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Rudolf II of Habsburg is the emperor of the vast Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, which existed from the end of the 10th century to 1806 and united most of the German and Italian lands, and even a significant part of Europe. It was there that the Habsburg dynasty ruled since 1438, although the first Habsburg on the throne of the Holy Roman Empire appeared at the end of the 13th century. So, one of the representatives of this dynasty was Rudolf II.

He ruled from 1576 to 1612 and was, respectively, the ruler of the German, part of the Italian, Czech, Swiss, Dutch and many other lands. It just so happened that Rudolf II is one of the most mysterious personalities in history, because very often for the peculiarities of his behavior and government he is called the "King - Sorcerer". The king who gave the magical image of Prague - the largest of the surviving medieval cities. It was through his efforts that Prague became the capital of witchcraft, and it retains this fabulous, magical appearance to this day. Rudolf lived in Prague most of his life, although usually the rulers from the House of Habsburg, the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian lands, lived in Vienna. But he fell in love with Prague, rebuilt the imperial palace there, contributed to the rise of this city, and for this we were very fond of the Czechs, and the Czech nobility, and the Czech people.

Rudolf II of Habsburg - one of the most mysterious personalities in history -.

Let's try to figure out what caused the fact that they began to talk about Rudolf as a sorcerer. Did he really conjure, was some very famous mystic and, perhaps, conjured up some political actions for himself, or is this just a legend? Let's see how his fate developed and what contributed to such a peculiar, strange, unusual fame for a European ruler.

Rudolf II was born on July 18, 1552, at a time when the Reformation of the Catholic Church was flourishing in the German lands. Therefore, the German lands were divided into Catholics and Protestants. In 1555, the first religious peace was concluded in the city of Augsburg, under the motto: "Whose Power, That and Faith." That is, each ruler, in accordance with his beliefs, could determine the religious status of his territories. Emperor Charles V, Rudolf's grandfather, after this peace abdicated and divided his empire into an Austrian part and a Spanish one. The Habsburg branch split. Rudolf's father was Maximilian II, who was distinguished by religious tolerance: he was a Catholic, but he was very calm about Protestants. And the mother of Rudolph II was a zealous Catholic Mary of Spain. And at the insistence of his mother, the heir left for Spain as a child in order to receive a strict Catholic upbringing there. When Rudolph returned, his parents hardly recognized him, because he adopted the heavy mannerism and ceremoniality of the Spanish court, dressed like a true Spaniard, was a zealous Catholic, since he received a Catholic, orthodox education in Spain. But Rudolf II himself was a man of broad views, interested in the sciences and the arts, and Protestantism probably still penetrated his mind and created a very peculiar conglomerate of ideas that influenced his adherence to one or another branch of the Catholic Church.

Further, Rudolph begins to climb the stairs leading to the throne. And although, in principle, the throne of the Holy Roman Empire was elected, the princes - electors often (if the rule of the dynasty suited them, if the dynasty was strong) elected the next representative of the same dynasty to the throne. Since 1572, Rudolf II became the king of Hungary, despite the fact that part of Hungary was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Then in 1575 he became King of Bohemia or Bohemia. And on November 27, 1575, in the city of Regensburg, in the place where the medieval Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire met, he was elected king of Rome. Now he was already the official heir, he could represent his father at imperial meetings and received the post of governor of the Austrian possessions. At that time, many noted in this young man very good traits for a ruler. According to his contemporaries, he had a deep mind, rather great foresight and was a friendly person, he could communicate with any of his subjects, which attracted people to him.

By nature, Rudolf II was timid, prone to melancholy -.

However, soon, on October 12, 1576, his father died, and Rudolph became emperor. He was elected to the throne, after which it turned out that despite all the positive features, he did not have enough political experience. In addition, it turned out that Rudolph II had a serious shortcoming for the ruler - timidity, which resulted in a growing tendency to depression. And despite the fact that intuition, and prudence, and strong will were noted in him, these two negative traits began to win over time, if not win, then at least be very important for him as a ruler. Probably, it was very difficult for Rudolf to overcome shyness every time at large, crowded meetings. He had a specific escape from reality, a desire to get away from making important government decisions. He made unrealistic plans that were impossible to carry out. Thus, political passivity became a very important feature of his reign.

During the funeral of Maximilian II in Prague, there was one peculiar episode, which many contemporaries called an omen. When the funeral procession was going on, suddenly one of the standard-bearers, out of awkwardness, hit the banner pole quite hard on the stones of the Old Town Square. The sound was like a gunshot. It turned out to be so sudden and frightening that everyone fled, and only Rudolf II, the young heir, remained standing at the coffin of his father. And many saw in this an omen of the loneliness in which he would find himself. However, he became lonely through his own fault, because, indeed, he began to behave strangely, and this strangeness manifested itself more and more over time. Probably, this was one of the first features, which, together with the rest, made it possible to speak of his penchant for witchcraft.

