Editing Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor

{{Short description|Holy Roman Emperor from 1637 to 1657}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Ferdinand III
| title        = [[Imperator Romanorum]]
| image        = Jan van den Hoecke - Portrait of Emperor Ferdinand III.jpg
| caption      = Portrait by [[Jan van den Hoecke]], 1643
| full name    = {{ubl|{{langx|de|Ferdinand Ernst}}|{{langx|en|Ferdinand Ernest}}}}
| succession   = [[Holy Roman Emperor]]
| moretext     = ([[Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor#Regnal titles|more...]])
| reign        = 15 February 1637 – {{nowrap|2 April 1657}}
| coronation   = 18 November 1637 <br> [[Frankfurt Cathedral]]
| cor-type     = {{nowrap|Proclamation}}
| predecessor  = [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]]
| successor    = [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]]
| spouses      = {{Plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Maria Anna of Spain|Maria Anna of Austria]]|20 February 1631|13 May 1646|end=d}}
* {{marriage|[[Maria Leopoldine of Austria]]|2 July 1648|7 August 1649|end=d}}
* {{marriage|[[Eleonora Gonzaga (1630–1686)|Eleonora Gonzaga]]|30 April 1651}}
}}
| issue        = {{Plainlist|
* [[Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans]]
* [[Mariana of Austria|Mariana, Queen of Spain]]
* [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor]]
* [[Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria|Archduke Charles Joseph]]
* [[Eleonore of Austria, Queen of Poland|Eleonore, Queen of Poland]]<ref name="books.google.com">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cvtSAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1 |title=Ferdinand III., der Wiederhersteller der Prager Universität. Eine hist. Skizze |publisher=na |year=1835 |pages=1–}}</ref>
* [[Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria|Maria Anna Josepha, Electoral Princess of the Palatinate]]
}}
| house        = [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]]
| father       = [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor]]
| mother       = [[Maria Anna of Bavaria (1574–1616)|Maria Anna of Bavaria]]
| birth_date   = 13 July 1608
| birth_place  = [[Graz]], [[Duchy of Styria]], [[Holy Roman Empire]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|df=y|1657|04|2|1608|07|13}}
| death_place  = [[Vienna]], [[Archduchy of Austria]], Holy Roman Empire
| burial_date  = 
| burial_place = [[Imperial Crypt]]
| religion     = [[Catholic Church]]
| signature    = Signature of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor.svg
}}

'''Ferdinand III''' (Ferdinand Ernest; 13 July 1608 – 2 April 1657) was [[Archduke of Austria]], [[Kingdom of Hungary|King of Hungary]] and [[Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg)|Croatia]] from 1625, [[Kingdom of Bohemia|King of Bohemia]] from 1627 and [[Holy Roman Emperor]] from 1637 to his death.

Ferdinand ascended the throne at the beginning of the last decade of the [[Thirty Years' War]] and introduced lenient policies to depart from the old ideas of [[Divine right of kings|divine right]] held by his father, as he wished to end the war quickly. After military defeats and against a background of declining power, Ferdinand was compelled to abandon the political stances of his [[Habsburg]] predecessors in many respects to open the long road towards the much-delayed [[Peace of Westphalia]]. Although his authority as emperor was weakened after the war, his position in Bohemia, Hungary and Austria was stronger than that of his predecessors before 1618.<ref name="Hengerer2019">{{Cite book |last=Mark Hengerer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L3i-DwAAQBAJ |title=Making Peace in an Age of War: Emperor Ferdinand III (1608–1657) |date=15 November 2019 |publisher=Purdue University Press |isbn=978-1-61249-592-7}}</ref><ref name="AsbachSchröder2016">{{Cite book |last1=Olaf Asbach |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WcvOCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT277 |title=The Ashgate Research Companion to the Thirty Years' War |last2=Peter Schröder |date=23 March 2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-04134-4 |pages=277–}}</ref>

