Category Archives: Former Monarchies

Archduke Otto Franz of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Archduke Otto Franz of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Archduke Otto Franz of Austria was the father of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, and the brother of the ill-fated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination in 1914 was one of the causes of World War I. Otto Franz Joseph Karl Ludwig Maria was born on April 21, 1865, in Graz, Austrian Empire, now in Austria. He was the second of the three sons and the second of the four children of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria and his second wife Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Archduke Karl Ludwig’s elder brothers were Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the executed Emperor of Mexico. Otto Franz’s paternal grandparents were Archduke Franz Karl of Austria and Princess Sophie of Bavaria. His maternal grandparents were King Ferdinando II of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria.

Otto Franz had three siblings:

L to R: Franz Ferdinand, Otto Franz, Karl Ludwig (father), Margarete Sophie, Maria Theresa (stepmother), and Ferdinand Karl, 1873; Credit – Wikipedia

When Otto Franz was six-years-old, his mother, 28-year-old mother Maria Annunciata, died from tuberculosis on May 4, 1871. Two years after his mother’s death Otto Franz’s father Karl Ludwig married Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal, daughter of the deposed King Miguel I of Portugal and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg.

Half-sisters Elisabeth Amalie and Maria Annunciata, 1893; Credit – Wikipedia

Otto had two half-sisters from his father’s second marriage:

Otto Franz was raised with his elder brother Franz Ferdinand under the supervision of Count Ferdinand Christoph Eberhard von Degenfeld-Schonburg, (link in German), a Lieutenant Field Marshal in the Austrian-Hungarian army. When in Vienna, the family resided at the Palais Archduke Karl Ludwig. Villa Wartholz in Reichenau an der Rax and Artstetten Castle in Artstetten-Pöbring were used as the family’s summer residences.

Otto Franz and Maria Josepha at the time of their engagement, 1886; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 2, 1886, in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, 21-year-old Otto Franz married 19-year-old Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony, daughter of the future King Georg I of Saxony and Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal. Otto’s first cousin Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and Otto’s brother Franz Ferdinand had snubbed the Saxon court by rejecting Maria Josepha’s elder sister Mathilde as a bride. Relations between Austria-Hungary and Saxony improved only when Otto Franz, under pressure from the Austrian-Hungarian court, married Mathilde’s younger sister Maria Josepha. The marriage of Otto Franz and Maria Josepha was increasingly unhappy. Otto Franz had many affairs and Maria Josepha was very religious and was insultingly called “the nun” by her husband because of her deeply pious beliefs.

Otto Franz with his wife Maria Josepha and their two sons Karl and Maximilian Eugen, circa 1897; Credit – Wikipedia

Otto Franz and Maria Josepha had two sons:

In 1889, Otto Franz’s first cousin Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria died by suicide at his hunting lodge Mayerling. Crown Prince Rudolf, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph, had no sons, so the succession would pass to Emperor Franz Joseph’s brother Archduke Karl Ludwig and his eldest son Archduke Franz Ferdinand. There have been suggestions that Karl Ludwig renounced his succession rights in favor of his son Franz Ferdinand. However, an act of renunciation was never formally signed and Karl Ludwig was never officially designated heir to the throne. He was only three years younger than Franz Joseph and not a realistic choice. When Karl Ludwig died in 1896, Franz Ferdinand became the heir to his uncle’s throne.

Meanwhile, Otto Franz was involved in many scandals, including jumping nude from a window in a private dining room in the Hotel Sacher in Vienna in front of a visiting British peeress and being spotted in the hallway at the Hotel Sacher about to enter a lady’s room, wearing nothing but a sword. The imperial court gradually became alienated from Otto Franz as did his wife.

Otto Franz had two children with his mistress Marie Schleinzer (1874 – 1949):

  • Alfred Joseph Edler von Hortenau (1892 – 1957), married Charlotte Böhler, had one daughter
  • Hildegard von Hortenau (1894 – ?)

Otto Franz, circa 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

By 1900, it was clear that Otto Franz had contracted syphilis. He withdrew from public life and spent a year in Egypt where he temporarily improved. After returning to Austria, Otto Franz became quite ill. He was in agonizing pain for the last two years of his life and was forced to replace his nose with a rubber prosthetic due to the facial deformity caused by syphilis. During his last months, Otto Franz lived in a villa in Währing, a district of Vienna, and was nursed by his last mistress Luise Robinson and by his stepmother Maria Theresa of Portugal. On November 1, 1906, Archduke Otto Franz, aged forty-one, died. He was interred in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria.

Tomb of Archduke Otto Franz of Austria; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Otto Franz’s brother Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the throne until his assassination on June 28, 1914, an event that was one of the causes of World War I. Franz Ferdinand had been allowed to make a morganatic marriage with the condition that the children of the marriage would not have succession rights. Upon Franz Ferdinand’s death, Otto Franz’s son Karl became the heir. He succeeded to the throne as Emperor Karl I of Austria upon the death of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1916. Karl reigned until the monarchy was abolished in 1918, at the end of World War I. Since that time, the pretenders to the throne of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire have been Otto Franz’s descendants through his son Karl.

Otto Franz’s son Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl and his father were as different as night and day. Karl was raised with a very religious upbringing by his pious mother Maria Josepha. Upon marrying Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma, also a very devout Roman Catholic, Karl told her, “Now, we must help each other to get to Heaven.”  Karl was beatified on October 3, 2004, by Pope John Paul II, and he is known as Blessed Karl of Austria. Beatification is the third of four steps toward sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Archduke Otto of Austria (1865–1906) (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduke_Otto_of_Austria_(1865%E2%80%931906) (Accessed: 20 May 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021) Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/archduke-karl-ludwig-of-austria/ (Accessed: 20 May 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2014) Karl I, Emperor of Austria, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/karl-i-emperor-of-austria/ (Accessed: 20 May 2023).
  • Otto Franz Joseph Von österreich (2023) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Franz_Joseph_von_%C3%96sterreich (Accessed: 20 May 2023).
  • Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony (1867–1944) (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Maria_Josepha_of_Saxony_(1867%E2%80%931944) (Accessed: 20 May 2023).
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew, 1995. The Habsburgs. London: Viking.

Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria, Prince of Tuscany was the Pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Tuscany from 1921 until he died in 1948.

Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria – source: Wikipedia

Peter Ferdinand (Pietro Ferdinando) was born in Salzburg, Austria on May 12, 1874, the third son of Ferdinando IV, the last Grand Duke of Tuscany, and his second wife, Princess Alicia of Parma. He had 9 siblings:

  • Archduke Leopoldo Ferdinando (1868) – married 3 times, no issue
  • Archduchess Luisa (1870) – married (1) Crown Prince Friedrich August of Saxony, had issue; (2) Enrico Toselli, had issue
  • Giuseppe Ferdinando (1872) – married (1) Rosa Kaltenbrunner, no issue; (2) Gertrude Tomanek von Beyerfels-Mondsee, had issue
  • Archduke Enrico Fernando (1878) – married Maria Ludescher, had issue
  • Archduchess Anna Maria (1879) – married Johannes, Prince of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, had issue
  • Archduchess Margherita (1881) – unmarried
  • Archduchess Germana (1884) – unmarried
  • Archduke Roberto Ferdinando (1885) – died in childhood
  • Archduchess Agnese (1891) – unmarried

He also had an older half-sister from his father’s first marriage to Princess Anna of Saxony:

Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. source: Wikipedia

On November 8, 1900, in Cannes, France, Peter Ferdinand married Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. She was the daughter of Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta and Princess Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. The couple had four children:

Pietro Ferdinando with his wife and children, c1911. source: Wikipedia

Peter Ferdinand had a long military career, quickly climbing through the ranks to become Fieldmarshal in 1914. At the beginning of World War I, he was commanding the 25th Infantry Division, fighting against Russian forces in Galicia and southern Poland. However, he was blamed for the force’s failures and was relieved of his command in June 1915. Two years later, in April 1917, he was reinstated as General of the Infantry and took command of army troops on the Italian front. He continued to command positions until the end of the war.

