Historically, after the Modena Duchy was left without a successor, Austria immediately sent Franz II's cousin, Francesco, to Modena to succeed as the Duke.
This Francesco's mother is the daughter of Ercole III, the current Duke of Modena, who married Ferdinand Karl, the brother of Leopold II.
Austria relied on this bit of bloodline to bring Modena into the Habsburg era.
This operation actually violated the "Salic Law"—a set of inheritance laws that stipulate that daughters have no rights to inherit.
However, due to the absence of other claimants to the throne, Francesco IV ultimately became the new Duke of Modena.
And now, Joseph aims to establish a powerful contender for the throne in Modena!
Once Ercole III dies, his French wife will naturally control the political situation in Modena.
Francesco, who had scarcely set foot in Modena before, will certainly be unable to compete against her.
