Habsburg Dynasty and its Conflict with Czech Nobility
After the death of Louis Jagiello, the “Bohemian Estates” took upon itself the mission of appointing a new ruler. The choice fell on Ferdinand I of Habsburg, one of the major ruling dynasties of Europe. Apart from Bohemia, Ferdinand I was a ruler of Austria and Hungary. He managed a policy of centralization and absolute monarchy.
As a catholic, Ferdinand I of Habsburg had little interest in promoting the Bohemian citizens rights, since they were mostly protestant. In 1546 a war between German Protestants and the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, Ferdinand’s brother, had broken out. Trying to help his brother, Ferdinand involved the Bohemian army in the war against the German Protestants. Since Czech nobility, mostly Hussite and/or Protestant oriented, sympathized with the German Protestants, “Bohemian Estates” rebelled against Ferdinand in 1547. Due to the lack of unification and planning, the Bohemians lost the conflict. Some of the rebels were imprisoned, and four of them were executed.
In the same year (1547), Ferdinand I appointed his son, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, who was also called “Ferdinand of Tyrol”, to be in charge of the administration in Bohemia. Ferdinand of Tyrol was a great lover and collector of arts. During his reign (1547 – 1567), many art galleries were founded and expanded, and Letohrádek Hvězda (the Summer Palace) was built west to Prague.
In 1556, Ferdinand I was announced as a Holy Roman Emperor. In order to extend the Catholic influences in Bohemia, Ferdinand I initiated the founding of the Jesuit Academy in Prague and invited Jesuit missionaries to the city (1556). In the same year, the medieval Dominican monastery was rebuilt into a Jesuit college. Nowadays, The Klementinum (Clementinum) is housing the national library of the Czech Republic.
In 1562, Maximilian II was coronated a king of Bohemia (1562 – 1575). In 1564, he became the Holy Roman Emperor as well. Maximilian II granted freedom of worship to the Protestants.
The next king of Bohemia (1576 – 1611) was Rudolf II, one of sixteen children of Maximilian II and Maria, a daughter of Charles V, and their oldest son. Rudolf II was a highly educated man, a patron and a collector of arts and exotic animals. He also had a great interest in science and encouraged alchemists, giving Prague its famous mystical reputation. The name of Rudolf II is also assosiated with the legend of the Golem, since he met with the Maharal, Rabbi Loew.
Rudolf II had sought to gain the support of the “Bohemian Estates” and Czech Nobility. Under the influence of his brother and political rival Matthias, in 1609 he issued the Majestät (Letter of Majesty), the document that granted religious freedom to the nobles and cities. Unfortunately, Rudolf II had suffered from melancholy and wasn’t successful as a ruler. In 1611, he was forced to give up the crown his brother Matthias.
During his reign, Matthias had made some attempts to bring about a compromise between Catholic and the Protestant parts of Roman Empire. His policy had been opposed both by the “Bohemian Estates” and the Catholic Habsburgs .
