Charles II Archduke of Austria

 
Name Charles II Archduke of Austria
Date of Birth 3rd June 1540
Who was he?
Charles was the third son of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary.He was a strict Catholic and a proponent of the Counter-Reformation.
How was he linked to Elizabeth I Suitor.

Elizabeth had previously rejected Archduke Ferdinand so the Holy Roman Emperor put forward his son, Charles as a marriage candidate.

Negotiations lasted many years as Elizabeth played suitors off against each other and tried to keep everyone happy!

What happened to him? According to an article on wikipedia Charles:

“had to bear the major burden of the wars against the Turks, the fortress of Karlstadt/Karlovec in Croatia was founded and named after him. Charles is also remembered as a benefactor of the arts and sciences. In particular, the composer Orlando di Lasso was one of his proteges, as was the music theorist Lodovico Zacconi. In 1580, Charles founded a stud for horses of Andalusian origin in Lipica, Slovenia, thereby playing a leading role in the creation of the Lipizzan breed. In 1585, Charles founded the University of Graz, which is named Karl-Franzens-Universität after him.”

Death Died on 10th July 1590
Quotes Alison Weir in “Elizabeth the Queen”: “She [Elizabeth] had acknowledged that the Archduke was the best foreign match for her, but she waxed alternately hot and cold over the matter.”
Marriages and Children Charles eventually married his niece, Maria Anna of Bavaria and had 15 children with her, including:

  • Ferdinand II, Holy Roman EmperorMargaret of Austria who married Philip III of Spain
  • Leopold V of Austria
  • Constance of Austria who marrie Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Sweden
  • Maria Magdalena who married Cosimo II de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
  • Karl I Hapsburg, Bishop
Books Susan Doran’s “Monarchy and Matrimony: The Courtships of Elizabeth I”