Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"When Joseph finally acquired complete control of his dominions in 1780, on the death of his mother, the Empress Maria Theresa, he moved quickly to dismantle serfdom." [Blanning: Pursuit of Glory, p. 161] "He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor Francis I, and the brother of Marie Antoinette. . . . Joseph was a proponent of enlightened absolutism; however, his commitment to modernizing reforms subsequently engendered significant opposition, which resulted in failure to fully implement his programs. . . . He was a supporter of the arts, and most importantly of composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. He died with no sons and was succeeded by his younger brother, Leopold II." [Wikipedia]