Archduke Peter Ferdinand died in St. Gilgen, Salzburg, Austria on November 8, 1948. He is buried in the local cemetery.

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Grand Duchy of Tuscany Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, Queen of the Romans, Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, Archduchess of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Anne of Bohemia and Hungary; Credit – Wikipedia

The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the pope or a bishop. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him, and his power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states.

Frequently but not always, it was common practice to elect the deceased Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans.

Learn more at Unofficial Royalty: What was the Holy Roman Empire?

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The wife of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Anna of Bohemia and Hungary was born in Buda, Kingdom of Hungary, now Budapest, Hungary, on July 23, 1503. Anna died before her husband became Holy Roman Emperor so she never held the title Holy Roman Empress. She was the oldest of the two children and the only daughter of King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary and his third wife Anne of Foix-Candale. Anna’s paternal grandparents were King Casimir IV of Poland and Elisabeth of Austria. Her maternal grandparents were Gaston de Foix, Count of Candale and Catherine de Foix.

Anna had one younger brother:

King Casimir IV of Poland wearing a crown with his son King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary and his grandchildren Anna and Ludovicus. This is an idealized painting because Casimir’s grandchildren were born more than ten years after his death; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna’s 22-year-old mother died on July 26, 1506, a little more than three weeks after the birth of her son due to birth complications from delivery. Anna’s father Vladislaus never remarried and died ten years after his wife’s death, on March 13, 1516, two weeks after his 60th birthday. His son Ludovicus was previously crowned as King of Hungary in 1508 and as King of Bohemia in 1509, before his father died, a common practice in some monarchies, and so his succession was assured. The death of King Vladislaus II in 1516 left Anna and her brother under the guardianship of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and the ruler of the Archduchy of Austria, and the Duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola. It was arranged for Anna to marry his grandson, then Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. The marriage contract stipulated that Ferdinand should succeed Anna’s brother Ludovicus as King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia in case Ludovicus died without legitimate male heirs.

Anna’s husband Ferdinand, the future Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 26, 1521, in Linz, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria, 18-year-old Anna married 18-year-old Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, the son of Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, the ruler of the vast and wealthy Burgundian State from the House of Habsburg, and Juana I, Queen of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara.  At the time of his marriage in 1521, Ferdinand was governing the Habsburg hereditary lands on behalf of his older brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. After her marriage, Anna was titled Archduchess of Austria.

Three sons of Anna and Ferdinand: Maximilian and his younger brothers Ferdinand and Johann; Credit – Wikipedia

Similar to the situation with King Louis XVI of France and Marie Antoinette, Ferdinand and Anna at first seemed to suffer from a lack of sexual instruction, but eventually, the marriage proved extremely successful both personally and politically. Anna and Ferdinand had fifteen children and all but two reached adulthood. Unusual for that time, Anna and Ferdinand personally looked after their children, who grew up simply and modestly. They were not taught exclusively taught by private tutors but attended a public school together with other children where particular attention was paid to learning languages.

Anna’s brother Ludovicus II, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia died without a legitimate male heir after he was thrown from his horse at the Battle of Mohács against the Ottoman Empire in 1526. Anna’s husband Ferdinand claimed both kingdoms and was elected King of Bohemia later in 1526. Ferdinand was proclaimed King of Hungary by a group of nobles, but another group of Hungarian nobles refused to allow a foreign ruler to hold that title and elected Hungarian John Zápolya as an alternative king. Although this conflict lasted until 1570, Ferdinand had the support of his older brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and was generally recognized as King of Hungary. Additionally, in 1531, Charles V recognized his brother Ferdinand as his successor as Holy Roman Emperor, and Ferdinand was elevated to the title King of the Romans, the title of the successor to the Holy Roman Elector elected during the lifetime of a sitting Holy Roman Emperor, and Anna was then Queen of the Romans.

Anna and Ferdinand were rarely separated, and she accompanied him on most trips. Anna was trusted by her husband with many important responsibilities. Shortly after their marriage, Ferdinand appointed Anna, together with Bernardo Clesio, Bishop of Trento, as Co-Chairs of his Hofrat (Court Council). There were times when Anna served as Regent and presided over the Diet, the legislative assembly, in Ferdinand’s name.

Tomb of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, his wife Anna, and their son Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

Sadly, Anna died, aged forty-four, due to childbirth complications on January 27, 1547, in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, three days after giving birth to her fifteenth child. She was buried in a tomb at St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. Her husband Ferdinand and their son Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor were also buried with Anna. Despite being encouraged to remarry, Ferdinand could not forget his wife and never remarried. He did not become Holy Roman Emperor until nine years later, in 1556, following the abdication of his older brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Ferdinand survived Anna by seventeen years, dying in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria, on July 25, 1564, aged 61.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Anne Jagellon (2022) Wikipedia (French). Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Jagellon (Accessed: 18 May 2023).
  • Anne of Bohemia and Hungary (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Bohemia_and_Hungary (Accessed: 18 May 2023).
  • Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_I,_Holy_Roman_Emperor (Accessed: 18 May 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ferdinand-i-holy-roman-emperor-king-of-hungary-croatia-and-bohemia-archduke-of-austria/ (Accessed: 18 May 2023).
  • Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary (2018) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladislaus_II_of_Bohemia_and_Hungary (Accessed: 18 May 2023).
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995) The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter, 2016. Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Archduke Giuseppe Ferdinando of Austria

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Archduke Giuseppe Ferdinando of Austria was the Pretender to the Grand Ducal Throne of Tuscany from 1908 until 1921 when he married unequally and was forced to renounce his rights.

Archduke Giuseppe Ferdinando of Austria – source: Wikipedia

Archduke Giuseppe Ferdinando of Austria was born in Salzburg on May 24, 1872, the second son of Ferdinando IV, the last Grand Duke of Tuscany, and his second wife Princess Alicia of Bourbon-Parma. He was given the names Giuseppe Ferdinando Salvatore Maria Francesco Leopoldo Antonio Alberto Giovanni Battista Carlo Ludovico Roberto Maria Ausiliatrice. He had 9 siblings:

He also had an older half-sister from his father’s first marriage to Princess Anna of Saxony:

Giuseppe Ferdinando attended the Oberrealschule at Hranice and the Maria Theresa Military Academy at Wiener Neustadt. He was then commissioned in the Austrian military and served in various regiments. During World War I, he held several command positions but was forced to retire in June 1916 after suffering devastating losses during the Brusilov Offensive. He later served as Inspector General of the Imperial Air Force from July 1917 until September 1918.

Giuseppe Ferdinando was fascinated with aviation, especially hot air balloons. He made several attempts to incorporate both into his military service, with little success. He did, however, arrange for a balloon flight from his home in Linz, landing in Dieppe, France 16 hours later.

Giuseppe was married twice. His first marriage, on May 2, 1921, was to Rosa Kaltenbrunner. The couple divorced in 1928 with no issue. He married again on January 27, 1929 to Gertrude Tomanek von Beyerfels-Mondsee. The couple had two children:

  • Claudia von Habsburg-Lothringen (1930) – unmarried
  • Maximilian von Habsburg-Lothringen (1932) – married to Doris Williams, had issue

He had become his father’s heir in 1902 when his elder brother renounced his membership in the Imperial House to marry. Giuseppe also lost his claim to the former throne in 1921, when he also renounced his membership in the Imperial House and his claim to the throne. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Pietro Ferdinando.

