The Austrian monarchy now embraced one hundred and eighty thousand square miles, containing twenty-four millions of inhabitants.  It was indeed a heterogeneous realm, composed of a vast number of distinct nations and provinces, differing in language, religion, government, laws, customs and civilization.  In most of these countries the feudal system existed in all its direful oppression.  Many of the provinces of the Austrian empire, like the Netherlands, Lombardy and Suabia, were separated by many leagues from the great central empire.  The Roman Catholic religion was dominant in nearly all the States, and the clergy possessed enormous wealth and power.  The masses of the people were sunk in the lowest depths of poverty and ignorance.  The aristocratic few rejoiced in luxury and splendor.

CHAPTER XXXI.

JOSEPH II.  AND LEOPOLD II.

From 1780 to 1792.

Accession of Joseph II.—­His Plans of Reform.—­Pius VI.—­Emancipation of the Serfs.—­Joseph’s Visit to his Sister, Maria Antoinette.—­Ambitions Designs.—­The Imperial Sleigh Ride.—­Barges on the Dneister.—­Excursion to the Crimea.—­War with Turkey.—­Defeat of the Austrians.—­Great Successes.—­Death of Joseph.—­His Character.—­Accession of Leopold II.—­His Efforts to confirm Despotism.—­The French Revolution.—­European Coalition.—­Death of Leopold.—­His Profligacy.—­Accession of Francis II.—­Present Extent and Power of Austria.—­Its Army.—­Policy of the Government.

When Joseph ascended the throne there were ten languages, besides several dialects, spoken in Austria—­the German, Hungarian, Sclavonian, Latin, Wallachian, Turkish, modern Greek, Italian, Flemish and French.  The new king formed the desperate resolve to fuse the discordant kingdom into one homogeneous mass, obliterating all distinctions of laws, religion, language and manners.  It was a benevolent design, but one which far surpassed the power of man to execute.  He first attempted to obliterate all the old national landmarks, and divided the kingdom into thirteen States, in each of which he instituted the same code of laws.  He ordered the German language alone to be used in public documents and offices; declared the Roman Catholic religion to be dominant.  There were two thousand convents in Austria.  He reduced them to seven hundred, and cut down the number of thirty-two thousand idle monks to twenty-seven hundred; and nobly issued an edict of toleration, granting to all members of Protestant churches the free exercise of their religion.  All Christians, of every denomination, were declared to be equally eligible to any offices in the State.

These enlightened innovations roused the terror and rage of bigoted Rome.  Pope Pius VI. was so much alarmed that he took a journey to Vienna, that he might personally remonstrate with the emperor.  But Joseph was inflexible, and the Pope returned to Rome chagrined and humiliated that he had acted the part of a suppliant in vain.