Ferdinand was the first Habsburg monarch to be recognised as a musical composer.<ref name="Weaver2016">{{Cite book |last=Andrew H. Weaver |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S8rsCwAAQBAJ&pg=PR4 |title=Sacred Music as Public Image for Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III: Representing the Counter-Reformation Monarch at the End of the Thirty Years' War |date=8 April 2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-06028-4 |pages=4–}}</ref>

==Early life==
[[File:Christoph Simon von Thun.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Christoph Simon von Thun (1582-1635), teacher of young Ferdinand III]]
[[File:Diego Velázquez - Maria Anna of Spain - Prado.jpg|thumb|left| [[Portrait of Maria Anna|Portrait]] of Ferdinand's wife Maria Anna of Austria, by [[Diego Velázquez]]]]
Ferdinand was born in [[Graz]] as the third son of [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Ferdinand II]] of [[Habsburg]] and his first wife, [[Maria Anna of Bavaria (1574-1616)|Maria Anna of Bavaria]], and was baptised as ''Ferdinand Ernst''. He grew up in [[Duchy of Carinthia|Carinthia]] with loving care from his parents and developed great affection for his siblings and his father with whom he always found a consensus in future disagreements. At his father's court, he received religious and scholarly training from [[Jesuits]]. The [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta|Maltese knights]] Johann Jacob von Dhaun (member of the Lower Austrian estate, a union of the local nobility) and Christoph Simon von Thun (the head of Ferdinand's Imperial court and household) had greatly influenced the education of the young archduke.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Johann Jakob von Daun, Reichsgraf |url=http://worldhistory.de/wnf/navbar/wnf.php?oid=12271&sid=F |publisher=Worldhistory |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref> Simon von Thun instructed Ferdinand in military matters. Ferdinand is said to have spoken several languages, but how many and to what degree is unclear. After the deaths of his brothers Karl (1603) and Johann Karl (1619), he was designated as his father's successor and systematically prepared to take over the reign. Like his father, he was a devout [[Catholic]], but he had a certain aversion to the influence of the Jesuits, who had ruled his father's court.<ref>{{Cite book |editor-last=Vacha |editor-first=Brigitte  |title=Die Habsburger. Eine europäische Familiengeschichte. |publisher=Styria |place=Wien |year=1992 |isbn=978-3222121074 |page=221}}</ref>

Ferdinand became [[Archduke of Austria]] in 1621. On 8 December 1625, he was crowned King of Hungary, on 27 November 1627 King of Bohemia.<ref name="Hengerer2019" /> Ferdinand enhanced his authority and set an important legal and military precedent by issuing a Revised Land Ordinance, which deprived the Bohemian [[estates of the realm|estates]] of their right to raise soldiers and reserved that power for the monarch.<ref name="Rothenberg1998">{{Cite book |last=Rothenberg |first=Gunther E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zk_NjPQuNXYC |title=The Army of Francis Joseph |publisher=Purdue University Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-55753-145-2}}</ref> His father was unable to secure him the election as [[king of the Romans]] at the [[Diet of Regensburg (1630)|Diet of Regensburg]] of 1630. After he had unsuccessfully applied for the supreme command of the [[Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Emperor|Imperial army]] and to participate in campaigns of [[Albrecht von Wallenstein]], he joined Wallenstein's opponents at the Imperial court in Vienna and was involved in the arrangements on his second deposition in early 1634.<ref name="Hengerer2019" />

He married the Spanish [[Infanta]], his cousin [[Maria Anna of Spain]], after years of negotiations with Spanish relatives in 1631. Although it was in the middle of the war, the elaborate wedding was celebrated over fourteen months. The marriage produced six children, including his successors, [[Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans|Ferdinand IV of Hungary]] and Emperor [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]]. His loving and intelligent wife and her brother, the Spanish Cardinal Infante [[Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria|Ferdinand]], had a great influence on Ferdinand and formed the most important link between the Habsburg courts in [[Madrid]], [[Brussels]] and [[Vienna]] in the difficult period of the war for the Habsburgs after the death of Wallenstein.<ref name="Rothenberg1998"/>

