| Rudolf I | |
|---|---|
 Seal of Rudolf I inscribed: RUDOLFUS DEI GRACIA ROMANORUM REX SEMPER AUGUSTUS ("Rudolf by the grace of God King of the Romans, ever majestic") | |
| King of Germany (formally King of the Romans) | |
| Reign | 1 October 1273 – 15 July 1291 |
| Coronation | 24 October 1273 Aachen Cathedral |
| Predecessor | (Richard of Cornwall) Interregnum |
| Successor | Adolf of Nassau |
| Born | 1 May 1218 Limburgh Castle near Sasbach am Kaiserstuhl |
| Died | 15 July 1291 (aged 73) Speyer |
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| House | Habsburg |
| Father | Albert IV, Count of Habsburg |
| Mother | Hedwig of Kyburg |
Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death in 1291.
Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which had begun after the death of the Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II in 1250. Originally a Swabian count, he was the first Habsburg to acquire the duchies of Austria and Styria in opposition to his mighty rival, the Přemyslid king Ottokar II of Bohemia, whom he defeated in the 1278 Battle on the Marchfeld. The territories remained under Habsburg rule for more than 600 years, forming the core of the Habsburg monarchy and the present-day country of Austria. Rudolf played a vital role in raising the comital House of Habsburg to the rank of Imperial princes.