Rudolf began to appear less and less at receptions, hunts, tournaments and festivities. He longed for solitude. He was afraid that someone would look at him when he was eating. He endured crowded meetings and unpleasant meetings worse and worse, he was afraid of bad news, he preferred not to receive news at all. But how can a ruler not sometimes receive disturbing information? With age, with physical ailments, Rudolph's persecution mania worsened. He believed that they wanted to kill him, poison him. The emperor had a special staff of people who checked the food. At the same time, sometimes Rudolf thought about suicide. Unfortunately, by the end of his life, drunkenness was added to these circumstances, as negative circumstances continued to break through the wall that the emperor built between himself and the outside world. His desire for solitude reached very peculiar forms: he could retire to his chambers and not appear for several months. Only the closest servants and the lady of his heart, the daughter of the court jeweler Maria de la Strada, could go to him and confirm that the emperor was at least alive. Of course, for the political situation in the Holy Roman Empire, such disappearances could not bring anything good.

And one more side of the life of Rudolf II remained very strange. He never married, although many European ruling houses and European princesses dreamed of intermarrying with him, because the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire is a very significant figure. It never came to marriage, but when his brides preferred other suitors over time, Rudolph fell into a deadly rage. So, for example, when his aging bride Isabella of Castile married his brother Archduke Albert of Habsburg, he held such a grudge against his brother that he removed him from the throne. Nevertheless, Rudolph II had a lady of the heart who bore him six children - the already mentioned Maria de la Strada. One of Rudolph's children, Don Giulio, became a brutal murderer and died in captivity.

Rudolf II - the most "Prague" emperor of all the Habsburgs -.

These are gloomy features, but was there anything bright? Of course it was. And there was a lot of this, because Rudolph II, with all his seemingly unseemly political appearance, was a great lover of art. He did a lot to attract scientists and artists to Austria and the Czech Republic, to Prague, which he loved very much. For this, the emperor deserves great respect.

The story of his love for Prague is as follows. At first he lived alternately in Vienna, then in Prague, and could not choose where to stay. Then I chose Prague. Since 1583, Rudolph II has finally lived only there. And even after being removed from the board, he remains in this city until his death. Of course, the emperor's stay in Bohemia contributed to the prosperity of this country and Prague as a city. The emperor began an extremely extensive construction there. By the way, Prague was Protestant, there were many Lutherans, supporters of the teachings of Martin Luther. In addition, the Hussite movement for an independent church developed in the Czech Republic in the 15th century, so Bohemia was a Protestant country. Rudolf did not resist the Protestantism of Prague, the Protestantism of the Czech Republic, he liked everything in this country, in this city. He built the imperial palace in Prague Castle. In general, an amazing world existed at the Prague court of Rudolf II, and this made Prague famous throughout Europe.

The emperor was fond of Latin poetry, history, natural sciences: mathematics, physics, astronomy. He read a lot, spoke German, Spanish, French, Italian, Latin and Czech. At his court were the largest astronomers of that time, of which the two most famous are the theoretician Tycho de Brahe and the practical researcher Johannes Keppler. They were astronomers and astrologers, because in those days these two fields of activity were inseparable. The passion for astrology is another reason that Rudolf II was considered a sorcerer. The emperor could not take a single decisive political step without asking the advice of the stars. Only if he sometimes found courage in himself and appeared at feasts and other receptions, then always accompanied by Tycho de Brahe and Johannes Keppler.

And here, in fact, begins that area of ​​occultism, which makes the personality of Rudolf so mysterious and incomprehensible. For Prague, for the Prague court, the glory of the capital of magic was entrenched. At court, Rudolph kept a whole army of astrologers, sorcerers and, of course, alchemists. He was extremely fond of alchemy. Alchemy is a pseudoscience, but in the time of Rudolf II it went hand in hand with science. Rudolph had a whole staff of court alchemists. They worked right there, in the Prague Castle, and it is with their activities that the appearance of a wonderful architectural monument is connected - the golden street, which is located behind the world-famous Prague Cathedral of St. Vitus. Golden Lane is a series of small houses where, according to legend, the alchemists of Rudolf II lived. In fact, these houses appeared a little later, but Rudolph really went down to the tower, which stands there, at the end of the golden street, more than once to set up various alchemical experiments.

He was looking for the philosopher's stone, but, above all, he was looking for gold. He pretended to find it, synthesized it. In some Prague museums, you can still see gold coins, the inscription on which says that they were minted from gold mined in the workshops of Rudolf II, that is, from gold mined by alchemists.

Another feature that connects Rudolf II with the world of the occult is the possible communication with the most famous rabbi left - a saint, scientist and warlock, the head of the Jewish community in Prague during this period. Rabbi Lev is credited with the creation of a golem - a clay man, whom the rabbi revived with Kabbalistic spells. Of course, this is one of the most famous legends of medieval Prague, but Rabbi Leo really existed, his grave can still be found in the old Jewish cemetery in Prague. So, they said that Rudolf came under the cover of night to Rabbi Lev, because he owned a magic lantern that evoked the shadows of ancestors. And Rudolph II talked with his ancestors, asked their advice.

Rudolph II was the largest patron and collector of his era -.

Rudolph played a very important role in the cultural life of the Holy Roman Empire in general and Bohemia in particular. The artistic treasures that were collected by Rudolf II in Prague had few equals in Europe at that time. He was the largest philanthropist and collector of his time. The work of Albrecht Dürer and Pieter Brueghel the Elder was a subject of special admiration for the emperor. The emperor collected many canvases, founded an art gallery in Prague. Unfortunately for Bohemia, during the Thirty Years' War, many paintings and sculptures from the collection of Rudolf II were taken out, and Prague was plundered.

