Ferdinand IV (8 September 1633 – 9 July 1654) was made and crowned
King of Bohemia
The Duchy of Bohemia was established in 870 and raised to the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1198. Several Bohemian monarchs ruled as non-hereditary kings beforehand, first gaining the title in 1085. From 1004 to 1806, Bohemia was part of the Holy Roman ...
in 1646, King of Hungary and Croatia in 1647, and
King of the Romans
King of the Romans ( la, Rex Romanorum; german: König der Römer) was the title used by the king of Germany following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward.
The title originally referred to any German k ...
on 31 May 1653. He also served as
Duke of Cieszyn
The Duchy of Teschen (german: Herzogtum Teschen), also Duchy of Cieszyn ( pl, Księstwo Cieszyńskie) or Duchy of Těšín ( cs, Těšínské knížectví), was one of the Duchies of Silesia centered on Cieszyn () in Upper Silesia. It was split o ...
.
Early life
Born in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
on 8 September 1633, and baptised as ''Ferdinand Franz'', Ferdinand IV was the eldest son of
Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand III (Ferdinand Ernest; 13 July 1608, in Graz – 2 April 1657, in Vienna) was from 1621 Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary from 1625, King of Croatia and Bohemia from 1627 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1637 until his death in 1657.
...
and his first wife
Maria Anna, the daughter of
Philip III of Spain
Philip III ( es, Felipe III; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain. As Philip II, he was also King of Portugal, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia and Duke of Milan from 1598 until his death in 1621.
A member of the House of Habsburg, Phi ...
.
Biography
At a young age, Ferdinand IV took his father's role as Archduke of Austria.
In 1646, Ferdinand IV became King of Bohemia as he shared the role with his father Emperor Ferdinand III. He was crowned on 5 August 1646, and also shared the role of
Duke of Cieszyn
The Duchy of Teschen (german: Herzogtum Teschen), also Duchy of Cieszyn ( pl, Księstwo Cieszyńskie) or Duchy of Těšín ( cs, Těšínské knížectví), was one of the Duchies of Silesia centered on Cieszyn () in Upper Silesia. It was split o ...
with Ferdinand III.
Ferdinand IV also shared the role as King of Hungary and Croatia with his father; his coronation took place on 16 June 1647 in
Pressburg
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...
, present-day Slovakia.
After the French attempted to modify the system of the election of
King of the Romans
King of the Romans ( la, Rex Romanorum; german: König der Römer) was the title used by the king of Germany following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward.
The title originally referred to any German k ...
, Emperor Ferdinand III made an opportunity of a recent decline in the prestige of France, and was able to install Ferdinand IV as King of the Romans, and ''de facto'' heir to the Holy Roman Empire. He was crowned in Ratisbon (
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the ...
, present-day south-east Germany) on 18 June 1653 after gaining the position on 31 May 1653.
However, Ferdinand IV unexpectedly died of
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
in Vienna on 9 July 1654, and was later succeeded by his brother
Leopold I as King of the Romans.
Prior to his death, it was planned that he would marry
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered ...
's daughter
Maria Theresa of Spain, his cousin.
Upon the death of Ferdinand III, Leopold I was elected as Holy Roman Emperor.
Ancestors
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand 4 Of Hungary
1633 births
1654 deaths
17th-century Kings of the Romans
Habsburg kings of Bohemia
Kings of Hungary
Dukes of Teschen
Knights of the Golden Fleece
Nobility from Vienna
Deaths from smallpox
Burials at the Imperial Crypt
Burials at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna
17th-century House of Habsburg
Heirs apparent who never acceded
Sons of emperors
Children of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor