Archduke Rudolph of Austria | |
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| Cardinal,Archbishop of Olomouc Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia | |
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| Metropolis | Archdiocese of Olomouc |
| See | Olomouc |
| Installed | 24 March 1819 |
| Term ended | 24 July 1831 |
| Predecessor | Maria Thaddäus von Trautmannsdorff |
| Successor | Ferdinand Maria Chotek von Chotkow |
| Other post | Archduke of Austria |
| Previous posts | Coadjutor ofAnton Theodor von Colloredo-Waldsee-Mels, Archbishop of Olomouc (1805–1811) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 29 August 1819 |
| Consecration | 26 September 1819 by Sigismund Anton von Hohenwart |
| Created cardinal | 4 June 1819 byPope Pius VII |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest of S. Pietro in Montorio |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1788-01-08)8 January 1788 |
| Died | 24 July 1831(1831-07-24) (aged 43) |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Coat of arms |  |
Rudolph Johann Joseph Rainier, Archduke of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, Cardinal-Archbishop of Olomouc (8 January 1788 – 24 July 1831), was a member of theHouse of Habsburg-Lorraine, and anAustrian clergyman and noble. He was consecrated asArchbishop of Olomouc (Olmütz) in 1819 and becamecardinal in the same year. Rudolph is known for his patronage of the arts, most notably as sponsor ofLudwig van Beethoven, who dedicated several of his works to him.
Born in thePitti Palace inFlorence,Tuscany, he was the youngest son of EmperorLeopold II andMaria Louisa of Spain. In 1803 or 1804, Rudolph began taking lessons in piano and composition fromLudwig van Beethoven. The two became friends, and Rudolph became a supporter and patron of Beethoven; their meetings continued until 1824. Beethoven dedicated 14 compositions to Rudolph, including theArchduke Trio, theHammerklavier Sonata, theEmperor Concerto and theMissa Solemnis.Piano Sonata No. 26 - Les Adieux ("The Farewells") was gifted to Rudolf just before his flight from Vienna with the imperial family on the occasion of the 1809 invasion byNapoleon. The movements are "Lebewohl", "Abwesenheit", and "Wiedersehen" ('farewell', 'absence', and 'reunion'). Rudolph dedicated one of his own compositions to Beethoven. The letters Beethoven wrote to Rudolph are today kept at theGesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna.
Franz Schubert andFerdinand Ries also dedicated works to Rudolf.[1]
On 24 March 1819, aged 31, Rudolph was appointedArchbishop of Olomouc in the present dayCzech Republic but then known as Olmütz which was part of theAustrian Empire. He was madeCardinal-Priest of thetitular church ofS. Pietro in Montorio byPope Pius VII on 4 June 1819. He was ordained a priest on 29 August 1819, and consecrated abishop on 26 September.
In 1823–24, he was one of the 50 composers who composed a variation on a waltz byAnton Diabelli forVaterländischer Künstlerverein. In Rudolph's case, the music was published anonymously, as by "S.R.D" (standing forSerenissimus Rudolfus Dux). He acquired a significant library of musical compositions, comprising over 18,000 works from 2,400 composers, now held by the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde.[2]
He died on 24 July 1831 of a cerebral hemorrhage inBaden bei Wien at the age of 43 and was interred in theImperial Crypt in Vienna; his heart was buried in the crypt inSaint Wenceslas Cathedral in Olomouc.
Rudolph of Austria never married and had no children.
| Ancestors of Archduke Rudolf of Austria[3] |
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Media related toRudolph von Österreich at Wikimedia Commons| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Archbishop of Olomouc 1819–1831 | Succeeded by |
