, Queen of Scots. He was in poor health during his brief reign and the Guise family, French Catholic nobles, exercised great influence over him.
Holy Roman EmpireFrancis I(1708–1765) was emperor, 1745–65. In 1736 he married Maria Theresa and became co-ruler of the Hapsburg domains. Francis' accession as emperor was due to his wife's influence, and actual power was in her hands.
Francis II(1768–1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 to 1806. During 1793–1806 he committed Austria to several unsuccessful coalitions against France. After the battle of Austerlitz (1805), Napoleon reorganized Germany and Francis abdicated as emperor. He had prepared for this loss of prestige by declaring himself Francis I, first emperor of Austria, in 1804. During 1813–15, Francis entered into an alliance with other European states against Napoleon. After Napoleon's defeat, Austria gained much territory. Through the efforts of Austria's foreign minister, Prince von Metternich, Francis became one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe.