Ferdinand III (13 July 1608 – 2 April 1657) was Holy Roman Emperor 15 February 1637 – 1657. King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, King of the Romans.
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Life
Eldest son of Emperor Ferdinand II from the house of Habsburg and his first wife, Maria Anna of Bavaria. Made King of Hungary in 1625, King of Bohemia in 1627, Archduke of Austria in 1621 and succeeded his father King of the Romans in 1636, and thence Holy Roman Emperor 1637.
Following the death of Wallenstein in 1634, he was made titular head of the Imperial Army in the Thirty Years' War, and later that year joined with his cousin the Cardinal-Infante to defeat the Swedes at Nördlingen. Leader of the peace party at court, he helped negotiate the Peace of Prague with the Protestant States, especially Saxony in 1635.
He succeeded his father as Holy Roman Emperor in 1637. He hoped to be able to make peace soon with France and Sweden, but the war dragged on for another 11 years, finally coming to an end with the Peace of Westphalia (Treaty of Münster with France, Treaty of Osnabrück with Sweden) in 1648, both negotiated by his envoy Maximilian von und zu Trauttmansdorff, a successful diplomat who had been made a count in 1623 by his father Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor.
During the last dreadful period of the war, in 1644 Ferdinand III gave to all rulers of German states the right to conduct their own foreign policy (ius belli ac pacis). This way the emperor was trying to gain more allies in the negotiations with France and Sweden. This very edict contributed to the gradual erosion of the imperial authority in the Holy Roman Empire.
In the Peace of Westphalia, his full titles are given as: "Ferdinand the Third, elected Roman Emperor, always August, King of Germany, Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Brabant, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, Margrave of Moravia, Duke of Luxemburg, of the Higher and Lower Silesia, of Wurtemburg and Teck, Prince of Swabia, Count of Habsburg, Tyrol, Kyburg and Goritia, Marquess of the Sacred Roman Empire, Burgovia, the Higher and Lower Lusace, Lord of the Marquisate of Slavonia, of Port Naon and Salines."
Marriages and children
On 20 February 1631 Ferdinand III married his first wife Maria Anna of Spain. She was the youngest daughter of Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. They were first cousins as Maria Anna's mother was a sister of Ferdinand's father. They were parents to six children:
- Ferdinand IV of Hungary (8 September 1633 – 9 July 1654).
- Mariana of Austria (23 December 1634 – 16 May 1696). Married her maternal uncle Philip IV of Spain. They were parents to Charles II of Spain, the last Habsburg monarch of Spain.
- Philip August, Archduke of Austria (1637 - 1639).
- Maximilian Thomas, Archduke of Austria (1638 - 1639).
- Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705).
- Maria of Austria (1646).
In 1648, Ferdinand III married his second wife Maria Leopoldine, Archduchess of Austria. She was a daughter of Leopold V, Archduke of Austria and Claudia de' Medici. They were second cousins as male-line grandchildren of Charles II, Archduke of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. They had a single son:
- Karl Josef of Austria (1649 - 1664). He was Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights from 1662 to his death.
In 1651, Ferdinand III married Eleonora of Mantua (Gonzaga). She was a daughter of Charles IV Gonzaga, Duke of Rethel. They were parents to four children:
- Theresia Maria Josefa, Archduchess of Austria (1652 - 1653).
- Eleonora Maria Josefa, Archduchess of Austria (1653 - 1697). Married first Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, King of Poland and secondly Charles V, Duke of Lorraine.
- Maria Anna Josepha, Archduchess of Austria (1654 - 1689). Married Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine.
- Ferdinand Josef, Archduke of Austria (1657 - 1658).
Music
Ferdinand III was a well-known patron of music and a composer. He studied music under Giovanni Valentini, who bequeathed his musical works to him, and had close ties with Johann Jakob Froberger, one of the most important keyboard composers of the 17th century. Froberger lamented the emperor's death and dedicated to him one of his most celebrated works, Lamentation faite sur la mort très douloureuse de Sa Majesté Impériale, Ferdinand le troisième; a tombeau for Ferdinand III's death was composed by the renowned violinist Johann Heinrich Schmelzer. Some of Ferdinand's own compositions survive in manuscripts: masses, motets, hymns and other sacred music, as well as a few secular pieces. His Drama musicum was praised by Athanasius Kircher, and the extant works, although clearly influenced by Valentini, show a composer with an individual style and a solid technique.[2]
Ancestors
Titles
Ferdinand III, by the grace of God elected Holy Roman Emperor, forever August, King in Germany, King of Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, etc. Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Brabant, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, Margrave of Moravia, Duke of Luxemburg, of the Higher and Lower Silesia, of Wurtemburg and Teck, Prince of Swabia, Count of Habsburg, Tyrol, Kyburg and Goritia, Marquess of the Holy Roman Empire, Burgovia, the Higher and Lower Lusace, Lord of the Marquisate of Slavonia, of Port Naon and Salines, etc. etc.
See also
- Kings of Germany family tree. He was related to every other king of Germany.
References
- ^ "Ferdinand III (Holy Roman Empire) - MSN Encarta". Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. http://www.webcitation.org/5kwc6KEY7.
- ^ Lederer, Josef-Horst. "Ferdinand III", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed 16 December 2006), grovemusic.com (subscription access).
External links
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Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
Born: 13 July 1608 Died: 2 April 1657 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Ferdinand II |
King of Bohemia 1627–1646 |
Succeeded by Ferdinand IV |
| King of Hungary 1625–1647 |
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| King in Germany (formally King of the Romans) 1636–1653 |
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| Holy Roman Emperor (elect) 1637–1657 |
Succeeded by Leopold I |
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| Archduke of Austria 1637–1657 |
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| German nobility | ||
| Preceded by Ferdinand IV |
Duke of Teschen 1654-1657 |
Succeeded by Leopold I |
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