Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (10 March 1503-25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 24 February 1558 to 25 July 1564, succeeding Charles V of Germany and preceding Maximilian II of Germany; he was also King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1526 to 1564, succeeding Louis II of Hungary and preceding Maximilian.
Biography[]
Ferdinand was born in Alcala de Henares, Spain on 10 March 1503, the son of Philip I of Castile and Joanna of Castile. His father belonged to the German House of Habsburg, while his mother was from the Spanish House of Trastamara; he was born, raised, and educated in Spain, and he did not learn German during his youth. After the death of his grandfather Maximilian I of Germany and his brother Charles' accession to the Holy Roman Empire in 1519, Ferdinand was given control of the Habsburg lands in Austria. He married Anne of Bohemia and Hungary, and he succeeded his brother-in-law Louis II of Hungary when he was killed at the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, becoming King of Bohemia and Hungary. He set about creating an absolute monarchy, and he suppressed a 1547 revolt by the Bohemian Estates after he had ordered the Bohemian army to move against the Protestants. Ferdinand was also an active supporter of the Counter-Reformation, inviting the Jesuits to Vienna in 1551 and to Prague in 1556. Ferdinand succeeded his brother as Holy Roman Emperor on his death in 1558, having become King of the Romans back in 1531. During his short reign, Ferdinand defended his lands form the Ottoman Empire, but he failed to reconquer much of the country from the Turks. He died in 1564.