==Commander in chief==
After Wallenstein's assassination, Ferdinand III personally took command over the Imperial army on 2 May 1634 and was supported by the generals [[Matthias Gallas]] and [[Ottavio Piccolomini]], the military adviser [[Johann Kaspar von Stadion]] and the political adviser ''Obersthofmeister'' (Lord Chamberlain) [[Maximilian von und zu Trauttmansdorff]]. He achieved his first major military successes in July 1634 by regaining the city of [[Regensburg]], which had been captured and occupied by the [[Swedish Empire]] in November 1633. In August 1634, the city of [[Donauwörth]] was recaptured, which had been occupied by Sweden since April 1632. In September 1634, those successes were surpassed by the decisive victory of the [[Battle of Nördlingen (1634)|Battle of Nördlingen]], a joint effort with the help of the Spanish forces under Cardinal Infante [[Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria|Ferdinand]].<ref name="max">{{Cite web |title=Kurfürst Maximilian I. von Bayern, die Habsburger und die Reichsstadt Regensburg im Ringen um ihre Hoheit |url=https://epub.uni-regensburg.de/30102/1/Max%20Neubauer%2C%20Kurf%C3%BCrst%20Maximilian%20von%20Bayern%2C%20die%20Habsburger%20und%20die%20Reichsstadt%20Regensburg%20im%20Ringen%20um%20ihre%20Hoheit%20%28Ges~2.pdf |last=Max Neubauer |publisher=Uni Regensburg |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>

As a consequence, the Swedes lost control over southern Germany and retreated to the northern Germany. Ferdinand gained a wider political influence even if his personal contribution in Nördlingen had been rather limited. His influence increased further after the fall of the powerful Imperial minister, [[Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg]], who had domineered the politics of Ferdinand II.

In 1635, Ferdinand III worked as Imperial commissioner in the negotiations for the [[Peace of Prague (1635)|Peace of Prague]], as he tried to persuade the prince electors to adopt the idea of concerted warfare. He also advocated the inclusion of the still-reluctant Protestant estates into the peace process. Even after the resignation of the supreme command, Ferdinand continued to occupy himself with theoretical military issues. [[Raimondo Montecuccoli]] later dedicated one of his works to him.<ref name="AsbachSchröder2016" /><ref name="Hengerer2019" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Ferdinand III. |url=https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz69770.html |publisher=Deutsche Biographie |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref><ref name=max/>

==Sovereign rule==
===Wartime reign===
[[File:Bevölkerkungsrückgang im HRRDN nach dem Dreißigjährigen Krieg.PNG|thumb|300px|Population decline in the empire as a consequence of the [[Thirty Years' War]].]]
[[1636 imperial election|Ferdinand III was elected]] as [[king of the Romans]] at the [[Diet of Regensburg]] on 22 December 1636. Upon the death of his father on 15 February 1637, Ferdinand became emperor. His political adviser Trauttmansdorff advanced to the position of Prime Minister of Austria and chief diplomat but was replaced by [[Johann Ludwig von Nassau-Hadamar]] in 1647 because of health, which had begun to deteriorate. Trauttmansdorff was succeeded as ''Obersthofmeister'' by the later Prime Minister [[Johann Weikhard of Auersperg]], who also taught the royal heir, Ferdinand IV. Unlike his father, Ferdinand III employed no spiritual counsellor.<ref name="books.google.com">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cvtSAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1 |title=Ferdinand III., der Wiederhersteller der Prager Universität. Eine hist. Skizze |publisher=na |year=1835 |pages=1–}}</ref>

