Francis II., son of Ferdinand II. and of the princess Christina of Savoy, born Jan. 16, 1836. His mother died two weeks after his birth, and his father, contracting a second marriage with the archduchess Maria Theresa, paid greater attention to his children by the latter wife than to Francis, whose education was conducted by Jesuits. Soon after his marriage with a Bavarian princess, sister of the present empress of Austria, he succeeded to the throne, May 22, 1859. Rejecting the request of Victor Emanuel to join him against Austria, he adhered to the system of his father, and marked his accession by arresting thousands of his subjects and banishing others. After the landing of Garibaldi at Marsala in May, 1860, and the capitulation of all Sicily excepting Messina, he endeavored in vain to obtain the intervention of foreign powers in his favor, especially of Napoleon III. He likewise failed to conciliate his subjects by a restoration of constitutional government (June 25), and by granting an amnesty. He was obliged to leave Naples on the eve of Garibaldi's entrance into the city, and retired to Capua, whence he sallied forth (Oct. 1) with a rather numerous army, but was routed by the Gari-baldians, and after the arrival of the Sardinian army Capua was compelled to surrender (Nov. 2) with about 11,000 troops.

He next shut himself up with his remaining forces in the citadel of Gaeta, which after a siege of a few weeks surrendered to Cialdini, Feb. 13, 18G1, and Francis took refuge on a French frigate, landing at Civita Vecchia. His dominions were merged in the kingdom of Italy, and he afterward lived chiefly at Rome till it became the capital of that kingdom.