Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria

Biography

In 1585, Maximilian became the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order; thanks to this he was known by the epithet der Deutschmeister ("the German Master") for much of his later life.

In the 1587 Polish–Lithuanian royal election Maximilian stood as a candidate for the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, following the death of the previous king, Stephen Báthory. A portion of the Polish nobility supported Maximilian, but the larger faction elected Prince Sigismund of Sweden, grandson of Sigismund I the Old, as Sigismund III Vasa. Maximilian then invaded Poland, starting the War of the Polish Succession (1587–1588). He had considerable support in Poland, but fewer Poles flocked to his army than to that of his rival. In late 1587, he tried and failed to storm Kraków. At Pitschen in Silesia, he met Sigismund's army, commanded by Polish hetman Jan Zamojski. In the Battle of Byczyna (24 January 1588), Maximilian was defeated and captured. He was released a year and half later after the intervention of Pope Sixtus V in the aftermath of the Treaty of Bytom and Będzin. In 1598, he formally renounced his claim to the Polish crown. The inactivity of his brother, Emperor Rudolf II, in this matter contributed to Rudolf's poor reputation.

From 1593 to 1595, Maximilian served as regent for his young cousin, the future Emperor Ferdinand II as Archduke of Inner Austria. In 1595, Maximilian succeeded to the territories of their uncle Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria, including Tyrol, where he proved to be a solid proponent of the Counter-Reformation. He also worked to depose Melchior Khlesl, and to ensure that Ferdinand succeeded as Holy Roman Emperor.

Today, Maximilian is perhaps best remembered for his baroque archducal hat, exhibited in the treasury of the monastery of Klosterneuburg and used for ceremonial purposes as late as 1835.

He died at Vienna in 1618, and is buried in the canopied tomb in Innsbruck Cathedral.

Ancestors

Male-line family tree

References

before=Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria Archduke Mathias, his elder brother| title=Governor of Tirol Archduke of Further Austria| after=Leopold V, Archduke of Further Austria, his first cousin| years=1612–1618}} before=Charles II, Archduke of Inner Austria| title=Regent of Styria| after=Ferdinand III, Archduke of Inner Austria| years=1593–1595}} before=Heinrich von Bobenhausen| years=1590–1618| after=Archduke Charles III of Austria| title=Grand Master of the Teutonic Order|}}

References

1. The ''Deutschmeister'' ("German Master") was the Order's third-highest officer, who administered its [[bailiwick]]s in the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. The [[State of the Teutonic Order]] in [[Prussia (region). Prussia]] and [[Livonia]] was administered by the Grand Master. But after 1525, the Order had only its German holdings, and after 1561, these offices were united and the Grand Master was also German Master.
2. Sławomir Leśniewski. (January 2008). "Jan Zamoyski – hetman i polityk". Bellona.
3. {{NDB. 16. 471. 475. Maximilian II.. Press, Volker. 11857938X
4. {{BLKO
5. {{BLKO. (1861)
6. {{cite EB1911
7. {{cite ADB. 54. 688. 696. Wladislaw II.. Priebatsch, Felix. ADB:Wladislaw II.
8. {{Britannica. 107009. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
9. Stephens, Henry Morse. (1903). "The story of Portugal". G.P. Putnam's Sons.