In 1938, Giuseppe Ferdinando was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to the Dachau Concentration Camp. After three months, he was released but remained under constant observation by the Gestapo. He settled in Vienna, where he died on August 28, 1942.

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Grand Duchy of Tuscany Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, Archduke of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the pope or a bishop. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him, and his power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states.

Frequently but not always, it was common practice to elect the deceased Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans.

Learn more at Unofficial Royalty: What was the Holy Roman Empire?

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Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1556 – 1564), King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia (reigned 1526 – 1564), Archduke of Austria (reigned 1521 – 1564) was born at the Archiepiscopal Palace of Alcalá de Henares in Alcalá de Henares, Kingdom of Castile, now in Spain, on March 10, 1503. He was the fourth of the six children and the second of the two sons of Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, the ruler of the vast and wealthy Burgundian State from the House of Habsburg, and Juana I, Queen of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara. Ferdinand’s paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and the ruler of the Archduchy of Austria, and the Duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, and the first of his three wives, Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, the ruler of the Burgundian State in her own right. His maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II, King of Aragon and Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León.

A portrait of the extended Habsburg family: standing (left to right) Maximilian I. Holy Roman Emperor; Maximilian I’s son Philip of Austria; Maximilian I’s first wife Mary of Burgundy; sitting (left to right) Maximilian I and Mary’s grandsons Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor; and Louis II, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, the husband of Maximilian and Mary’s granddaughter Mary of Austria; (Note: This portrait is anachronistic. Mary of Burgundy died in 1482 when her son Philip of Austria was 4 years old and her son Philip died in 1506 when his son Ferdinand was 4 years old); by Bernhard Strigel painted after 1515; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinand had five siblings. His brother was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, among many other titles, and his sisters were all queen consorts.


Ferdinand’s parents Philip of Habsburg, Duke of Burgundy and Juana I, Queen of Castile and León; Credit – Wikipedia

Before Ferdinand was seven years old, his father had died and his mother had been declared too mentally ill to reign as Queen of Castile and León and was confined in a convent for the rest of her life. Ferdinand’s father Philip of Habsburg (also known as Philip the Handsome) was the heir to both his father’s and mother’s dominions. His mother Mary, Duchess of Burgundy was the only child of Charles I (the Bold), Duke of Burgundy, ruler of the vast and wealthy Burgundian State (parts of the present-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Germany), and succeeded him after his death at the Battle of Nancy during the Burgundian Wars in 1477. In March 1482, Philip’s mother Mary, Duchess of Burgundy died from internal injuries received in a horse-riding accident. Philip, who was not quite four years old, succeeded his mother as ruler of the Burgundian State under the guardianship of his father Maximilian.

Philip’s father Maximilian was the son of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, today part of Austria and Slovenia. Maximilian was elected King of the Romans in 1486. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could, and often did, have a male relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent bore the title King of the Romans. Maximilian became Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola when his father Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola died in 1493. However, Philip predeceased his father Maximilian, and never succeeded to his father’s dominions but his eldest son, Ferdinand’s elder brother, did. Best known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Carlos I, King of Spain, he was one of the most powerful ever monarchs and had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Burgundian, Spanish, and Austrian realms.

A year after his birth, Ferdinand’s maternal grandmother Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León died. Ferdinand’s mother Juana became Queen of Castile and León but her father Ferdinand II, King of Aragon proclaimed himself Governor and Administrator of Castile and León. In 1506, Ferdinand’s father Philip became King of Castile and León jure uxoris (by the right of his wife) as Philip I, initiating the rule of the Habsburgs in the Spanish kingdoms which would last until 1700 when the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg became extinct. However, Philip’s rule lasted only from July 12, 1506 to September 25, 1506, when he died, aged 28, apparently of typhoid fever, although an assassination by poisoning was rumored at the time.

Ferdinand’s father Philip had spread rumors about Juana’s supposed mental illness and her misunderstood behavior after his death may have reinforced these rumors. In 1509, Juana’s father Ferdinand II, King of Aragon convinced the parliament that Juana was too mentally ill to govern, and was appointed her guardian and the regent of Castile and León. Juana was confined in the Royal Convent of Santa Clara in Tordesillas, Castile, now in Spain, under the orders of her father. In 1516, Ferdinand II, King of Aragon died. In his will, Ferdinand named his daughter Juana and her eldest son Charles the co-heirs of the Kingdom of Aragon. However, Juana would never reign as her son Charles would continue keeping her confined. Juana would not be released from her confinement until she died in 1555. Many historians feel that Juana was not mentally ill but had been manipulated by her father, husband, and her son. Juana’s father Ferdinand II, King of Aragon and her son Charles had a lot to gain from Juana being declared unfit to rule and confined.

Ferdinand’s wife Anne of Hungary and Bohemia; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 26, 1521, in Linz, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria, Ferdinand married Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, daughter of King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary and his third wife Anne of Foix-Candale. Anna’s mother died due to birth complications shortly after giving birth to her second child, the future Ludovicus II, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The death of Anna’s father King Vladislaus II in 1516 left Anna and her brother under the guardianship of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. It was arranged for Anna to marry his grandson, then Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. At the time of his marriage in 1521, Ferdinand was governing the Habsburg hereditary lands on behalf of his older brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. The marriage contract stipulated that Ferdinand should succeed Anna’s brother Ludovicus as King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia in case Ludovicus died without legitimate male heirs.

Three sons of Ferdinand and Anna: Maximilian and his younger brothers Ferdinand and Johann; Credit – Wikipedia

Similar to the situation with King Louis XVI of France and Marie Antoinette, Ferdinand and Anna at first seemed to suffer from a lack of sexual instruction, but eventually, the marriage proved extremely successful both personally and politically. Ferdinand and Anna had fifteen children and all but two reached adulthood. Sadly, Anna died due to childbirth complications on January 27, 1547, at the age of forty-four, three days after giving birth to her fifteenth child. Despite being encouraged to remarry, Ferdinand could not forget his wife and never remarried.

Ludovicus II, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia died without a legitimate male heir after he was thrown from his horse at the Battle of Mohács against the Ottoman Empire in 1526. Ferdinand claimed both kingdoms and was elected King of Bohemia later in 1526. Ferdinand was proclaimed King of Hungary by a group of nobles, but another group of Hungarian nobles refused to allow a foreign ruler to hold that title and elected Hungarian John Zápolya as an alternative king. Although this conflict lasted until 1570, Ferdinand had the support of his older brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and was generally recognized as King of Hungary. Additionally, in 1531, Charles V recognized Ferdinand as his successor as Holy Roman Emperor, and Ferdinand was elevated to the title King of the Romans.

Ferdinand’s brother Charles several years before his abdication; Credit – Wikipedia

Physically exhausted after forty years of ruling, Ferdinand’s older brother Charles abdicated in 1555, the same year his 75-year-old mother Juana, confined in a convent for forty-six years, died. Charles retired to the peace of the Monastery of Yuste in Extremadura, Spain where he died in 1558. Upon Charles’s abdication, his younger brother Ferdinand, who had already been given Charles’ Austrian lands in 1521, became the Holy Roman Emperor. The Spanish Empire, including the possessions in the Netherlands, Italy, and the New World, was inherited by Charles’ son who reigned as Felipe II, King of Spain.

