
Joseph II (1741--90) -- son & eventual successor of Maria Theresa -- has conventionally been seen in the context of the " Enlightened Despot'' reformers Today's turmoil in his former territories invites a rather different perspective however as Joseph grapples with the familiar & intractable problems of creating a viable unitary state out of his multi-national empire in Central Europe Professor Blanning's brilliant short study based on extensive archival research offers a history of the Habsburg monarchy in the eighteenth century as well as a revaluation of the emperor's complex personality & his ill-fated reform programme