And one moment. Rudolf, as I said, synthesized gold. He was very fond of gold and financed his numerous jewelers. The culmination of the jewelry skill was the magnificent imperial crown of Rudolf II, which later became the symbol of the Austrian Empire. She crowned all the following rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, and then (since 1806) the Austrian Empire and the Austrian part of Austria-Hungary. That is, it was already a crown jewel, which Rudolf II passed on to his descendants.

As you can see, he “conjured” very moderately. Perhaps more than some other European rulers were engaged in the sciences and hardly at all in the art of war. But given his interest in the occult and alchemy, the impression was that the emperor was doing more magic than ruling. However, political actions were also peculiar to him. At that time, there was a stubborn struggle with the Ottoman Empire for the annexation of Hungary either to Turkey or to Austria. In the struggle with the Turks for the annexation of the Hungarian territories, the Habsburgs clashed with the Ottomans, and Rudolph also fought, but independent political and military actions were bad for him, so he used one of his brothers, Archduke Matthias. At first, Rudolph used his help, and then became jealous of power. As a result, a power struggle broke out between the brothers, as Mattias gained more and more political influence and decided to achieve the crown. And Rudolph, of course, did not want to give it away. In order to get support, Rudolf turned to the Czech Protestants.

On July 9, 1609, at the request of Czech Protestants, Rudolf II issued them a charter for religious freedom, the so-called "Chart of Majesty". As a result, Protestant Czechs got the opportunity to form their own government body, a self-government body, a committee of defensors. It was a class body, representatives of the nobility, the clergy and the bourgeoisie were elected there. They could decide on the policy of the Czech lands, could collect taxes and even maintain their own army. The state within the state was formed. But consistency was not the most important feature of Rudolf. A few years later, he tried to regain unlimited power by force. The Czech estates turned to Mattias and the rulers of other lands for help. Mattias decided to take advantage of this circumstance to advance to power and force the emperor to abdicate. He asked for the consent of the Pope, asked for the consent of the Spanish Habsburgs and went to war against Rudolf. In March 1611, the troops of Archduke Matthias approached Prague, which were also supported by part of the Czech estates. And Rudolph II was forced to abdicate in favor of his brother.

Having achieved the throne, Matthias immediately returned to centralizing, absolutist actions. The Protestants again lost their positions, and the Catholics had a free hand. Conflicts began to escalate, and soon a series of wars began in Bohemia and throughout the Holy Roman Empire, which were called the Thirty Years' War. Of course, Rudolph had an understanding of political processes, a certain political talent and flair. But some spiritual weakness led to the fact that he preferred to hide from the sad reality, leaving either for the mysterious world of science.

Rudolf II children. Rudolph II (Count of Altdorf)

(Rudolf Graf von Altdorf) - Count of Altdorf from the family.

Son of Rudolf I. Born in the middle of the 10th century. Medieval chroniclers and the Historia Welforum call him the brother of the Bishop of Constance in 934-975. However, in this case, it turns out that by the time of his marriage he was already about 60 years old, which is unlikely. It is now generally accepted that Rudolf I was the brother of Saint Conrad.

Wife - Ita von Ehningen, daughter of the Swabian Duke and his wife Rihlinta. Ita's date of birth is between 945/960, as her alleged father was born in 925.

Children of Rudolf II and Ita von Ehningen:

• Heinrich (d. 15 November 1000), Count in Altdorf,
• Welf II (d. March 10, 1030), Count of Altdorf,
• Richlinda (d. June 12, 1045). Husband - Count Adalbero von Ebersberg, son of Udalrich, Margrave of Krayna.

Possibly the sons of Rudolf II and Ita were also:

• Eberhard, Bishop of Bamberg (1007-1041)
• Cuno I (d. after 1020), Count Zualafeld.

Rudolf II died c. 990 in Altdorf, where he is buried.

Video Rudolf II, Prague alchemist emperor

Rudolf 1. Rudolf I

Rudolph I (Rudolf) (1.V.1218 - 15.VII.1291) - German king from 1273, the first of the Habsburg dynasty. Son of Count Albrecht IV of Habsburg, owner of lands in Southern Alsace and Northern Switzerland. He laid the foundations of the power of the Habsburg house, taking away Austria, Styria, Carinthia and Kraina from Premysl II of Bohemia in 1276-1278 and transferring Austria and Styria to his sons (1282). Relying on the family possessions of the Habsburgs, Rudolf I tried to strengthen the central government throughout Germany, which fell into complete decline during the interregnum (1254-1273). He made attempts to strengthen the royal power on the ground through the imperial landfochts, as well as to establish the Zemsky Peace. This gained some popularity, in particular among the burghers. The centralization policy of Rudolph I in the conditions of the progressive strengthening of the territorial princes was not successful.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 12. REPARATIONS - SLAVES. 1969.