Division of the Habsburg lands after the death of Charles V, Holy Roman Empeor; Credit – By Barjimoa – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93587376

Unlike his father Maximilian I and his brother Charles V, Ferdinand I did not travel between his domains. In 1533, he had moved his residence to Vienna and spent most of his time there. After Ferdinand became Holy Roman Emperor, Vienna became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. During his reign as Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand pursued a policy aimed at strengthening peace between the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire, worked on reaching compromises between Catholics and Protestants, and consolidated imperial forces to fight the Ottoman Empire’s invasion in Central Europe. In December 1562, Ferdinand had his eldest son Maximilian elected King of the Romans, meaning that he would become Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor. In addition, Ferdinand passed the crown of Hungary to his son in 1563.

Funeral of Ferdinand I, Holy Romand Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

Plagued by fever attacks during the last years of his life, Ferdinand died in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria, on July 25, 1564, aged 61, and was buried next to his wife Anna in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. Their son Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor was buried with his parents.

Tomb of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, his wife Anna, and their son Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_I,_Holy_Roman_Emperor (Accessed: 17 May 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2022) Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/charles-v-holy-roman-emperor-carlos-i-king-of-spain-karl-i-archduke-of-austria-charles-ii-lord-of-the-netherlands-duke-of-burgundy/ (Accessed: 17 May 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/juana-i-queen-of-castile-and-leon-and-queen-of-aragon/> [Accessed 17 May 2023].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, King of Castile and León. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/philip-of-austria-duke-of-burgundy-king-of-castile/> [Accessed 17 May 2023].
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew, 1995. The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter, 2016. Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Bianca Maria Sforza, Holy Roman Empress, Archduchess of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Maria Bianca Sforza; Credit – Wikipedia

The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the pope or a bishop. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him, and his power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states.

Frequently but not always, it was common practice to elect the deceased Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans.

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Bianca Maria Sforza was the third wife of the three wives of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria. Born in Pavia, Duchy of Milan, now in Italy, on April 5, 1472, she was the third of the four children and the elder of the two daughters of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, 5th Duke of Milan and his second wife Bona of Savoy. Bianca Maria’s paternal grandparents were Francesco Sforza, 4th Duke of Milan, and her namesake Bianca Maria Visconti. Her maternal grandparents were Ludovico I, Duke of Savoy and Anne de Lusignan of Cyprus.

Bianca Maria had three siblings:

Bianca Maria’s father was notorious for being cruel, tyrannical, and vengeful. On December 26, 1476, when Bianca Maria was four-years-old, her 32-year-old father was stabbed to death while attending Mass at the Church of Santo Stefano in Milan by three high-ranking officials of the Milanese court. Bianca Maria’s father was succeeded by his 7-year-old son Gian Galeazzo Sforza, 6th Duke of Milan with his mother Bona serving as Regent of Milan. However, in 1481, in a power play, the young Duke’s paternal uncle Ludovico Sforza forced Bona to resign her position as Regent. Ludovico quickly gained power and became the de facto ruler of the Duchy of Milan. Ludovico imprisoned his nephew Gian Galeazzo and later became 7th Duke of Milan after Gian Galeazzo’s death, which was widely viewed as suspicious.

In 1476, at the age of four, Bianca Maria married her 11-year-old first cousin Philibert I, Duke of Savoy, who died from tuberculosis at the age of 17. After the death of Philbert, 10-year-old Bianca Maria returned to Milan, where she was placed under the care of her paternal uncle Ludovico Sforza. Ludovico placed little value on Bianca Maria’s education, so she was ill-educated and free to do whatever she wanted.

Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria

After the death of his beloved first wife Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right and a second very short annulled marriage in name only to Anne, Duchess of Brittany in her own right, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria decided to marry for a third time to Bianca Maria Sforza. The marriage was arranged by Bianca Maria’s uncle Ludovico Sforza, who wanted recognition and the title of Duke of Milan to be confirmed by Maximilian. To make the marriage more desirable to Maximilian, Ludovico offered a dowry of 400,000 ducats in cash and a further 40,000 ducats in jewels. Twenty-one-year-old Bianca Maria and thirty-four-year-old Maximilian were married by proxy on November 30, 1493, in the Duchy of Milan. Bianca Maria then traveled with her large dowry and large escort to Innsbruck, County of Tyrol, now in Austria. However, because Maximilian was dealing with a Turkish invasion of his Duchy of Styria, Bianca had to wait until March 16, 1494, to marry Maximilian in person.

The marriage was not a happy one. Maximilian complained that Bianca Maria may have been more beautiful than his first wife Mary of Burgundy, but she was not as intelligent. He considered Bianca Maria uneducated, talkative, naive, careless, and wasteful with money. Bianca Maria had a miscarriage shortly after her marriage and it seems that she was never able to conceive again. She was a stepmother to the two surviving children of Maximilian and his first wife Mary of Burgundy. They were relatively close in age to Bianca Maria and she very much liked them.

Bianca Maria’s stepchildren:

After 1500, Maximilian lost all interest in Bianca Maria. She lived with her own court of 150 – 200 people from Milan, traveling to various castles. Maximilian did not allow Bianca Maria to control her own finances and so she seemed to be living in luxury one day and in poverty the next day. Bianca Maria’s court was arranged around the Roman Catholic church feasts with lavish celebrations at Easter, Christmas, Pentecost, and Corpus Christi. Carnivals, dances, tournaments, music, theater, hunting, and fishing were integral parts of Bianca Maria’s court life.

The Abbey Church at Stams Abbey where Bianca Maria is buried; Credit – Di Zairon – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50155281

In the last years of her life, Bianca Maria suffered from a debilitating illness, and died on December 31, 1510, aged 38, in Innsbruck, County of Tyrol, now in Austria. Maximilian was not in Innsbruck at the time of her death and did not return to attend her funeral. Bianca Maria was buried at the Abbey Church in the Crypt of the Princes of Tyrol at Stams Abbey (link in Italian) in Stams, County of Tyrol, one of Maximilian’s lands, now in Austria. Traditionally, a gilded statue of those interred in the Crypt of the Princes of Tyrol was placed in the crypt but no gilded statue or any type of memorial was ever made for Bianca Maria. She is only memorialized in the Hofkirche (Court Church) in Innsbruck where her bronze statue is one of twenty-eight statues on Maximilian’s cenotaph that depicts twenty-four events in Maximilian’s life. The Hofkirche and the cenotaph were built by Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I as a memorial to his grandfather Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. One has to doubt that Bianca Maria would have been included if Maximilian had designed his own cenotaph.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Abbazia di Stams (2021) Wikipedia (Italian). Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbazia_di_Stams (Accessed: 13 May 2023).
  • Bianca Maria Sforza (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bianca_Maria_Sforza (Accessed: 13 May 2023).
  • Bianca Maria Sforza (2022) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bianca_Maria_Sforza (Accessed: 13 May 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maximilian-i-holy-roman-emperor-duke-of-styria-carinthia-and-carniola-archduke-of-austria/ (Accessed: 13 May 2023).
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995) The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter H. (2016) Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, Archduchess of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Mary, Duchess of Burgundy; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right was the only child of Charles I the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and the second of his three wives Isabella of Bourbon. She was born on February 13, 1457, at the Palace of Coudenberg in Brussels, Duchy of Brabant in the Burgundian State, now in Belgium. Mary’s paternal grandparents were Philip III the Good, Duke of Burgundy and the third of his three wives Isabella of Portugal. Her maternal grandparents were Charles I, Duke of Bourbon and Agnes of Burgundy, also Mary’s paternal great-aunt. At the time of Mary’s birth, her paternal grandfather Philip III the Good was Duke of Burgundy.

Mary was baptized Marie-Blanche (in French) on February 17, 1457, in the chapel at the Palace of Coudenberg by Jean of Burgundy, Bishop of Cambrai, who was the illegitimate son of Mary’s great-grandfather Jean I the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy. Mary’s grandfather Philip III the Good, Duke of Burgundy chose not to attend the baptism as it was only for a girl.

