| Ferdinand Charles | |
|---|---|
 Portrait from the workshop ofSustermans | |
| Archduke of Further Austria | |
| Reign | 13 September 1632 – 30 December 1662 |
| Predecessor | Leopold V |
| Successor | Sigismund Francis |
| Regent | Claudia de' Medici (1632-1646) |
| Born | (1628-05-17)May 17, 1628 Archduchy of Austria,Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | December 30, 1662(1662-12-30) (aged 34) Kaltern,County of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empire |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Claudia Felicitas, Holy Roman Empress |
| House | Habsburg |
| Father | Leopold V, Archduke of Austria |
| Mother | Claudia de' Medici |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Ferdinand Charles (17 May 1628 – 30 December 1662) was the Archduke ofFurther Austria, includingTyrol, from 1632 to 1662. He was the firstborn son ofArchduke Leopold V of Further Austria andClaudia de' Medici. Until 1646, his mother Claudia served asregent andde facto ruler. Ferdinand Charles was apatron of the arts withItalian opera performed at his court. Despite this, he was a poor ruler and lived an extravagant lifestyle, drained the treasury, and held illegal executions.
Aged eighteen, Ferdinand Charlesmarried his cousin, the thirty year oldAnna de' Medici. They had no sons, and the male line of his father died out soon after Ferdinand Charles' own death, aged thirty-four, ofsmallpox. His daughterClaudia Felicitas of Austria-Tyrol went on to marryHoly Roman Emperor Leopold I.
As the son of ArchdukeLeopold V andClaudia de' Medici,[1] he succeeded his father upon the latter's death in 1632, under his mother's regency. He took over his mother'sgubernatorial duties when he came of age in 1646.[2] To finance his extravagant living style, he sold goods and entitlements.[3] For example, he wasted the exorbitant sum whichFrance had to pay to theTyroleanHabsburgs for the cession of their fiefs west of theRhine (Alsace,Sundgau andBreisach).[citation needed] He also fixed the border toGraubünden in 1652.[4]
Ferdinand Charles was an absolutist ruler, did not call anydiet after 1648[3] and had hischancellorWilhelm Biener executed illegally in 1651 after a secret trial.[2][3] On the other hand, he was a lover of music and patron of arts:Italian opera was performed in his court.[1]
He died inKaltern ofsmallpox,[5] at the age of thirty-four,[2] and was succeeded by his younger brother,Sigismund Francis.[1]
Ferdinand Charles marriedAnna de' Medici.[1] She was a daughter ofCosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany andMaria Magdalena of Austria.[6] They had three children:
| Ancestors of Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria |
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| Preceded by | Archduke of Further Austria 1632–1662 | Succeeded by |
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