The Grand Duchy of Tuscany

Tuscany was ruled by Grand Duke Ferdinand III, who just so happened to be the younger brother of Austrian Emperor Francis I. He earned the distinction of being the first monarch in Europe to recognize the first French Republic in 1792. His attempts at peaceful coexistence with the French came to naught and he had his territories annexed into France. The Grand Duke passed his liberal instincts onto his son, Leopold II, who would succeed him in 1824.