When Ferdinand became emperor, vast sections of the imperial territories had been absolutely devastated by two decades of war. The population was completely exhausted and massively diminished; countless people were impoverished, disabled, sick or homeless; and many had lost their families and had abandoned all moral standards. Ferdinand did not endeavour to continue the war, but the momentum of the war, the political circumstances and his reluctance to act prevented a quick end to the war.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Peter H. Wilson |date=1 June 2008 |title=The Causes of the Thirty Years' War 1618–48 |journal=The English Historical Review |publisher=Oxford University Press |volume=CXXIII |issue=502 |pages=554–586 |doi=10.1093/ehr/cen160}}</ref> Any hope to make early peace with France and Sweden did not materialise.<ref name="Wilson2009">{{Cite book |last=Peter H. Wilson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XgtpAl8HzjcC |title=The Thirty Years' War: Europe's Tragedy |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-674-03634-5}}</ref>

With the intervention of France in 1635, the war flared up again. After initial success and a combined Spanish-Imperial campaign into the heart of France in 1636,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peter H. Wilson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XgtpAl8HzjcC |title=The Thirty Years' War: Europe's Tragedy |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-674-03634-5|pages=563–564}}</ref> the military situation of the emperor sharply deteriorated. The Swedes regained initiative with victory at the [[Battle of Wittstock]] in 1636 and threatened his recently-gained allies: [[Brandenburg-Prussia]] and [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peter H. Wilson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XgtpAl8HzjcC |title=The Thirty Years' War: Europe's Tragedy |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-674-03634-5|pages=580–583}}</ref> Ferdinand reacted by redirecting his main army under Gallas from France to northern Germany in 1637. Gallas could contain the Swedes in [[Pomerania]] until severe lack of supplies forced him to retreat back to Bohemia in late 1638.<ref name="Wilson596">{{Cite book |last=Peter H. Wilson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XgtpAl8HzjcC |title=The Thirty Years' War: Europe's Tragedy |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-674-03634-5|pages=596–598 }}</ref> At the same time, [[Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar]], a German Protestant in French service, took the Habsburg possessions in Alsace and the stronghold of [[Breisach]] after a [[Battle of Breisach|long siege]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peter H. Wilson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XgtpAl8HzjcC |title=The Thirty Years' War: Europe's Tragedy |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-674-03634-5|pages=606–611}}</ref> To check the advance of Swedish General [[Johan Banér]], who invaded Bohemia via Saxony in 1639,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peter H. Wilson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XgtpAl8HzjcC |title=The Thirty Years' War: Europe's Tragedy |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-674-03634-5|page=615 }}</ref> Ferdinand had to recall Piccolomini's army from the [[Spanish Netherlands]], which largely ended direct military co-operation with Spain.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peter H. Wilson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XgtpAl8HzjcC |title=The Thirty Years' War: Europe's Tragedy |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-674-03634-5|pages=661–662}}</ref> Although Piccolomini and the emperor's brother Archduke [[Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria|Leopold Wilhelm]], as the new Imperial commander, could repel Banér back to the [[Weser]] river in 1640, the Bohemian lands now underwent continuous threat, and the emperor permanently lost control over northern Germany.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peter H. Wilson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XgtpAl8HzjcC |title=The Thirty Years' War: Europe's Tragedy |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-674-03634-5|pages=618–621 }}</ref>