Rudolf I (1218–1291), German king and Holy Roman Emperor, founder of the Habsburg dynasty Rudolf, the son of Count Albrecht IV of Habsburg, was born in the castle of Limburg (near modern Emmendingen) on May 5, 1218. From his father, who died in 1239, he inherited lands in Alsace, but especially significantly expanded his possessions, becoming the most powerful prince of Swabia, when in 1263 year he appropriated the lands of his late uncle Hartmann, Count Kyburg, who opposed the Hohenstaufen, whose supporter was Rudolf. In 1273, Rudolph was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt, on October 24 of the same year his coronation took place in Aachen, and in September 1274, Pope Gregory X recognized him, on the condition of organizing a new crusade and renouncing claims to Italy, Holy Roman Emperor. Thus ended the period of the so-called "interregnum" (lat. Interregnum), when, after the death of Conrad IV of the Hohenstaufen dynasty in 1254, the imperial throne remained vacant. The pope also convinced him to agree to the election of Rudolf King Alphonse X of Castile, who himself claimed the title of emperor since in 1257 two at once, Alphonse and Richard of Cornwall, were elected emperors. A four-year struggle with the last rival of the emperor, King Přemysl II Otakar of the Czech Republic, ended in his defeat and death in 1278. In 1282, Rudolf extended his power to Austria and Styria, in connection with which he transferred these duchies to his sons, Albrecht and Rudolf, at the Reichstag, held in Augsburg in the same year. So the foundations of the power of the Habsburg dynasty were laid. Rudolf died in Speyer on July 15, 1291.

Rudolf 2. Religious policy

Having become emperor, Rudolf II did not convene the imperial diet for six years, but had to convene it in 1582, due to the need to ask the empire for help against the Turks, as well as due to religious disputes. Rudolf II began to eradicate Protestantism in Austria, Bohemia and Hungary. In Austria, almost all the nobility and all the cities professed Protestantism. With the accession to the throne of Rudolf, a strong Catholic reaction began here, as well as the struggle of absolutism with regional diets and self-government of cities. The same thing happened in the Czech Republic. In 1583, Rudolf moved the imperial residence to Prague, and many fanatics arrived with him, as well as the Jesuits. Protestants began to be ousted from large and small positions, and in 1602 the activities of the Community of Bohemian Brethren were banned. When a significant part of Hungary was conquered from the Ottoman Empire, Rudolf banned all non-Catholic religion there, which led to an uprising.

Rudolph II is a most interesting personality!

The period of his reign is often called an epoch. Perhaps this is correct. For two decades of his active work, a sharp jump in the scientific and cultural development of Prague is characteristic. After the Emperor moved from Vienna to Prague, scientists, artists and poets began to come here, as never before. Rudolph favors them and supports them in every possible way. Everyone knows his craving for astrology and alchemical experiments. It is also known about his strange character and incomprehensible actions. For example, he surprises everyone by walking around the Prague Castle with his beloved lion on a leash ...

On the other hand, due to the indecision of Rudolf, if not to say connivance, it was during his reign that the flywheel of the Protestant movement begins to spin, which leads to the Thirty Years' War.

Rudolf was born in 1552 in Vienna. His father Emperor Maximilian II sent his son to Spain for education and training. There, at the court of the strict Catholic Philip II, he received a good education and acquired manners for which he was often condemned later. Not everyone liked his arrogance, increased attention to the observance of court etiquette, some rudeness and the ability to keep silent for a long time.

It is known that from 1578 to 1581, Rudolph suffered some kind of severe mental trauma. Since there was no need to talk about any adequate diagnosis in those days, nothing can be said about the diagnosis of this mental disorder. From that moment on, however, Rudolf became depressed and irritable. At the same time, he remained far-sighted and reasonable, was a man with a strong will and intuition. But everything was hindered by natural timidity and a tendency to melancholy. All the time it seemed that Rudolph was trying to escape from reality and isolate himself from the whole world. The history of the era of Rudolph II is the history of his ill health ...

Having moved to Prague in 1583, he remains there forever. Over the years, his illness develops into a persecution mania, followed by violent outbursts of rage. Rudolph was never formally married. However, for many years he lived with the Italian Katerina Strada. They had six children, but they were all illegitimate. One of his sons, Don Julian of Austria, inherited a mental disorder and, having committed the brutal murder of his beloved, died in custody.

Being the king of Hungary, Rudolf II never visited it in his entire life. Being an orthodox Catholic, Rudolph tried to put too much pressure on the Protestants. All this taken together irritated not only the subjects, but also the members of the royal family.

In 1606, the Habsburgs, at their family council, decided to remove the emperor from power and transfer the rule in Austria and Hungary to Rudolf's younger brother Matthias. The first thing Matthias did was to repeal the radical laws against non-Catholics adopted by Rudolf in Hungary. Matthias' next step was a military campaign against Prague. Frightened, Rudolf recognized Hungary, Austria and Moravia as his brother. And in the Czech Republic he declared him his heir.

In 1609, Czech Protestants forced Rudolph to sign the so-called royal rescript, granting the Protestants freedom of religion. Protestants began to build their schools and churches. The emperor still did not lose hope to deal with them. With his permission, the Archduke Leopold of Styria organized a campaign against Prague, came close to the city and attacked Mala Strana, where he carried out a bloody massacre. After Leopold's retreat, the Prague Protestants took Rudolf prisoner. And in 1611, Rudolph was forced to renounce the Czech crown, giving it to Matthias. Nominally, Rudolph was still Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, but this crown in general did not mean anything ...

