Editing Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:Division of the House of Habsburg in 1556.jpg|thumb|Partition of Habsburg dominions in 1556]]
Ferdinand's legacy ultimately proved enduring. Though lacking resources, he managed to defend his land against the Ottomans with limited support from his brother, and even secured a part of Hungary that would later provide the basis for the conquest of the whole kingdom by the Habsburgs. In his own possessions, he built a tax system that, though imperfect, would continue to be used by his successors.<ref>''History of the Habsburg empire'', Jean Bérenger</ref> His handling of the Protestant Reformation proved more flexible and more effective than that of his brother and he played a key part in the settlement of 1555, which started an era of peace in Germany. His statesmanship, overall, was cautious and effective. On the other hand, when he engaged in more audacious endeavours, like his offensives against [[Buda]] and [[Pest, Hungary|Pest]], it often ended in failure.

Fichtner remarks that Ferdinand was a mediocre military commander (thus the many difficulties in dealing with the Ottomans in Hungary) but an energetic and very imaginative administrator, who produced a framework for his empire that endured into the eighteenth century. The core included a court council, privy council, central treasury and a body for military affairs, with the written business conducted by a common chancery. In his time and in practice, Bohemia and Hungary resisted cooperating with the structure but the German territories widely imitated it.{{sfn|Fichtner|2009|p=98}}

Ferdinand was also a patron of the arts. He embellished Vienna and Prague. The [[University of Vienna]] was reorganized. He also called Jesuits to the capital city, attracted architects and scholars from Italy and the Low Countries to create an intellectual ''milieu'' surrounding the court. He promoted scholarly interest in Oriental languages.{{sfn|Munck|Romano|2019|p=361}} The [[Humanism|humanists]] he invited had a major influence on his son Maximilian. He was particularly fond of music and hunting. While not a gifted commander, he was interested in military matters and participated in several campaigns during his reign.

He was the last [[List of German monarchs|King of Germany]] crowned in [[Aachen]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pavlac |first1=Brian A. |last2=Lott |first2=Elizabeth S. |title=The Holy Roman Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes] |date=1 June 2019 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-4856-8 |page=232 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=arSYDwAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA232 |access-date=30 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref>