Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria
Encyclopedia
Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria (Linz
, 14 June 1529 – 24 January 1595, Innsbruck
) was ruler of Further Austria
including Tirol
.
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was the second son of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
. He was a younger brother of Emperor Maximilian II
. At the behest of his father, he was put in charge of the administration of Bohemia
in 1547. He also led the campaign against the Turks
in Hungary
in 1556.
In 1557 he was secretly married to Philippine Welser
, daughter of a patrician from Augsburg
, with whom he had several children. The marriage was only accepted by Emperor Ferdinand I in 1559 under the condition of secrecy. The children were to receive the name "of Austria" but would only be entitled to inherit if the House of Habsburg
became totally extinct in the male line (Also see: morganatic marriage
). The sons born of this marriage received the title Margrave of Burgau, an old Habsburg possession in Further Austria. The younger of the sons, who survived his father, later received the princely title of Fürst zu Burgau.
After his father's death in 1564, Ferdinand became the ruler of Tirol
and other Further Austria
n possessions under his father's will. However, he remained governor of Bohemia in Prague
until 1567 according to the wishes of his brother Maximilian II.
In his own lands, Ferdinand made sure that the Catholic counterreformation would prevail. He was an avid collector of art and the collection of the famous Castle Ambras was started in his time. He had begun to work on it even during his time in Bohemia and subsequently moved it to Tyrol. In particular, the gallery of portraits and the collection of armor were highly expensive, which is why the archduke
incurred a high level of debt. Today these collections are in the Kunsthistorisches Museum
in Vienna
.
After the death of Philippine in 1580, he married Anne Catherine
, a daughter of William I, Duke of Mantua
, in 1582.
Archduke Ferdinand died on 24 January 1595. Since his sons from the first marriage were not entitled to the inheritance, and the second produced only surviving daughters, Tirol was reunified with the other Habsburg lines. His daughter from the Mantuan marriage became the Empress Anna, consort of Emperor Mathias, who received his Further Austrian inheritance.
He and his first wife Philippine Welser
were parents of four children:
On 14 May 1582, Ferdinand married his niece Anne Catherine
. She was a daughter of William I, Duke of Mantua
, and Eleonora of Austria
, younger sister of Ferdinand. They were parents to four daughters:
He had at least two illegitimate children:
–With Anna von Obrizon:
–With Johanna Lydl von Mayenburg:
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
, 14 June 1529 – 24 January 1595, Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
) was ruler of Further Austria
Further Austria
Further Austria or Anterior Austria was the collective name for the old possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-western Germany, including territories in the Alsace region west of the Rhine and in Vorarlberg, after the focus of the Habsburgs had moved to the...
including Tirol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
.
Life account
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, also sometimes known as Anna Jagellonica was, by marriage to Ferdinand I, King of the Romans and later Holy Roman Emperor, Queen of the Romans.-Family:She was the elder child and only daughter of king Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary and his third...
. He was a younger brother of Emperor Maximilian II
Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian II was king of Bohemia and king of the Romans from 1562, king of Hungary and Croatia from 1563, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation from 1564 until his death...
. At the behest of his father, he was put in charge of the administration of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
in 1547. He also led the campaign against the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in 1556.
In 1557 he was secretly married to Philippine Welser
Welser
Welser is the surname of an important German banking and merchant family, originally from Augsburg. Along with the Fugger family, the Welser family controlled various sectors of the European economy, and accumulated enormous wealth through trade and the German colonization of the...
, daughter of a patrician from Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, with whom he had several children. The marriage was only accepted by Emperor Ferdinand I in 1559 under the condition of secrecy. The children were to receive the name "of Austria" but would only be entitled to inherit if the House of Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
became totally extinct in the male line (Also see: morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
). The sons born of this marriage received the title Margrave of Burgau, an old Habsburg possession in Further Austria. The younger of the sons, who survived his father, later received the princely title of Fürst zu Burgau.
After his father's death in 1564, Ferdinand became the ruler of Tirol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
and other Further Austria
Further Austria
Further Austria or Anterior Austria was the collective name for the old possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-western Germany, including territories in the Alsace region west of the Rhine and in Vorarlberg, after the focus of the Habsburgs had moved to the...
n possessions under his father's will. However, he remained governor of Bohemia in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
until 1567 according to the wishes of his brother Maximilian II.
