 |
|
| 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:
|
| Books | Susan Doran’s “Monarchy and Matrimony: The Courtships of Elizabeth I” |
