Maximilian II#

Maximilian II, b. Vienna, July 31, 1527, d. Regensburg (Germany), Oct. 12, 1576, 1564 to 1576 Emperor, King of Hungary and Bohemia; son of Emperor Ferdinand I, father of Emperor Rudolf II and Emperor Matthias. His father and his relatives in Spain, as well as the Pope, suspected him of sympathising with the Lutherans, but he remained a Catholic. M. complied with the terms of the Peace of Augsburg in Austria at national level and granted the Lutheran nobility freedom of worship in 1568/71 for themselves and their vassals. He himself made use of this freedom in the towns and paved the way for the Counter-Reformation. In the war against the Turks 1566 to 1568 (Peace of Adrianople) he remained as unsuccessful as in his attempts to unify the Empire and to become King of Poland. M. was a highly educated man and loved to have scholars around him. During his reign plants from oriental countries became known in Europe (tulips, lilac), and the first Elephant was brought to Austria. With the erection of the Neugebaeude near Vienna he created an important renaissance monument.

Literature#