Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor
| Matthias | |
|---|---|
Emperor Matthias
by (Lucas van Valckenborch, 1583) |
|
|
Holy Roman Emperor King of Germany |
|
| Reign | 13 June 1612 – 20 March 1619 |
| Coronation | 26 June 1612, Frankfurt |
| Predecessor | Rudolf II |
| Successor | Ferdinand II |
| King of Bohemia | |
| Reign | 11 March 1611 – 16 May 1617 |
| Coronation | 23 May 1611, Prague |
| Predecessor | Rudolf II |
| Successor | Ferdinand II |
| Archduke of Austria | |
| Reign | 25 June 1608 – 20 March 1619 |
| Predecessor | Rudolf II |
| Successor | Ferdinand II |
| King of Hungary and Croatia | |
| Reign | 25 June 1608 – 1 July 1618 |
| Coronation | 19 November 1608, Pressburg |
| Predecessor | Rudolf II |
| Successor | Ferdinand II |
| Born | 24 February 1557 Vienna, Austria |
| Died | 20 March 1619 (aged 62) Vienna, Austria |
| Spouse | Anna of Austria-Tyrol |
| House | House of Habsburg |
| Father | Maximilian II |
| Mother | Maria of Austria |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Matthias (24 February 1557 – 20 March 1619) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1612, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1608 (as Matthias II) and King of Bohemia from 1611. He was a member of the House of Habsburg.
Matthias was born in the Austrian capital of Vienna to Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria of Spain.
Matthias married Archduchess Anna of Austria, daughter of his uncle Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria, whose successor in Further Austria Matthias became in 1595. Their marriage did not produce surviving children.
In 1578, Matthias was invited to the Netherlands by the States-General of the rebellious provinces, who offered him the position of Governor-General. Matthias accepted the appointment, although the position was not recognized by his uncle, Philip II of Spain, the hereditary ruler of the provinces. He set down the rules for religious peace within most of the United Provinces. His work is noted in Article 13 of the 1579 Union of Utrecht, which established freedom of religion as a locally determined issue. Matthias continued as titular governor for the rebels until they deposed Philip II and declared full independence in 1581, at which point he returned home to Austria.
In 1593 he was appointed governor of Austria by his brother, Emperor Rudolf II. He formed a close association there with the Bishop of Vienna, Melchior Klesl, who later became his chief adviser. In 1605 Matthias forced the ailing emperor to allow him to deal with the Hungarian Protestant rebels. The result was the Peace of Vienna of 1606, which guaranteed religious freedom in Hungary and guaranteed the right of Transylvanians to elect their own independent princes in the future. In the same year Matthias was recognized as head of the House of Habsburg and as the future Holy Roman Emperor, as a result of Rudolf's illness. Allying himself with the estates of Hungary, Austria, and Moravia, Matthias forced his brother to yield rule of these lands to him in 1608; Rudolf later ceded Bohemia in 1611. Matthias's army then held Rudolf prisoner in his castle in Prague, until 1611, when Rudolf was forced to cede the crown of Bohemia to his brother.
...
Wikipedia