In his own lands, Ferdinand made sure that the Catholic counterreformation would prevail. He was an avid collector of art and the collection of the famous Castle Ambras was started in his time. He had begun to work on it even during his time in Bohemia and subsequently moved it to Tyrol. In particular, the gallery of portraits and the collection of armor were highly expensive, which is why the archduke
Archduke
The title of Archduke denotes a noble rank above Duke and below King, used only by princes of the Houses of Habsburg and Habsburg-Lorraine....
incurred a high level of debt. Today these collections are in the Kunsthistorisches Museum
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on Ringstraße, it is crowned with an octagonal dome...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
After the death of Philippine in 1580, he married Anne Catherine
Anne Juliana Gonzaga
Anne Catherine Gonzaga, O.S.M. was an Archduchess of Austria who went on to become a Servant of Mary upon the death of her husband, the Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria.-Biography:...
, a daughter of William I, Duke of Mantua
William I, Duke of Mantua
Guglielmo Gonzaga was Duke of Mantua and Montferrat from 1550 to 1587.He was the second son of Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Margaret Palaeologina of Montferrat....
, in 1582.
Archduke Ferdinand died on 24 January 1595. Since his sons from the first marriage were not entitled to the inheritance, and the second produced only surviving daughters, Tirol was reunified with the other Habsburg lines. His daughter from the Mantuan marriage became the Empress Anna, consort of Emperor Mathias, who received his Further Austrian inheritance.
Children
Philippine Welser
Philippine Welser was the morganatic wife of Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria. Her family, the Welsers of Augsburg, were merchants and financiers of European significance and great wealth.-Works:* De re coquinaria , handwriting ca. 1545, Castle Ambras near Innsbruck. Inv.No...
were parents of four children:
- Margrave Andrew of Burgau (15 June 1558 - 12 November 1600). Became a CardinalCardinal (Catholicism)A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
in 1576, Margrave of Burgau in 1578, Bishop of Constance in 1589 and Bishop of Brixen in 1591. He had two illegitimate children. - Margrave Charles of Burgau (22 November 1560 - 12 November 1627), Margrave of Burgau. He married his first cousin, Sibylle of Cleves (1557–1627), youngest daughter of daughter of William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (28 July 1516 - 5 January 1592), and Maria, Archduchess of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand I, Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
. They had no legitimate children. He and his mistress Chiara Elisa di Ferrero had three illegitimate children. - Philip of Austria (7 August 1562 - 9 January 1563).
- Maria of Austria (7 August 1562 - 25 January 1563), twin of Philip.
On 14 May 1582, Ferdinand married his niece Anne Catherine
Anne Juliana Gonzaga
Anne Catherine Gonzaga, O.S.M. was an Archduchess of Austria who went on to become a Servant of Mary upon the death of her husband, the Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria.-Biography:...
. She was a daughter of William I, Duke of Mantua
William I, Duke of Mantua
Guglielmo Gonzaga was Duke of Mantua and Montferrat from 1550 to 1587.He was the second son of Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Margaret Palaeologina of Montferrat....
, and Eleonora of Austria
Eleonora of Austria
Archduchess Eleanor of Austria was the daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary.-Family:...
, younger sister of Ferdinand. They were parents to four daughters:
- Archduchess Martha of Austria, died young.
- Archduchess Anna Eleonore of Austria (26 June 1583 - 15 January 1584).
- Archduchess Maria of Austria (16 June 1584 - 2 March 1649), a nun.
- Holy Roman Empress Anna of Austria (4 October 1585 - 14 December/15 December 1618). Married her first cousin Matthias, Holy Roman EmperorMatthias, Holy Roman EmperorMatthias of Austria was Holy Roman Emperor from 1612, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1608 and King of Bohemia from 1611...
.
He had at least two illegitimate children:
–With Anna von Obrizon:
- Veronika von Villanders (1551–1589). Married Giovan Francesco di Gonzaga-Novellara, Lord of Campitello.
–With Johanna Lydl von Mayenburg:
- Hans Christoph von Hertenberg (c. 1592 - 2 September 1613). Married Ursula Gienger.