Maximilian Francis of Austria, Elector of Cologne
| Archduke Maximilian Francis | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop-Elector of Cologne | |
 |
|
| Born |
8 December 1756 Hofburg Imperial Palace, Vienna, Lower Austria, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 26 July 1801 (aged 44) Hetzendorf Palace, Vienna, Lower Austria, Holy Roman Empire |
| Burial | Imperial Crypt, Vienna |
| House | House of Habsburg-Lorraine |
| Father | Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Maria Theresa of Austria |
Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria (full German name: Maximilian Franz Xaver Joseph Johann Anton de Paula Wenzel von Österreich, 8 December 1756 in Vienna – 26 July 1801 in Vienna) was Archbishop and Elector Spiritual of Cologne (and as such Chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire for Italy), and Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. He was the youngest child of the Habsburg ruler of Austria, Maria Theresa, and her husband, Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, for whom he was named. His siblings included Holy Roman Emperors Joseph II and Leopold II, Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples and Sicily, and Marie Antoinette, Queen of France and Navarre. He was the last fully functioning Elector of Cologne and was the employer and patron of the young Ludwig van Beethoven.
Maximilian Francis was born in the Hofburg Palace, Vienna. In 1780, he succeeded his uncle Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine as Hochmeister (Grand Master) of the Deutscher Orden (Teutonic Knights).
In 1784, he became Archbishop and Elector of Cologne, living in the Electoral residence at Bonn. He remained in that office until his death in exile. In his capacity as chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire for Italy and as the Pope's deputy he crowned as Emperor in Frankfurt first his brother Leopold II in 1790, and in 1792 his nephew Francis II.
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