In 1612, the death of a beloved lion and two eagles from his nursery finally broke Rudolf and he died soon after.

Yaroslav Shimov (Prague)

January 20 is another Habsburg anniversary: ​​400 years since the death of Emperor Rudolf II, one of the most famous and strangest Habsburgs. The following is a chapter from my first, dedicated to Emperor Rudolf.

Rudolf II (1576–1612) is the most “Pragueian” emperor of all the representatives of the Habsburg dynasty, and the Czech capital does not forget the sovereign, under whom it experienced its second heyday ( the first was the reign of Charles IV of Luxembourg in the 14th century. ). According to legend, shortly before his death, surrounded by enemies who forced him to renounce the Czech crown, Rudolf exclaimed, addressing the city where he spent most of his life: “ Prague, ungrateful Prague, I brought you glory, and now you reject me, your benefactor ...". However, the emperor had to blame not the “ungrateful” city and its inhabitants for his troubles, but mainly himself. After all, his long reign was undoubtedly outstanding, very original and even strange - in a word, anything but politically successful.

Rudolph received the imperial crown at the age of 24. He spent most of his childhood and youth at the court of his uncle, the Spanish king Philip, and this strengthened the traits inherent in the character of Rudolph - isolation, a tendency to melancholy and loneliness, timidity in dealing with unfamiliar people (although in the circle of close friends and those who were him interesting, Rudolph II, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, could be a completely charming, amiable and charming person, which was greatly facilitated by his good manners and deep education). From Philip II, who was sympathetic to his nephew, the future emperor adopted a strict adherence to the Spanish court ceremonial, which during the years of his reign was actively introduced at the Habsburg court.

Possessing a strong physique, Rudolf, however, could not boast of iron health, which, in addition, was undermined by drunkenness, especially in recent years. Alcohol temporarily saved him from melancholy, the attacks of which, already in his youth, became the first signs of mental illness, obviously inherited by the emperor from his great-grandmother, Juana the Mad. It is difficult to disagree with the idea that "the history of Rudolph's reign is in many ways the history of his illnesses." A couple of years after accession to the throne, the emperor fell seriously ill, and from the beginning of the 80s. his physical and mental ailments are intertwined in a tragic tangle in which it is almost impossible to make out what was the cause and what was the effect. In any case, Rudolf's craving for seclusion and the ever-increasing apathy that did not allow him to engage in state affairs appeared just then.

In 1583, the emperor moved from Vienna to Prague - as it turned out, forever. It is easy to see in this the flight of Rudolf II from the bustle of the court, state concerns and from people in general, which was characteristic of this strange sovereign. However, there were also political reasons for the move: in the Czech Republic, Rudolph was the sovereign king, while a significant part of the Austrian possessions was by that time under the control of the Styrian relatives of the emperor, who were only nominally subordinate to the head of the Habsburg house. Rudolph settled in Hradchany, where he lived for almost 30 years almost without getting out. There he indulged in activities that, in fact, brought glory to this worthless monarch, but a very extraordinary person.

Prague under Rudolph II became a real Mecca for people of science and art - as well as those who pretended to be such. Among the emperor were the famous astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, the artists Bartholomeus Spranger and Giuseppe Arcimboldo (probably the strangest portrait of Rudolf II belongs to him, in which the face and figure of the emperor are lined with many fruits, flowers and plants), the sculptor Adrian de Vries, many artisans, jewelers and, of course, astrologers, alchemists and sorcerers, in whose activities the emperor, despite his Catholic upbringing, was of great interest. One of these people, a certain Englishman Edward Kelly, posing as a magician, literally bewitched Rudolf with his promises to find a way to produce gold " as fast as a chicken pecks at grains". The emperor spared no effort and money for such projects, although his financial situation was far from always brilliant. Rudolph was also interested in mysticism, in particular, Jewish Kabbalistic teachings. The numerous Jewish community of Prague felt very comfortable under him, practically without being persecuted ( However, Rudolf II did not prevent Jewish pogroms in other cities of the empire. ). In this era, many legends and traditions arose, which became part of the history of the Czech capital and gave it a mysterious, mystical shade. In the 19th century, these legends were literary processed by Czech and German authors and gained great popularity. The most famous of them is the story of the creation by the Prague rabbi Loew of the clay giant Golem, which came to life after the rabbi put a scroll with magic spells into it.

Rudolph II was the largest patron and collector of his era. He collected precious stones and jewelry (like his great-great-great-grandfather Frederick III, an equally strange man and unfortunate monarch), paintings - including Durer and Titian - and antiquities from the countries of the East, minerals and various devices that were the last word of the then technology, and also stuffed rare animals and birds. The animals were on Hradchany not only in the form of stuffed animals: the emperor started a whole zoo, which contained mainly "noble" animals that corresponded to the high position of their owner - eagles, lions, leopards ... ( One of the most interesting publications dedicated to Rudolf II and the cultural image of the Prague imperial court at the beginning of the 17th century was published in 1988 in the form of a catalog of an exhibition dedicated to the Rudolf era: Prag um 1600. Kunst und Kultur am Hofe Rudolfs II. bd. 1 - 2. Essen. 1988 ).

