Ferdinand II of Austria
| Ferdinand II | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Archduke of Further Austria | |
| Reign | 25 July 1564 – 24 January 1595 |
| Predecessor | Ferdinand I |
| Successor | Matthias |
| Born | 14 June 1529 Linz, Austria |
| Died | 24 January 1595 (aged 65) |
| Spouse |
Philippine Welser Anne Juliana Gonzaga |
| Issue |
Margrave Andrew of Burgau Charles, Margrave of Burgau Anna, Holy Roman Empress |
| House | House of Habsburg |
| Father | Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Anna of Hungary |
Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria (Linz, 14 June 1529 – 24 January 1595, Innsbruck) was ruler of Further Austria including Tirol. The son of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, he was married to Philippine Welser in his first marriage. In his second marriage to Anna Juliana Gonzaga, he was the father of Anna of Tyrol, the would-be Holy Roman Empress.
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 (See also: morganatic marriage). The sons born of this marriage received the title Margrave of Burgau, after the Margraviate of Burgau, an ancient Habsburg possession in Further Austria. The younger of the sons, who survived their father, later received the princely title of Fürst zu Burgau.
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Wikipedia