txtDefinition=Son of the Empress {\uldb Maria Theresa}{\v 135007} and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I. Joseph II\'92s rule (1780-1790) coincided almost exactly with Mozart\'92s tenure in {\uldb Vienna}{\v 135870}. Even more than his mother, Joseph II instituted wide-ranging reforms that included the abolition of serfdom, permitting peasants to marry whom they wished, and broader freedoms of worship. He was nevertheless an absolutist and used his authority to ram through his reforms.
