How did Joseph II support the Burgtheater in Vienna?

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Portrait painting of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, wearing a black and red military coat with medals and a sash, with St. Peter's Basilica visible in the background. — Joseph II Joseph II, Holy Roman emperor, detail of a painting by Pompeo Girolamo Batoni, 1769; in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

Emperor Joseph II supported the Burgtheater by designating it as the German National Theater, a move intended to help his subjects become acquainted with world literature in their own tongue. To foster an artistically fruitful environment, he also transferred the management of the theater directly to the actors.12