An [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]] was arranged for 1641 in [[Regensburg]], where the estates discussed possible peace arrangements. It turned out to be problematic that the Emperor had excluded princes, who had previously been on the opposing side, as well as the Protestant administrators of various princes of the Imperial Diet. However, it finally succeeded in making all [[imperial estate]]s agree with the exception of the [[Electoral Palatinate]], the [[Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] and [[Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel|Hesse-Kassel]] to the resolutions of the Diet. In 1641, a [[Treaty of Hamburg (1638)|preliminary peace was signed]] in [[Hamburg]] between Ferdinand, Spain, France and Sweden, and a final peace congress was to convene in [[Osnabrück]] and [[Münster]]. An alliance between Sweden and France was fully effective since 1642. The Swedes won the [[Battle of Breitenfeld (1642)|Battle of Breitenfeld]] in 1642. One year later, France decisively defeated Spain at the [[Battle of Rocroi]] and could now dedicate more troops to the German theatre.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Preliminaries of Hamburg |url=http://mateo.uni-mannheim.de/camenaref/cmh/cmh414.html#398 |publisher=Uni Mannheim |access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="Ph.D.2014">{{Cite book |last=David T. Zabecki Ph.D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rCWMBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA415 |title=Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History &#91;4 volumes&#93;: 400 Years of Military History |date=2014 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-981-3 |pages=415–}}</ref>

===Peace negotiations===
[[File:Kaiser im Kreis der Kurfürsten.jpg|thumb|280px|Emperor Ferdinand III with the electoral princes, Copperplate engraving by Abraham Aubry, Nuremberg 1663/64]]
Negotiations for a peace agreement began in 1644 in Münster and Osnabrück and lasted until 1648 while the war continued.

The negotiations in Westphalia turned out to be difficult and began with a dispute over the rules of procedure. The emperor had to give in to pressure from France and Sweden and to admit all imperial estates to the congress and receive the ''ius belli ac pacis''. In addition to peace between the parties involved, the internal constitution of the empire was also newly regulated. The Imperial Court received weekly reports on the negotiations. Even though the reports had been produced by officials, the process also proved to be an extremely busy time for the emperor since despite all of his advisers, he had to make the decisions. The study of the documents suggests that Ferdinand was a monarch with expertise with a sense of responsibility and the willingness to make difficult decisions. In the course of the negotiations, Ferdinand had to reconsider his original goals according to the deteriorating military situation. His advisor Trauttmansdorff suggested a great battle to end the war favourably.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Heinhard Steiger |year=1998 |title=Das "ius Belli AC Pacis" des Alten Reiches Zwischen 1645 und 1801 |journal=Der Staat |publisher=jstor |volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=493–520 |jstor=43642919}}</ref>

The emperor personally took part in the campaign against the Swedes, which ended with a defeat at the [[Battle of Jankau]] on 6 March 1645. The Swedish army under [[Lennart Torstensson]] then advanced to Vienna. To raise morale in the city, the emperor circled the city in a large procession with an image of the [[Virgin Mary]]. As the Swedish army drew closer, Ferdinand left the city. Archduke Leopold Wilhelm managed to drive off the opponents. At times, Ferdinand managed to get Prince [[George I Rákóczi]] of [[Transylvania]], an ally of France and Sweden, on his side. In the 1645 Peace of Linz, the emperor had to guarantee the Hungarian estates the right of imperial representation and freedom of religion for the Protestants, which prevented the [[Counter-Reformation]] and future absolutist rule in Hungary.<ref name="Hengerer2019" /><ref name="Worthington2004">{{Cite book |last=D. C. Worthington |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6juROi0C39MC&pg=PA261 |title=Scots in Habsburg Service: 1618–1648 |publisher=Brill |year=2004 |isbn=90-04-13575-8 |pages=261–}}</ref>

The Habsburgs could no longer win the war without the support of their Spanish allies. Domestic difficulties stopped Spanish financial and military support for Ferdinand in 1645. Without foreign military funds, the Imperial troops were incapable of offensive operations, which weakened Ferdinand's position in negotiations.<ref name=max/> He reissued the instructions for the peace talks for Trautmannsdorf, who left for Westphalia as chief negotiator. The documents were kept strictly secret and were published only in 1962. Reviews revealed that Ferdinand had surrendered numerous previous claims and was ready for greater concessions than were ultimately necessary.<ref name="rep">{{Cite book |chapter=Ferdinand III. (1637–1657) |chapter-url=https://www.schoeningh.de/view/book/edcoll/9783657779598/B9783657779598-s015.xml |last=Konrad Repgen |title=Dreißigjähriger Krieg und Westfälischer Friede |year=2015 |pages=461–485 |publisher=Verlag Ferdinand Schöningh |doi=10.30965/9783657779598_015 |isbn=9783506779595 |access-date=19 March 2020}}</ref>

