Rudolf II (oct 14, 1576 – jan 20, 1612)

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Son of Maximilian II and Maria of Spain. Rudolf II received his education as a ruler during his younger years in Spain. Soon after the beginning of his reign as Emperor he transferred the Residence from Vienna to Prague, which he made into a political and cultural centre. Rudolf built up important art collections and patronized scientists such as the astronomer Johannes Kepler. His period of rule was marked by the Counter-Reformation and the war against the Ottomans, which Rudolf’s propaganda interpreted as a meting out of ‘divine punishment’ and as a battle against ‘unbelievers’. Emperor Rudolf suffered from a psychological illness that in the course of his reign made him increasingly irritable, passive, and in the end incapable of ruling.
He never married and had no offspring, so his brother Matthias was continually trying to seize power.
At the end of the long Turkish war between 1592 and 1606, Matthias concluded peace treaties that Rudolf was unwilling to accept; furthermore, he refused to appoint Matthias as his successor. In 1611, Matthias finally entered the Bohemian capital in triumph, made Rudolf a prisoner in his very own residence, Prague Castle, and had himself elected king of Bohemia. In 1612, Rudolf’s death left Matthias as the victor of the Bruderzwist (brothers' quarrel). As Emperor, however, Matthias was in a weak position. The quarrel between the brothers had resulted in a strengthening of the Protestant Estates. It was becoming increasingly clear that the religio-political situation was coming to a head and that a major military conflict was in the offing. This conflict was to develop into the Thirty Years’ War, which brought extensive destruction and suffering to large parts of Central Europe.

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