Mary’s godparents were:

Mary’s aunt Anne of Burgundy, the illegitimate daughter of Mary’s grandfather Philip III the Good, Duke of Burgundy, was put in charge of her niece and appointed Jeanne de Clito as Mary’s governess. Jeanne was Mary’s most constant companion for the rest of her life. Mary received an excellent education befitting a future reigning Duchess of Burgundy. She enjoyed music, art, and chess but physical exercise was her greatest love. Mary especially enjoyed hunting, riding, falconry, and skating on the frozen ponds of the Palace of Coudenberg.

Mary’s father Charles I the Bold, Duke of Burgundy; Credit – Wikipedia

When Mary was eight-years-old, in 1465, her mother Isabella of Bourbon died from tuberculosis. In 1467, Mary’s grandfather Philip III the Good, Duke of Burgundy died and her father succeeded as Charles I, Duke of Burgundy. Charles had three marriages but ten-year-old Mary was his only child and became his heir presumptive.

Margaret of York, Mary’s stepmother; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1468, Mary’s widowed father married his third wife, the English Margaret of York, the daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, the leader of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses until his death in battle in 1460, and the sister of King Edward IV of England and King Richard III of England. Margaret and Charles were half-second cousins. They were both great-grandchildren of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the third surviving son of King Edward III, but from different wives of John. The first meeting of Margaret of York with Charles’s mother Isabella of Portugal and 11-year-old Mary was a resounding success, and the three of them would remain close for the rest of their lives.

The Burgundian State during the reign of Charles the Bold; Credit – By Marco Zanoli, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3977827

The vast and rich Burgundian State consisted of parts of the present-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Germany. Because of this, Mary had many suitors for her hand in marriage including the future King Charles VIII of France, Nicholas I, Duke of Lorraine, and George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, supported by his sister and Mary’s stepmother Margaret of York. As early as 1463, when Mary was just six-year-old, Pope Pius II first suggested a marriage between Mary and four-year-old Archduke Maximilian of Austria, son of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria and Infanta Eleanor of Portugal. In the fall of 1473, the two fathers, Friedrich III and Charles the Bold, met to discuss a possible marriage. However, the negotiations failed and ended after two months.

Mary’s husband Maximilian; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary’s father’s main objective was to become a king by acquiring territories bordering and in between the territories of the Burgundian State. This caused the Burgundian Wars (1474 – 1477). On January 5, 1477, Charles I (the Bold), Duke of Burgundy was killed at the Battle of Nancy, and twenty-year-old Mary of Burgundy became the Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. Mary feared that King Louis XI of France would try to force her to marry his eldest son, and resumed the marriage negotiations with Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich III to marry his son Maximilian. King Louis XI of France tried to prevent the marriage by declaring that he was Mary’s overlord and refusing to consent to the marriage. However, Friedrich III agreed to the marriage of his son Maximilian and Mary. A proxy marriage was held on April 21, 1477, at Mary’s home, the Priesendorf in Bruges, County of Flanders, one of Mary’s lands, now in Belgium. On August 18, 1477, Maximilian arrived in Ghent, County of Flanders, now in Belgium, and on the next day, Maximilian and Mary were married in person.

Mary and Maximilian had three children:

Mary and Maximilian’s grandson Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

It was through the marriage of Maximilian and Mary’s son Philip to Juana I, Queen of Castile and León, Queen of Aragon that the Habsburg lands would be joined with the Spanish lands. Philip and Juana’s son Carlos, best known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, was one of the most powerful ever monarchs and had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Burgundian, Spanish, and Austrian realms. Carlos I was not only the first King of a united Spain and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, but he was also Charles I, Archduke of Austria, and Charles II, Lord of the Netherlands, among many other titles.

Mary’s reign as Duchess of Burgundy and her marriage to Maximilian lasted only five years. In March 1482, despite being pregnant, Mary participated in a hunt in the woods near Wijnendale Castle in Flanders along with her husband. She was an experienced rider and she held her falcon in one hand and the reins in the other hand. However, Mary’s horse stumbled over a tree stump while jumping over a newly dug canal. The saddle belt under the horse’s belly broke causing Mary to fall out of the saddle and into the canal with the horse on top of her. Mary died from internal injuries, aged twenty-five, several weeks later, on March 27, 1482, at Wijnendale Castle, Flanders, Burgundian Netherlands, now Wijnendale, West Flanders in Belgium. She was buried in a beautiful tomb next to her father in the Church of Our Lady in Bruges in the County of Flanders, now in Belgium. Maximilian and Mary’s son Philip, who was not quite four years old, succeeded his mother as ruler of the Burgundian State under the guardianship of his father Maximilian.

Tomb of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

After Mary’s death, Maximilian’s father Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria died in 1493, and Maximilian succeeded to the Habsburg hereditary lands, becoming the reigning Archduke of Austria. He also became the de facto ruler of the Holy Roman Empire via his election as King of the Romans, heir to the Holy Roman Emperor, in 1486. In 1508, Maximilian proclaimed himself the elected Holy Roman Emperor with the approval of Pope Julius II, ending the long tradition of requiring a papal coronation for the adoption of the Holy Roman Emperor title.

After a very short marriage in name only to Anne, Duchess of Brittany in her own right, which the French forced Anne to annul, Maximilian married again, in 1494, to Bianca Maria Sforza. The marriage was not a happy one. Maximilian complained that Bianca Maria may have been more beautiful than his first wife Mary of Burgundy, but she was not as intelligent. Maximilian survived his first wife Mary by thirty-seven years, dying on January 12, 1519, aged 59 at the Castle of Wels in Wels, Upper Austria, now in Austria. He was buried at St. George’s Cathedral in Wiener Neustadt Castle in Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria, now in Austria. However, as per his will, Maximilian’s heart was placed in the tomb of his first wife Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in the Church of Our Lady in Bruges, County of Flanders, now in Belgium.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Abernethy, Susan. (2013) Mary of Burgundy, The Freelance History Writer. Available at: https://thefreelancehistorywriter.com/2013/03/23/mary-of-burgundy/ (Accessed: 03 May 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2022) Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/margaret-of-york-duchess-of-burgundy/ (Accessed: 03 May 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maximilian-i-holy-roman-emperor-duke-of-styria-carinthia-and-carniola-archduke-of-austria/ (Accessed: 03 May 2023).
  • Marie de Bourgogne (2023) Wikipedia (French). Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_de_Bourgogne (Accessed: 03 May 2023).
  • Maria von Burgund (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_von_Burgund (Accessed: 03 May 2023).
  • Mary of Burgundy (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Burgundy (Accessed: 03 May 2023).

Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria by Bernhard Strigel; Credit – Wikipedia

The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the pope or a bishop. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him, and his power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states.

Frequently but not always, it was common practice to elect the deceased Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans.

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Maximilian’s parents Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal

Maximilian I reigned as King of the Romans, the de facto leader of the Holy Roman Empire from 1493 – 1508, Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 – 1519, and ruled his family lands as Archduke of Austria from 1493 – 1519. Maximilian was born on March 22, 1459, at Wiener Neustadt Castle in Wiener Neustadt, Archduchy of Austria now in the state of Lower Austria in Austria. He was the second of the five children and the second but the eldest surviving son of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, Archduke of Austria and Infanta Eleanor of Portugal. As his father was sovereign of the Austrian hereditary lands, Maximilian and his siblings received the title of Archduke/Archduchess of Austria at birth. Maximilian’s paternal grandparents were Ernst II, Duke of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola and his second wife Cymburgis of Masovia, a member of the Polish Piast dynasty. His maternal grandparents were King Duarte of Portugal and Eleanor of Aragon.

