erdinand I (1503-64), Holy Roman Emperor,
was born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. He aided Charles in Italy,
and on the latter’s behalf made the treaties of Passau (1552)
and Augsburg (1555). He successfully opposed Charles V’s
plan of making his son Philip emperor, and was himself elected (1556)
to the dignity. [World Wide Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1935]
Emperor 1558-1564. [THELMA.GED]
Ferdinand I (Holy Roman Empire) (1503-64), Holy Roman emperor (1558-64), king of Bohemia (1526-64), and king of Germany (1531-64). The son of Philip I, king of Castile, and Joanna the Mad, queen of Castile, he was born on March 10, 1503, at Alcalá de Henares, Spain. In 1521, he became governor of the duchy of Württemberg and of the Habsburg hereditary lands, where he sought to check the spread of the Reformation. When his brother-in-law, King Louis II of Hungary, died in 1526, Ferdinand claimed through his wife the thrones of Bohemia and Hungary. He was crowned king by the Bohemians early in 1527. Although crowned almost simultaneously in Hungary, he was rejected there by the nobles, who were led by John I Zápolya and supported by the Turks. A long series of indecisive wars ensued against the Ottoman Turks and the forces of John I and his son, John II. A truce finally concluded in 1562 gave Ferdinand sovereignty over a small part of Hungary, for which he was obliged to pay tribute to the Turks.
Meanwhile, in 1531, Ferdinand had been elected king of Germany as a reward for his loyalty to his brother, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Good relations between the brothers, however, did not continue because Charles reserved the imperial crown for his son Philip, later King Philip II of Spain, instead of for Ferdinand. Friendly feeling was restored in 1555, largely because Ferdinand successfully arranged the Treaty of Passau in 1552 and the peace of Augsburg in 1555. On Charles's abdication in 1556 of the Spanish crown, Philip was made king of Spain, while Ferdinand assumed the duties of emperor; he was not crowned, however, until after Charles's formal abdication as emperor in 1558. Subsequently Ferdinand attempted to effect a reunion of Roman Catholics and Protestants but failed because he insisted that bishops retain their secular authority. He died on July 25, 1564, in Vienna. [Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia]
