Siena in Provincia di Siena, Tuscany, Italy — Southern and Western Europe (Mediterranean)

Peter Leopold, Archduke of Austria

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 31, 2025

1. Peter Leopold, Archduke of Austria

A member of the Hoise of Habsburg-Lorraine, he was Grand Duke Leopold I of Tuscany.

Inscription. Petro Leopoldo archiduci austriae
Francisci I lotharingii caes. aug. filio
Magno Etruria Duci

Paterni in Senense Lycaeum animi
Non minus quam Regiae potestatis haeredi
Imperium feliciter Ineunti
Antonius eques Barcaglius Rector
pos an MDCCLXVI
[English translation of Latin text:]
Peter Leopold, Archduke of Austria
son of Francis I of Lorraine
Grand-Duke of Etruria

Spiritual fathers of the Seneca Lycaeum
No less than the heir of royal power
The Empire happily entered
Erected by Antonius, Knight Barcaglius, Rector
in 1766

Erected 1766.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. A significant historical year for this entry is 1766.

Location. 43° 19.243′ N, 11° 19.771′ E. Marker is in Siena, Toscana (Tuscany), in Provincia di Siena. It is on Via della Sapienza, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Via della Sapienza 14, Siena, Toscana 53100, Italy. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Europe,

the European Union,

the Schengen Area,

a coastal Mediterranean country,

and the Western World.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Byzantine Empire,

the Roman Empire,

and specifically the Holy Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 21 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ferdinand III (here, next to this marker); Santuario Casa di Santa Caterina da Siena (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Sant'Antonio in San Domenico

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

(about 240 meters away); 1868-69 Renovation of the Siena Cathedral Façade (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Il Cristallo Colligiano / Colligian Crystal (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Cesare Brandi (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Santa Caterina Benincasa (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Resti del Ponte di Spugna / Remains of the Spugna Bridge (approx. 19.6 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Siena.

Regarding Peter Leopold, Archduke of Austria. Details about the "lyceum" referenced on this marker — and also on the somewhat newer plaque immediately below it — could not be determined definitively; it may be a reference to the University of Siena, although that school was known as Stadium Senese during this era. Whatever the case, this marker does offer insights into the Habsburg-Lorraine rulers of Tuscany during the 18th century.

From 1569 until 1737, the Tuscany region was was ruled by the Medici family. After Gian Gastone de'Medici died with no heirs, the House of Lorraine was awarded the vacant Tuscan throne, and Francis Stephen (Francis II) became that family's first ruler of Tuscany. The Lorraine and Habsburg

Grand Duke Leopold I Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 31, 2025

2. Grand Duke Leopold I Marker

houses merged a few years later, and that family ruled Tuscany until 1801, and again (after the end of the Napoleonic Era) from 1814 until 1860, at which point the Italian peninsula was unified under a single monarch.

Petro Leopoldo, as he is called on this marker, was born in Vienna in 1747 with the name Peter Leopold Josef Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard. He was the ninth child and second boy of 16 children born to Francis (the Holy Roman Emperor referenced as Francisci on this marker) and Maria Theresa (who ruled as monarch over the Habsburg's empire in Austria, Hungary and beyond). His younger sister was Marie Antoinette, queen of France.

When Francis died in 1765, Petro Leopoldo was crowned as Grand-Duke Leopold I of Tuscany. Among the people of his realm, he was most commonly known as Pietro Leopoldo. In 1790, his brother, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, died with no legitimate children, and Leopold was elected Holy Roman Emperor as Leopold II. He was replaced in Tuscany by his second-born son, Ferdinand III, who is honored on the marker below this one. When Leopold died in 1792, his first-born son, also named Francis, ascended to become Holy Roman Emperor.

Two markers on Via della Sapienza image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, July 31, 2025

3. Two markers on Via della Sapienza

Pietro Leopoldo image. Click for full size.

Painting by Anton Raphael Mengs, 1770

4. Pietro Leopoldo

Grand-Duke Leopold I of Tuscany was commonly known as Pietro Leopoldo within Tuscany. In 1790 he became Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 14, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 3, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 83 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 3, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. A confirmation of the translation from Latin to English • Can you help?