Maximilian had four siblings but only one survived childhood:

  • Archduke Christoph of Austria (1455 – 1456), died in infancy
  • Archduchess Helene of Austria (1460 – 1462), died in early childhood
  • Archduchess Kunigunde of Austria (1465 – 1520), married Albrecht IV, Duke of Bavaria, had seven children
  • Archduke Johannes of Austria (1466 – 1467), died in early childhood

Since his elder brother died in infancy, Maximilian was prepared to be his father’s heir from an early age. When Maximilian was eight-years-old, his mother Eleanor, aged 32, died on September 3, 1467, from dysentery. In 1486, Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor ensured that his son Maximilian would succeed him as Holy Roman Emperor when the prince-electors unanimously elected Maximilian King of the Romans. The title King of the Romans was used to designate the successor to a Holy Roman Emperor elected during the lifetime of a sitting Emperor.

As early as 1463, when Maximilian was just four years old, Pope Pius II, who had previously been an advisor to Maximilian’s father as Enea Silvio Piccolomini, suggested a marriage between Maximilian and six-year-old Mary of Burgundy, the only child of Charles the Bold of Burgundy and the second of his three wives Isabella of Portugal. In 1467, Charles succeeded his father Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, and became Charles I, Duke of Burgundy, the ruler of the vast and rich Burgundian State that consisted of parts of the present-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Germany. If Charles the Bold did not have a son, his daughter Mary would become the Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. In the fall of 1473, the two fathers, Friedrich III and Charles the Bold, met to discuss a possible marriage. However, the negotiations failed and ended after two months.

Maximilian’s first wife Mary, Duchess of Burgundy; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 5, 1477, during the Burgundian Wars, Charles I (the Bold), Duke of Burgundy was killed at the Battle of Nancy. Twenty-year-old Mary of Burgundy, the only child of Charles I, became the Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. Mary feared that King Louis XI of France would try to force her to marry his eldest son, and resumed the marriage negotiations with Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich III to marry his son Maximilian. King Louis XI of France tried to prevent the marriage by declaring that he was Mary’s overlord and refusing to consent to the marriage. However, Friedrich III agreed to the marriage of his son Maximilian and Mary. A proxy marriage was held on April 21, 1477, at Mary’s home, the Priesendorf in Bruges, County of Flanders, one of Mary’s lands, now in Belgium. On August 18, 1477, Maximilian arrived in Ghent, County of Flanders, now in Belgium, and on the next day, Maximilian and Mary were married in person.

Maximilian and Mary had three children:

It was through the marriage of Maximilian and Mary’s son Philip to Juana I, Queen of Castile and León, Queen of Aragon that the Habsburg lands would be joined with the Spanish lands. Philip and Juana’s son Carlos, best known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, was one of the most powerful ever monarchs and had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Burgundian, Spanish, and Austrian realms. Carlos I was not only the first King of a united Spain and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, but he was also Charles I, Archduke of Austria, and Charles II, Lord of the Netherlands, among many other titles.

Sadly, Maximilian and Mary’s marriage lasted only five years. In March 1482, despite being pregnant, Mary participated in a hunt in the woods near Wijnendale Castle in Flanders along with her husband. She was an experienced rider and she held her falcon in one hand and the reins in the other hand. However, Mary’s horse stumbled over a tree stump while jumping over a newly dug canal. The saddle belt under the horse’s belly broke causing Mary to fall out of the saddle and into the canal with the horse on top of her. Mary was seriously injured and was transported to Prinsenhof, her palace in Bruges, where she died, aged twenty-five, several weeks later from internal injuries. Mary was buried next to her father in the Church of Our Lady in Bruges in Flanders, now in Belgium. Maximilian and Mary’s son Philip, who was not quite four years old, succeeded his mother as ruler of the Burgundian State under the guardianship of his father Maximilian.

Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Maximilian’s second wife; Credit – Wikipedia

Maximilian had a short second marriage to Anne, Duchess of Brittany in her own right. On September 9, 1488, Anne’s father François II, Duke of Brittany died as a result of a fall from his horse, and Anne became the Duchess of Brittany in her own right. Anne feared for the independence of her duchy against the might of France and so she arranged a marriage for herself with Maximilian. Maximilian and Anne were married by proxy in 1490, which turned out to be a marriage in name only. King Charles VIII succeeded his father as King of France in 1483. However, he was a minor, and his elder sister Anne of France and her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon, served as regents. They refused to allow an in-person marriage between Anne and Maximilian because it would put the Habsburgs, Maximilian’s family, on two French borders. A month before Anne of Brittany’s father died, he had been forced to sign the Treaty of Verger and thereby becoming a vassal of King Charles VIII of France and agreeing to seek Charles’ consent before arranging the marriage of his daughters. The Treaty of Verger was used to force Anne of Brittany to annul her proxy marriage to Maximilian and marry King Charles VIII of France.

On August 19, 1493, Maximilian’s father died and he succeeded to the Habsburg hereditary lands, becoming the reigning Archduke of Austria. He also became the de facto ruler of the Holy Roman Empire via his election as King of the Romans in 1486. In 1508, Maximilian proclaimed himself the elected Holy Roman Emperor with the approval of Pope Julius II, ending the long tradition of requiring a papal coronation for the adoption of the Holy Roman Emperor title.

Bianca Maria Sforza, Maximilian’s third wife; Credit – Wikipedia

Maximilian married again to twenty-one-year-old Bianca Maria Sforza, the daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, 5th Duke of Milan and his second wife Bona of Savoy. In 1476, at the age of 4, Bianca Maria had been married to her 11-year-old first cousin Philibert I, Duke of Savoy, who died from tuberculosis at the age of 17. Maximilian and Bianca Maria were married by proxy on November 30, 1493, in the Duchy of Milan. Bianca Maria then traveled with her large dowry and large escort to Innsbruck. However, because Maximilian was dealing with a Turkish invasion of his Duchy of Styria, Bianca had to wait until March 16, 1494, to marry Maximilian in person.

The marriage was not a happy one. Maximilian complained that Bianca Maria may have been more beautiful than his first wife Mary of Burgundy, but she was not as intelligent. He considered Bianca Maria uneducated, talkative, naive, wasteful with money, and careless. Bianca Maria had a miscarriage shortly after her marriage and it seems that she was never able to conceive again. After 1500, Maximilian lost all interest in Bianca Maria. She lived with her own court of people from Milan in various castles. Bianca Maria, aged 38, died on December 31, 1510, in Innsbruck, County of Tyrol, now in Austria. Maximilian was not in Innsbruck at the time of her death and did not return to attend her funeral.

Maximilian’s grandson Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, also King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, and Duke of Burgundy by Bernard van Orley, 1519; Credit – Wikipedia

Maximilian’s reign was marked by the military and political restoration of the House of Habsburg and by the modernization of the administration of the Holy Roman Empire. Maximilian expanded the influence of the House of Habsburg through war, through his own marriage to Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, and the marriage of his son Philip to Juana I, Queen of Castile and León, Queen of Aragon. His grandson, the son of Philip and Juana, was Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, (reigned 1519 – 1556), King of Spain (reigned 1516 – 1556), Archduke of Austria (reigned 1519 – 1521), Lord of the Netherlands, and Duke of Burgundy (reigned 1506 – 1555). Charles, one of the most powerful ever monarchs, inherited and reigned over the dominions of his mother Juana (Castile and León, and Aragon) which would be united under Charles as the Kingdom of Spain, the dominions of his father Philip (the Burgundian State Philip had inherited from his mother Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, consisting of parts of the present-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Germany), and also the Habsburg dominions of his paternal grandfather Maximilian (Archduchy of Austria, Duchy of Styria, Duchy of Carinthia, and Duchy of Carniola, today parts of Austria and Slovenia). Charles would be elected Holy Roman Emperor after the death of his grandfather Maximilian in 1519.

