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| Rudolf II | |
|---|---|
| Imperator Romanorum | |
 Portrait by Hans von Aachen, c. 1607 | |
| Holy Roman Emperor | |
| Reign | 12 October 1576 – 20 January 1612 (35 years, 100 days) |
| Proclamation | 1 November 1576, Regensburg |
| Predecessor | Maximilian II |
| Successor | Matthias |
| Born | 18 July 1552 Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 20 January 1612 (aged 59) Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, Holy Roman Empire |
| Burial | |
| Issue more... | Don Julius Caesar d'Austria (ill.) |
| House | Habsburg |
| Father | Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Maria of Austria |
| Religion | Catholic Church |
| Signature |  |
Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the House of Habsburg.
Rudolf's legacy has traditionally been viewed in three ways:[1] an ineffectual ruler whose mistakes led directly to the Thirty Years' War; a great and influential patron of Northern Mannerist art; and an intellectual devotee of occult arts and learning which helped seed what would be called the Scientific Revolution. Determined to unify Christendom, he initiated the Long Turkish War (1593–1606) with the Ottoman Empire. Exhausted by war, his citizens in Hungary revolted in the Bocskai Uprising, which led to more authority given to his brother Matthias. Under his reign, there was a policy of toleration towards Judaism.
- ^ Hotson, 1999.