However, all these hobbies could only briefly bring Rudolf II out of a painful state of mind. He suffered from persecution mania, was afraid of poison and assassins, and the news of the death of the French king Henry IV, who was stabbed to death in 1610 by the fanatic Ravaillac, dealt a terrible blow to Rudolf's shattered nerves: he was afraid to repeat the fate of Henry. Rudolf's loneliness was exacerbated by his lack of a normal family. The sons of Maximilian II were generally distinguished by a strange aversion to the institution of marriage. Of the six brothers, only two married - Matthias ( future emperor ) and Albrecht, both in adulthood, and their marriages remained childless. Isabella of Spain, daughter of Philip II, was engaged to Rudolph, but the indecisive emperor delayed the marriage for so long that his younger brother Albrecht, having arrived in Madrid, simply stole Rudolph's 29-year-old - far from young according to the then canons - bride. However, it is unlikely that the emperor was very upset by this: it was rumored that a long-term mistress, the daughter of the court antiquarian Katarina Strada, tied him to herself so much that he stopped thinking about marriage.

However, in the life of this apolitical monarch there were periods of spontaneous political and even military activity. One of them was in the 90s. 16th century - the time of another war with the Turks, who still disturbed the southeastern borders of the Habsburg possessions. For several years, the emperor, despite the lack of military skills and military talent, closely followed the course of hostilities and participated in the command of the troops.

Hungary became the main arena of battles, where happiness smiled alternately on both sides. The army of Rudolph II took the fortresses of Gyor and Esztergom, recaptured Pest from the enemy, but Buda remained in the hands of the Ottomans. In addition, the Hungarian gentry again divided into two camps - supporters and opponents of the emperor, which was caused not least by the harsh anti-Protestant policy of the imperial government. The rebels proclaimed the wealthy landowner Istvan Bochkay the Hungarian sovereign, who began a stubborn struggle against Rudolf. Meanwhile, the troops of the Sultan devastated Croatia and the Danube regions. There was, in fact, a stalemate, and in 1606 peace was concluded with the Turks and Hungarians.

The Vienna agreement with the Hungarian rebels guaranteed freedom of religion to the nobles and townspeople of Hungary, as well as to the border guards who guarded the borders of the Habsburg lands from the Turks. The main privileges of the Hungarian nobility were confirmed, the expansion of the rights of the royal council and the restoration of the post of chancellor in Hungary were promised. The Transylvanian principality was recognized as independent. Some historians even consider the Treaty of Vienna to be the prototype of a dualistic compromise ( Ausgleich) 1867 There is some exaggeration in this, but, be that as it may, Hungary received a special status within the Habsburg Empire - and although this status was repeatedly violated in the 17th century, a precedent was created. From now on, Hungary, more precisely, the nobility, as the politically leading layer of Hungarian society, had a legally recognized recognition of its own specialness. The tradition of Hungarian, if not separatism, then particularism turned out to be very strong and, as we will see later, to a large extent determined the fate of the entire Habsburg monarchy.

In the first years of the 17th century, religious contradictions in the empire again escalated. The Peace of Augsburg in 1555 was only a temporary compromise, as it provided neither genuine religious freedom nor permanent borders between rival denominations in the empire. Principle cujus regio, ejus religio(“Who rules, that is the religion” - that is, the religion of subjects is determined by the religion of the overlord ) did not exclude the possibility of the transition of imperial princes from one religion to another, and such cases, which became more and more frequent, upset the fragile political balance in Germany. In addition, the Peace of Augsburg took into account the interests of Catholics and Lutherans, but not Calvinists, who were becoming more and more numerous in the empire, including among the ruling persons. Finally, the extinction of the dynasties that ruled in certain principalities caused disputes over inheritance, in which the interests of the Catholic and Protestant parties also clashed. There was a concentration of forces of the warring factions: the Protestant Union (1608) and the Catholic League (1609) were created. The leader of the first was Elector Frederick of the Palatinate, the second - Duke Maximilian of Bavaria.

The passivity of Rudolf II, doubts about his mental health and fears for the fate of not only the empire, but also the hereditary possessions of the Habsburgs pushed the emperor's relatives to action. Something out of the ordinary happened in the Austrian house: the younger members of the family united against its head. In April 1606, the emperor's brothers, Archdukes Matthias (viceroy in Austria) and Maximilian, as well as Ferdinand and Maximilian Ernst, representing the Styrian Habsburgs, gathered in Vienna. A secret agreement was signed in which the rest of the family recognized Matthias as the head of the clan instead of Rudolf.

Matthias was the most ambitious of the sons of Maximilian II. According to his father's will, the eldest, Rudolph, inherited the entire inheritance, and for a long time Matthias sought some significant position from his brother. In 1578, he even embarked on an adventure, fleeing to the Netherlands, where supporters of independence raised an uprising against Spanish rule. The States General - the estate assembly of the Netherlands - proclaimed the young Habsburg stadtholder (highest official). However, the archduke, deprived of political talents, became a toy in the hands of the opposing factions and three years later returned ingloriously to Vienna, where he heard many angry reproaches from his brother-emperor. Relations between Matthias and Rudolf II have since been damaged. However, in the late 90s. the emperor appointed his brother governor in Austria and several times entrusted him with the command of the troops fighting against the Turks. Matthias, however, also did not win Lavrov in this field. Most historians consider Matthias one of the least gifted of the Habsburgs. Some believe, however, that Matthias was more of a tragic figure. Possessing certain abilities and great ambition, he skillfully wove intrigues and eventually achieved the coveted power, but later turned out to be too weak to resist powerful religious and political groups and prevent their clash, which grew into an all-European war.

