Francis II
Americannoun
noun
-
1544–60, king of France (1559–60); son of Henry II and Catherine de' Medici; first husband of Mary, Queen of Scots
-
1768–1835, last Holy Roman Emperor (1792–1806) and, as Francis I, first emperor of Austria (1804–35). The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved (1806) following his defeat by Napoleon at Austerlitz
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The tradition mostly died when Napoleon defeated the last holy Roman emperor, Francis II, in 1805, although Russian Orthodox theology sometimes still casts the czars in the role of Katechon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Pigeons raced, fluttered, hovered and dive-bombed for their lunch, and St. Francis II was enveloped in a rush of flapping wings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2022
The Rourke/Willimon version of Mary’s life begins in 1561, when the 16-year-old queen, following the death of her husband King Francis II, arrives in Scotland from France to reclaim its throne.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 30, 2018
House of Cardinals: After the mysterious demise of his predecessor, Pope Francis II takes control of the Vatican.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 1, 2015
Nothing in history is more illuminating than the bitter remark with which he turned away from the sight of the enthusiasm with which Vienna welcomed its defeated sovereign, Francis II.
From The Origins and Destiny of Imperial Britain Nineteenth Century Europe by Cramb, J. A. (John Adam)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