Maximilian in the last year of his life, holding his personal emblem, a pomegranate by Albrecht Dürer, 1519; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1501, Maximilian fell from his horse and badly injured his leg, causing him pain for the rest of his life. From 1514, he traveled everywhere with his coffin. In 1518, feeling his death was near after seeing an eclipse, he tried to return to his beloved Innsbruck but made it only to Wels in Upper Austria, where he suffered a stroke on December 15, 1518, that left him bedridden. However, Maximilian continued to read documents and receive foreign envoys. On January 12, 1519, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor,  Archduke of Austria died, aged 59 at the Castle of Wels in Wels, Upper Austria.

Tomb of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – By krischnig – Self-photographed, Copyrighted free use, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87779171

Maximilian was buried under the steps of the altar at St. George’s Cathedral in Wiener Neustadt Castle in Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria, now in Austria. As per his will, his heart was placed in the tomb of his first wife Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in the Church of Our Lady in Bruges, County of Flanders, now in Belgium.

Tomb of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, where Maximilian’s heart was interred; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, Archduke of Austria, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/friedrich-iii-holy-roman-emperor-duke-of-styria-carinthia-and-carniola-archduke-of-austria/ (Accessed: 02 May 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021) What was the Holy Roman Empire?, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/what-was-the-holy-roman-empire/ (Accessed: May 2, 2023).
  • Mary of Burgundy (2023) Encyclopedia.com. Available at: https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/mary-burgundy-1457-1482 (Accessed: 02 May 2023).
  • Maximilian I. (HRR) (2023) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_I._(HRR) (Accessed: 02 May 2023).
  • Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (2023a) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_I,_Holy_Roman_Emperor (Accessed: 02 May 2023).
  • Максимилиан I (император Священной Римской империи)  Maximilian (2023) Wikipedia (Russian). Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B0%D0%BD_I_(%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80_%D0%A1%D0%B2%D1%8F%D1%89%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D0%A0%D0%B8%D0%BC%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B8) (Accessed: 02 May 2023).
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995) The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter H. (2016) Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress; Credit – Wikipedia

The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the pope or a bishop. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him. His power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states.

Frequently but not always, it was common practice to elect the deceased Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans.

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Infanta Eleanor of Portugal (Leonor in Portuguese) was the wife of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, who was also the reigning Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola and Duke (Duchy of Austria) and then Archduke of Austria (Archduchy of Austria). Eleanor was born on September 18, 1434, in Torres Vedras, Portugal. She was the sixth of the nine children and the third but the eldest surviving of the five daughters of King Duarte of Portugal and Eleanor of Aragon. Eleanor’s paternal grandparents were King João I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster. Philippa was the daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, son of King Edward III of England, and therefore Eleanor’s father King Duarte was a great-grandson of King Edward III of England, a nephew of King Henry IV of England, and first cousin of King Richard II of England and King Henry V of England. Eleanor’s maternal grandparents were King Fernando I of Aragon and Eleanor, 3rd Countess of Alburquerque.

Eleanor had eight siblings:

In 1438, when Eleanor was four years old, her father King Duarte died from the plague, causing a political crisis in Portugal. Eleanor’s six-year-old brother became King of Portugal as Afonso V. It was assumed that King Duarte’s brothers would be the regents for the underage Afonso but in his will, Duarte had named his unpopular wife Eleanor of Aragon as regent. Duarte’s brother Infante João, Constable of Portugal gained the backing of the bourgeoisie in the Cortes, an assembly of representatives of the estates of the realm – the nobility, clergy, and bourgeoisie –  to elect his brother Infante Infante Pedro, Duke of Coimbra, as regent. However, the nobility backed Eleanor of Aragon’s claim to be regent and threatened civil war. The crisis was defused by a complicated and tense power-sharing arrangement between Eleanor’s mother Eleanor of Aragon and her uncle Infante Pedro, Duke of Coimbra. Eleanor and her siblings were placed under the guardianship of their uncle Infante Pedro, Duke of Coimbra. In 1440, Eleanor of Aragon was removed from sharing the regency, and she left Portugal, living in Toledo, Kingdom of Castile where she died in 1445. It was in this tense atmosphere that Eleanor grew up.

Eleanor’s paternal aunt Isabella of Portugal had married Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, the ruler of the vast Burgundian State. In 1440, 25-year-old Friedrich, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola and then Duke of Austria, later Archduke of Austria, was unanimously elected King of the Romans. Although effectively Holy Roman Emperor, he would not officially become Holy Roman Empire until his coronation by the pope in Rome. A marriage with Friedrich was probably suggested by Eleanor’s aunt Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy. Eleanor was also suggested as a bride for the future King Louis XI of France but she preferred Friedrich because a marriage with him would make her an empress instead of a queen.

Eleanor meeting Friedrich for the first time by Pinturicchio, circa 1502-1507; Credit – Wikipedia

Marriage negotiations were conducted by Eleanor’s maternal uncle King Alfonso V of Aragon and Naples and completed in 1451. In November 1451, Eleanor left Portugal for the port city of Livorno, then in the Republic of Florence, now in Italy. After an arduous voyage, with stormy weather, skirmishes with pirates, and rumors that the ship had been lost at sea, Eleanor finally arrived in Livorno in January 1452 after a 104-day voyage. 18-year-old Eleanor met her 37-year-old groom-to-be in Siena on February 24, 1452, and together they traveled to Rome. On March 16, 1452, Eleanor and Friedrich were married by Pope Nicholas V. Finally, on March 19, 1452, Friedrich and Eleanor were anointed in St. Peter’s Basilica by Cardinal Francesco Condulmer, Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church, and then they were crowned as Holy Roman Emperor and Holy Roman Empress by Pope Nicholas V.

Eleanor and her son Maximilian from Empress Eleanor’s Book of Hours; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich and Eleanor had five children but only two survived childhood:

Eleanor and Friedrich were very different and their marriage was not happy. Eleanor loved dancing, gambling, and hunting while Friedrich was more serious. Friedrich sent Eleanor’s Portuguese entourage back to Portugal because of the cost which caused Eleanor to suffer from homesickness. Friedrich blamed Eleanor for causing the deaths of three of their children by making them eat Portuguese food, so he entirely took on the responsibility of raising their two surviving children.

A depiction of Eleanor’s tomb lid; Credit – Wikipedia

After fifteen years of marriage, Eleanor, aged 32, died on September 3, 1467, from dysentery in Wiener Neustadt, Duchy of Styria, now in Austria. She was buried at the Neukloster Abbey in Wiener Neustadt which was founded by her husband and where her three children who died in childhood were buried. Friedrich survived his wife Eleanor by twenty-six years, dying on August 19, 1493, at the age of 77. He was buried at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria in a magnificent tomb.

Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor in old age; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor had laid the foundation that would keep the House of Habsburg in a power play position until its fall after World War I in 1918. Friedrich and Eleanor’s son Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor married Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, the ruler of the Burgundian State. Friedrich’s and Eleanor’s grandson Philip of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy married Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon. Friedrich’s and Eleanor’s great-grandson Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (also King Carlos I of Spain among other titles), one of the most powerful ever monarchs, had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Austrian, Burgundian, and Spanish realms.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Edward, King of Portugal (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward,_King_of_Portugal (Accessed: March 4, 2023).
  • Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Portugal,_Holy_Roman_Empress (Accessed: March 4, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, Archduke of Austria, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/friedrich-iii-holy-roman-emperor-duke-of-styria-carinthia-and-carniola-archduke-of-austria/ (Accessed: March 4, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021) What was the Holy Roman Empire?, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/what-was-the-holy-roman-empire/ (Accessed: March 4, 2023).
  • Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_III,_Holy_Roman_Emperor (Accessed: March 4, 2023).
  • Friedrich III. (HRR) (2023) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_III._(HRR) (Accessed: March 4, 2023).
  • Leonor de Portugal, Imperatriz Romano-germânica (2022) Wikipedia (Portuguese). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_de_Portugal%2C_Imperatriz_Romano-Germ%C3%A2nica (Accessed: March 4, 2023).
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995) The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter H. (2016) Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, Archduke of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the pope or a bishop. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him, and his power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states.