The power-hungry archduke had to dodge, trying to please both the Catholic party, whose soul was the Styrian Habsburgs, and the Protestants, whose help Matthias counted on in the fight against the emperor. The Archduke's closest adviser, Cardinal Melchior Klezl, to whom the Counter-Reformation owed many successes, warned his master against getting too close to the Protestants. Matthias himself, for all his frivolity, also could not help but understand that the granting of great liberties to the estates would inevitably backfire on him after Rudolf II was eliminated and the highest power would be in his hands, Matthias. Apparently, these considerations caused the archduke's hesitation, who only in 1608 decided to openly break with his brother.

The outbreak of war was short-lived. Rudolph was forced to compromise and give Matthias sovereign possession of Upper and Lower Austria and Moravia. The Czechs remained loyal to the emperor, who confirmed the privileges of their estates with a special manifesto ( Majestat, 1609 ). However, these concessions were forced, and Rudolf did not stop dreaming of revenge. The opportunity to take revenge on both his brother and his subjects presented itself to the emperor at the beginning of 1611, when one of Rudolf's relatives, Archduke Leopold, put at his disposal his army, which he had originally recruited for the war for the Jülich-Klev inheritance. Leopold's mercenaries ("army from Passau") invaded the Czech Republic, occupied Prague and subjected the city and its environs to a terrible robbery.

The excesses of this army caused general indignation, which Matthias and his supporters took advantage of. The Czech estates appealed to Vienna for help, and Matthias went on a campaign. Archduke Leopold's marauders got cold feet and retreated, leaving the recluse of Hradcany all alone. Cursing everything and everything, Rudolf II renounced the Czech crown in favor of his brother, who in May 1611 was crowned in the Prague Cathedral of St. Witt. Rudolf had only the imperial title, which meant almost nothing. The defeat was cruel and final, the last attempts of the emperor to restore the electors against Matthias were not successful. Rudolf II was rapidly fading away, dropsy began, and on January 20, 1612, he died - to the undisguised joy of his brother-winner.

It was the last of the ruling Habsburgs, buried in Prague. According to legend, a few days before the death of the emperor, his favorite animals - a lion and two eagles, which he fed with his own hands - gave up their spirits.

Rudolf II (1552-1612) - Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1576 to 1612 (in recent years, actually deprived of power), son and successor of Maximilian II. He was brought up at the court of his cousin uncle King Philip II of Spain and did not at all resemble his immediate predecessors; Catholics had high hopes for him, since he had brought hatred of heresy from Spain and could be an obedient instrument in the hands of the Jesuits. He was distinguished by a lethargic, apathetic character, was extremely suspicious, prone to melancholy. His willfulness, cowardice and rudeness, together with sensuality and capricious despotism, deprived him of popularity and influence. Annoyed at his impotence, he was engaged only in astrology and alchemy. In the Prague palace, where Rudolph lived, he collected a huge collection of books, manuscripts, paintings, coins and all sorts of rarities. His favorites were corrupt people and fanatics.

After becoming emperor, Rudolf II did not convene the imperial diet for six years, but had to convene it in 1582, due to the need to ask the empire for help against the Turks, as well as due to religious disputes. Rudolf II began to eradicate Protestantism in Austria, Bohemia and Hungary. In Austria, almost all the nobility and all the cities professed Protestantism. With the ascension to the throne of R., a strong Catholic reaction began here, as well as the struggle of absolutism with regional diets and self-government of cities. The reaction in Moravia was especially strong.

The Protestant members of the Upper Austrian and Lower Austrian Landtags entered into an alliance (1603) to defend Protestantism; Catholics also formed a union (1605). In Hungary, the dominion of the Austrians was endured very reluctantly. Seeing the general discontent, Rudolph II thought to win public opinion over to his side by a war with the Turks. A general uprising continued, however, to be inevitable, and Rudolf's relatives found it necessary to take away power from him in favor of his brother Matthew or Matthew (April 1606), who made huge concessions to the Protestants (see Matthew). Under the treaty of 1608, Rudolph II gave Matthew Hungary, the archduchy of Austria and Moravia and declared him his heir in Bohemia.

In order to keep the Czechs behind him, Rudolf II was forced to sign on July 9, 1609, an act drawn up by the Sejm, which was called the Majestätsbrief. On the basis of this charter, the Utraquists and the Czech brothers were equalized in rights with the Catholics. Czech Protestants received the right to build churches, establish schools, have their own synods and elect a committee of 24 defensors, 8 from each of the 3 estates of the Sejm. The committee was supposed to direct the actions of the consistory, manage the affairs of the Prague University, collect an army, levy taxes for its maintenance, and, if necessary, convene representatives of the Protestant population for meetings on a common cause.

