Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire)

Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) was born on 31 July 1527 in Wien, Wien, Austria.¹ He was the son of Emperor Ferdinand I (of the Holy Roman Empire) and Princess Anna (of Bohemia and Hungary).¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) married Archduchess Marie (of Austria), daughter of Charles V (of Spain) and Princess Izabel (of Portugal), in 1548 in Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) died on 12 October 1576 in Wien, Wien, Austria, at age 49.¹ He was buried in Wien, Wien, Austria.¹
A Hapsburg ruler who failed EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN II By Paula Sutter Fichtner Yale University Press, $30, 344 pages, illus. REVIEWED BY BRIDGET HEAL 'By virtually all standards, including his own, Emperor Maximilian II (1527-1576) was a failu re.' So begins Paula Sutter Fichtner's account of the life and times of one of 16th-century E urope's least effective rulers. As a Hapsburg, Maximilian was a member of one of Europe's leading dynasties. His uncle, Charl es V, had built up a massive empire, uniting the Netherlands, Spain, the New World, Naples, S icily and Germany under his leadership. Charles' son, Philip, inherited the Spanish part of t his empire and the Netherlands, while Germany passed to Charles' brother, Ferdinand, and then ce, in 1562, to Ferdinand's son, Maximilian. Charles V and Philip II are two of the great figures of European history and have been the su bjects of numerous studies, but 'Emperor Maximillian II' is the first full biography of Maxim ilian II in English. Perhaps not surprisingly, previous scholars have been deterred by Maximi lian's inadequacies — his inability to achieve any of his stated aims and his failure t o make any lasting impression on Europe's political and religious landscape. As the author po ints out, however, history is not just about great achievements. It is about the totality o f past experience, in which failure and defeat have inevitably played a central role.¹ Maximilian II's mother Princess Anna (of Bohemia and Hungary) died on 27 January 1547 in Praha, Praha, Czechoslovakia.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduchess Anna Marie (of Austria) on 2 November 1549.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduke Ferdinand (of Austria) on 28 March 1551.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Emperor Rudolf II (of the Holy Roman Empire) in 1552.¹ Maximilian II's son Archduke Ferdinand (of Austria) died on 25 June 1552.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduke Ernst (of Austria) on 15 June 1553.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduchess Elisabeth (of Austria) on 5 June 1554.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduchess Marie (of Austria) on 27 July 1555.¹ Maximilian II's daughter Archduchess Marie (of Austria) died on 25 June 1556.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Emperor Matthias (of the Holy Roman Empire) on 24 February 1557.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduke Son (of Austria) on 20 October 1557.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduke Maximilian (of Austria) on 12 October 1558.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduke Albrecht Ernst (of Austria) on 13 November 1559.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduke Wenzel (of Austria) on 9 March 1561.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduke Friedrich (of Austria) on 21 June 1562.¹ Maximilian II's son Archduke Friedrich (of Austria) died on 16 January 1563.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduchess Marie (of Austria) on 19 February 1564.¹ Maximilian II's daughter Archduchess Marie (of Austria) died on 26 March 1564.¹ Maximilian II's father Emperor Ferdinand I (of the Holy Roman Empire) died on 27 July 1564 in Wien, Wien, Austria.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduke Karl (of Austria) on 26 September 1565.¹ Maximilian II's son Archduke Karl (of Austria) died on 23 May 1566.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduchess Margarethe (of Austria) on 25 January 1567.¹ Emperor Maximilian II (of the Holy Roman Empire) became the father of Archduchess Eleonore (of Austria) on 4 November 1568.¹ Maximilian II's daughter was married at wedding of Archduchess Anna Marie (of Austria) and King Philip II (of Spain) in 1570 in Segovia, Segovia, Spain.¹