Frequently but not always, it was common practice to elect the deceased Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans.

Learn more at Unofficial Royalty: What was the Holy Roman Empire?

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Friedrich III reigned as Holy Roman Emperor effectively from 1440 to 1493, as Friedrich V, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola from 1424 to 1493, and as Friedrich V, Duke (Duchy of Austria) and then Archduke of Austria (Archduchy of Austria) from 1457 to 1493. He would lay the foundation that would keep the House of Habsburg in a power play position until its fall after World War I. Friedrich was born on September 21, 1415, in Innsbruck, County of Tyrol, now in Austria. He was the eldest of the nine children and the eldest of the six sons of Ernst II, Duke of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola, the Inner Austrian duchies, and his second wife Cymburgis of Masovia, a member of the Polish Piast dynasty. Friedrich’s paternal grandparents were Leopold III, Duke of Austria and Viridis Visconti, a member of the House of Visconti which ruled in Milan, now in Italy. His maternal grandparents were Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia and Alexandra of Lithuania.

Friedrich had eight siblings but only three survived infancy:

In 1424, when Friedrich was nine years old, his father Ernst II died and Friedrich became the Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola. Although the young duke lived with his mother in Graz or in Wiener Neustadt, both in Duchy of Styria, now in Austria, Friedrich’s paternal uncle Friedrich IV, Duke of Austria, Count of Tyrol became the guardian of Friedrich and his brother Albrecht and the Regent of the Duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola. Friedrich’s uncle ensured that his nephews received a good education. In 1429, when he was fourteen years old Friedrich’s mother Cymburgis of Masovia died.

In 1435, Friedrich was deemed old enough to rule over his duchies although his younger brother Albrecht tried to assert himself as co-ruler, the beginning of a long rivalry. In 1436, Friedrich made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and was knighted by the Order of the Holy Sepulchre which greatly increased his status. When his uncle Friedrich IV, Duke of Austria, Count of Tyrol died in 1439, Friedrich served as Regent for his twelve-year-old first cousin Sigismund until 1446.

Friedrich also served as Regent of Austria for Ladislaus the Posthumous, Duke of Austria. As his name indicates, Ladislaus was born four months after the death in 1439 of his father Albrecht V, Duke of Austria. In 1438, Albrecht V had been elected King of the Romans, a title used after the election but before the coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor. Albert was effectively the Holy Roman Emperor, however, due to his death, he was never crowned Holy Roman Emperor and could not use the title. When Ladislaus died at the age of seventeen, unmarried, his branch of the House of Habsburg became extinct, and Friedrich became Duke of Austria. Friedrich was now the ruler of all the sovereign Austrian states and was the undisputed head of the House of Habsburg. Because of the death in 1439 of Albert V, who would have been Holy Roman Emperor upon his coronation, a successor had to be elected by the prince-electors. On February 2, 1440, 25-year-old Friedrich was unanimously elected King of the Romans and although effectively Holy Roman Emperor, he would not officially become Holy Roman Empire until his coronation by the pope in Rome.

The woman Friedrich would eventually marry was Infanta Eleanor of Portugal, the daughter of King Duarte of Portugal and Eleanor of Aragon. A marriage with Friedrich was probably suggested by her aunt Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy. Eleanor was also suggested as a bride for the future King Louis XI of France but Eleanor preferred Friedrich because a marriage with him would make her an empress instead of a queen. Marriage negotiations were conducted by Eleanor’s maternal uncle King Alfonso V of Aragon and Naples.

Friedrich meets Eleanor of Portugal for the first time by Pinturicchio, circa 1502-1507; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1452, 37-year-old Friedrich traveled to Rome to marry 18-year-old Infanta Eleanor of Portugal and be crowned Holy Roman Emperor. On March 16, 1452, Friedrich and Eleanor were married by Pope Nicholas V. Finally, on March 19, 1452, Friedrich and Eleanor were anointed in St. Peter’s Basilica by Cardinal Francesco Condulmer, Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church, and Friedrich was then crowned with the Imperial Crown by Pope Nicholas V. Friedrich III was the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned in Rome.

Empress Eleanor and her son Maximilian from Empress Eleanor’s Book of Hours; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich and Eleanor had five children but only two survived childhood:

During his reign, Friedrich concentrated on re-uniting the Habsburg hereditary lands of Austria. In 1453, Friedrich elevated the Duchy of Austria to an Archduchy and took on the title Archduke of Austria. Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, was, in her own right, the ruler of the Burgundian State which consisted of parts of the present-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Germany. Mary had many suitors and Friedrich had the good fortune that Mary chose his eldest surviving son Maximilian, the future Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, as her husband. The couple married in 1477 and Maximilian became her co-ruler. With the inheritance of the Burgundian State, the House of Habsburg began to rise to predominance in Europe. Looking into the future, Maximilian and Mary’s son Philip of Habsburg, also known as Philip the Handsome, was the heir to both his father’s and mother’s dominions. Philip married Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon, thereby adding Spain’s dominions to the House of Habsburg. Philip and Juana’s son Charles, best known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, was one of the most powerful ever monarchs and had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Austrian, Burgundian, and Spanish realms.

Friedrich’s wife Eleanor, aged 32, died on September 3, 1467, from dysentery in Wiener Neustadt, Duchy of Styria, now in Austria. She was buried at the Neukloster Abbey in Wiener Neustadt where her three children who died in childhood were buried. In 1486, Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor ensured that his son Maximilian would succeed him as Holy Roman Emperor when the prince-electors unanimously elected Maximilian King of the Romans.

Friedrich III, Holy Roman in old age; Credit – Wikipedia

In February 1493, Friedrich’s health began to worsen. He had an issue with his left leg which contemporary sources referred to as gangrene but in today’s modern medicine, the issue was caused by arteriosclerosis. Friedrich’s doctors decided to amputate the affected leg. Although Friedrich survived the amputation, he died on August 19, 1493, in Linz, Duchy of Austria, now in Austria, at the age of 77. Contemporary sources say the cause of his death was complications from the leg amputation, old age, or dysentery-like diarrhea from eating melon. Friedrich III’s reign of 53 years, from the time he was elected King of the Romans in 1440 until he died in 1493, is the longest reign of a Holy Roman Emperor.

Tomb of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – By Uoaei1 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24993194

Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, Archduke of Austria was initially buried at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, in the Ducal Crypt. In 1463, thirty years before his death, Friedrich commissioned Dutch sculptor Nikolaus Gerhaert van Leyden to build a monumental tomb in St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Van Leyden died in 1473 and the work was completed by Austrian stonemason and sculptor Michael Tichter (link in German). On November 12, 1513, the remains of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor were transferred in a grand ceremony from the Ducal Crypt to the tomb. The tomb lid shows Emperor Friedrich in his coronation regalia surrounded by the coats of arms of all his dominions. The sides of the tomb are decorated with 240 small statues. The tomb is considered a masterpiece of medieval sculptural art.

Depiction of the tomb lid; Credit – Von Georges Jansoone – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1061466

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

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  • Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995) The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter H. (2016) Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.