Rudolf II came up with means to take away the lands given to him from Matthew, intrigued against him, but still had to renounce the Czech crown. On May 23, 1611, Matthew was crowned, and Rudolf was given a pension and retained his external honor. Deprived of power, exhausted by illness and insanity, Rudolph II died on January 20, 1612, leaving no legitimate offspring, since he was not married.

(King of Rome) from October 27 to November 2, 1576, elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from November 2, 1576 (in recent years, actually deprived of power), King of Bohemia from September 6 to May 23, 1611 (under the name Rudolf II, coronation on September 22, 1575), King of Hungary from September 25 to June 25, 1608, Archduke of Austria from October 12, 1576 (under the name Rudolf V). Son and successor of Maximilian II.

He was brought up at the court of his cousin uncle King Philip II of Spain and did not at all resemble his immediate predecessors; Catholics had high hopes for him, since he brought hatred of heresy from the Kingdom of Spain and could be an obedient tool in the hands of the Jesuits.

“He had a deep mind, was far-sighted and reasonable, had a strong will and intuition ... However, he had such a serious drawback as timidity, the cause of which was his tendency to depression. On this basis, he developed a desire to escape from reality, expressed in unrealistic plans. Spanish court manners encouraged him to shut himself off from the world, and political passivity became an increasingly characteristic feature of his reign.

Annoyed at his impotence, the emperor sought to isolate himself from society and indulge in artistic and occult hobbies; gradually he developed bodily and mental illnesses. The emperor's favorites were people of low birth who indulged his whims (Philip Lang, Jerome Makhovsky and others).

Under the guidance of mineralogists, Rudolf assembled the "Kunstkamera" - a collection of precious stones and minerals from various regions.

The emperor was also engaged in various "occult sciences", in particular, he tried to find the philosopher's stone. At that time the boundary between astronomy and astrology, mineralogy and alchemy was still unclear. Rudolf II was a patron of itinerant alchemists, and his residence represented the center of alchemical science at the time. The emperor was called the Germanic Hermes Trismegistus.

English astrologers and alchemists Edward Kelly and John Dee (who lived in Prague in 1584 and 1586) were invited to him, who were also engaged in research in the field of mathematics and astronomy, which is quite serious from a modern point of view. The great astronomer Tycho Brahe, who worked at his court (and died in Prague), was also an alchemist. According to the existing legend, Rudolf acquired an encrypted manuscript for 600 ducats, now known as the Voynich manuscript. However, no documents confirming this legend have yet been found, despite the fact that many records of the purchase of books for the library have been preserved in the archives of the emperor. [ ]

After becoming emperor, Rudolf II did not convene the imperial diet for six years, but had to convene it in 1582, due to the need to ask the empire for help against the Turks, as well as due to religious disputes. Rudolf II began to eradicate Protestantism in Austria, Bohemia and Hungary. In Austria, almost all the nobility and all the cities professed Protestantism. With the accession to the throne of Rudolf, a strong Catholic reaction began here, as well as the struggle of absolutism with regional diets and self-government of cities. The same thing happened in the Czech Republic. In 1583, Rudolf moved the imperial residence to Prague, and many fanatics arrived with him, as well as the Jesuits. Protestants began to be ousted from large and small positions, and in 1602 the activities of the Community of Bohemian Brethren were banned. When a significant part of Hungary was conquered from the Ottoman Empire, Rudolf banned all non-Catholic religion there, which led to an uprising.

In 1606, the emperor's brother Matthias concluded an agreement with the rebellious Hungarians on the terms of religious tolerance, which led to a conflict with Rudolf. A confederation of Austrian and Hungarian estates was formed against the emperor in 1607, and in 1608 Moravia joined it. Seeing the general discontent, Rudolph II thought to win public opinion over to his side by a war with the Turks.

To this end, Rudolph delayed the signing of a peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire until the last moment, trying to find pretexts for its denunciation and resumption of the war against the Turks. Such behavior caused a general movement of the estates of Hungary, Austria and Moravia against the emperor, who retained in his hands only relative control over the Czech Republic, Silesia and the Utraquists and the Czech brothers were equalized in rights with the Catholics. Czech Protestants received the right to build churches, establish schools, have their own synods and elect a committee of 24 defensors, 8 from each of the 3 estates of the Sejm. The committee was supposed to direct the actions of the consistory, manage the affairs of the University of Prague, collect an army, levy taxes for its maintenance, and, if necessary, convene representatives of the Protestant population for meetings on a common cause.

Rudolf II came up with means to take away the lands given to him from Matthias, intrigued against him, but still had to renounce the Czech crown. On May 23, 1611, Matthias was crowned, and Rudolf was given a pension and retained his external honor. Deprived of power, exhausted by illness (syphilis of the third degree) and insanity, Rudolf II died on January 20, 1612, leaving no legitimate offspring, since he was not married.

Of the six illegitimate offspring of Rudolf (from Katerina Strada, daughter of the imperial antiquary), the eldest, Julius Caesar of Austria, inherited his father's mental illness and died in captivity after he killed his mistress with particular cruelty.

Rudolf was buried in Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral. He was the last monarch buried in the Czech Republic. He is the hero of the works of a number of Czech and Austrian authors: Karel Capek, Vladimir Neff, Grillpacer, Gustav Meyrink, Max Brod.