Rudolf II: Eccentric Holy Roman Emperor Whose Occult Interest And Mistakes Led To The Thirty Years’ War

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Some people are destined to rule, and some are obliged to follow in their family's footsteps.

Being an emperor was a nightmare to Rudolf II, and he hated every minute on the throne. He missed his privacy and could not stand people who always wanted something from him. He was a man more interested in great minds, art, culture, and the occult than in the exercise of his power. To him, the duty of ruling was demanding, tiresome, and utterly dull.

A painting of Rudolf II as a young man by Martino Rota (c. 1520–1583). Credit: Public Domain

Everyone expected him to decide about uninteresting events, places, and people. With such an indifferent attitude, it is no wonder his mistakes led to the Thirty Years' War, which remains one of the longest and most brutal wars in human history, with more than 8 million casualties.

As his health deteriorated, Rudolf II became more and more challenging to reach. He isolated himself in his Kunstkammer (art chamber) filled with the most remarkable treasures worldwide. Sitting in his large chamber, studying and admiring some of the most exotic objects one could see at the time, Rudolf II felt safe and content. He collected on an unparalleled scale, and if he couldn't acquire an object, he had it copied. He collected over 3,000 objects in his Kunstkammer, including staffed birds, expensive jewels, rare stones, coins, medals, paintings, astonishing inventions, and much more.

The magnificent Kunskammer was the Holy Emperor's greatest passion.

But no matter how much he tried, he could not escape the dark thoughts of his mind chasing him, and he suffered long periods of depression.

Rudolf II Becomes The Holy Emperor And Religious Tensions In Europe Escalate

Born on July 18, 1552, in Vienna, Austria, Rudolf II spent his childhood in Spain, where the House of Habsburg ruled at the time. Being a member of the House of Habsburg and the eldest son of the famous Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, who was also King of Bohemia, and King of Hungary and Croatia, it was only natural that he would one day become an emperor himself.

Rudolf II was 20 years old when he was chosen as King of Hungary and Croatia, two countries that the Habsburg Dynasty controlled.

In 1576, Rudolf II succeeded his father Maximilian II and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor, but his coronation was the beginning of a long and troublesome period in European history. In 1583 Rudolf II moved the court to Prague, where he resided. This allowed him to come further away from the Ottoman Empire, which was a constant threat to Europe. The Holy Emperor disliked traveling and only left Prague when it was indispensable.

He was born and raised as a Catholic, but Rudolf II was tolerant of Protestantism and other religions, including Judaism. His neutrality in religious matters and his lack of interest in politics were the main reasons he failed to recognize Europe's problems.

Prague Castle in 1595 by Joris Hoefnagel. Credit: Sokoljan - CC BY-SA 3.0

"The Protestant Reformation spread rapidly in the Habsburgs' hereditary lands. Only in the westernmost regions could this development be bright to an early end, aided by the successful suppression of the locally strong Anabaptist movement and its joint demand for social and spiritual reform.

In the remaining provinces, Lutheranism seemed destined to establish itself as the majority religion, especially among the societal elites in the aristocracy and the urban patriciate.

Yet, the ruling dynasty remained deeply devoted to the old church, even if its individual members may have held more complex views. As was the case throughout much of Europe, the monarchs eventually determined religious conditions within their realms. This process took time, however, because the Habsburg domain were so politically and geographically diverse that the authorities had to contend with conflicting laws, traditions, and political systems. Religious tensions in the Habsburgs' hereditary lands gradually escalated into a power struggle between Catholic rulers and Protestant nobles." 1

Rudolf II Was Fascinated With The Occult

The pressure on Rudolf II to deal with these religious tensions increased, but he pursued the occult and explored the unknown. One should not blame Rudolf II too harshly because he was a Renaissance man, and many great thinkers of those days engaged in occult practices.

Paracelsus was interested in the occult, and Michael Scott, the fascinating wizard who tutored the Roman Emperor Frederick II.

There was nothing strange about Rudolf's interest in the occult. However, instead of performing his duties as an emperor, he invited alchemists to his castle in Prague. The Holy Emperor employed about 50 alchemists who were producing gold and seeking the means of formulating the elixir of life. John Dee and Edward Kelly visited Rudolf II and participated in mysterious meetings.

Some of the Holy Emperor Rudolf II's treasures kept at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna. Credit: Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

Rudolf II was a true Renaissance patron of the arts, but ill health and unpopularity prevented him from restraining the religious conflicts that eventually led to the Thirty Years' War (1618–48).

He disappointed many who thought he could strengthen the Habsburg Dynasty. He planned to marry the Spanish princess La Infanta, Isabella Clara Eugenia. This bond would have given the Habsburg Dynasty an imperium covering almost half of Europe, but La Infanta got tired of Rudolf's insecurity and married his brother instead.

The Holy Emperor was never officially married, but according to some sources, he married a poor woman secretly and had five to eight children with her.

Rudolf II painted as Vertumnus, Roman God of the seasons, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1590–91), a painting the Holy Emperor appreciated very much. Credit: Public Domain

Rudolf II's long depression, life in seclusion, and lack of interest in politics and economy made the Habsburg archdukes dissatisfied. They decided to entrust the conduct of Hungarian affairs to his brother Matthias in 1605.

Rudolf II's mental instability worsened, and he spent all his time under house arrest at the castle in Prague, but he kept the formal title Holy Roman Emperor until he died in 1612 at age 59. He died as a sick and unhappy man, but at least he was surrounded by all the precious and unusual objects he loved.

It would probably break his heart if he learned his magnificent treasures were plundered in 1648 by Swedish forces when Prague was captured; only parts of it are today extant in the Vienna collections.

Updated on February 19, 2024

Written by Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com

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