===Results of war===

The empire suffered considerable territorial losses. The [[Three Bishoprics]], effectively under French control since 1552, were officially ceded to France. The [[Dutch Republic|Netherlands]] and [[Old Swiss Confederacy|Switzerland]] gained complete independence. Within the empire, Sweden received [[Rügen]] and [[Western Pomerania]], as well as the bishoprics of [[Bremen-Verden]] and the city of [[Wismar]], as Imperial fiefs. The Tyrolean cadet line of the Habsburgs lost the [[Sundgau]] and [[Breisach]] in the Upper Rhine to France, as well as supremacy over the [[Décapole]]. Further transfers of property took place in various regions of the empire. [[Electorate of Bavaria|Bavaria]] retained its electoral dignity that it had won at the beginning of the war, a further (eighth) electoral estate being created in the Palatinate.

The implementation of the Counter-Reformation in the core countries of Ferdinand was sanctioned. Only in some parts of [[Silesia]] were certain concessions made to the Protestants. From now on, the institutions of the empire would be equally occupied by Catholics and Protestants. The imperial estates could enforce considerable rights. That included the right to form alliances with foreign powers even if they were not allowed to be directed against the emperor or the empire. The largest territories benefited most from those regulations. Ferdinand's attempt at [[absolute monarchy|absolutist]] rule of the empire failed, but the empire and the imperial office remained significant.<ref name="rep"/>

The emperor considered the peace agreement to be no catastrophic defeat, and thanks to Trautmannsdorff's negotiating skills, worse was prevented. As a matter of fact, the consequences for the [[Erblande|Austrian hereditary lands]] were comparatively favourable. The expropriations in Bohemia and the ''Verneuerte Landesordnung'' (Renewed Regional Order) of 1627 remained untouched. [[Upper Austria]], which had been pledged to Bavaria, stayed under Habsburg house rule without paying a refund.<ref name=rep/><ref name="Duchhardt2014">{{Cite book |last=Heinz Duchhardt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NyI_CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA143 |title=Der Westfälische Friede: Diplomatie – politische Zäsur – kulturelles Umfeld – Rezeptionsgeschichte |date= 2014 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-3-486-83074-3 |pages=143–}}</ref>

Despite many losses, the constitutional position of the emperor after the [[Peace of Westphalia]] permitted an active imperial policy in co-operation with parts of the estates. In the Habsburg monarchy, the prerequisites for the development of a uniform absolutist state remained intact. Thus, imperial policies of the peace negotiations succeeded in that respect despite the failure to meet some of the original negotiation goals.<ref name="ScheutzKeller2019">{{Cite book |last1=Martin Scheutz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BkDCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA167 |title=Die Habsburgermonarchie und der Dreißigjährige Krieg |last2=Katrin Keller |date= 2019 |publisher=Böhlau Verlag Wien |isbn=978-3-205-20952-2 |pages=167–}}</ref><ref name="DingelPaulmann2018">{{Cite book |last=Irene Dingel, Johannes Paulmann, Matthias Schnettger, Martin Wrede |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pKagDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA131 |title=Theatrum Belli – Theatrum Pacis: Konflikte und Konfliktregelungen im frühneuzeitlichen Europa |date=2018 |publisher=Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht |isbn=978-3-647-37083-5 |pages=131–}}</ref>

===Postwar===
[[File:Ferdinand III (1608-1657).jpg|thumb|Portrait by [[Frans Luycx]], {{circa|1660–68}}]]
At the Nuremberg peace congress of 1649/1650, the final withdrawal of foreign troops and the political settlement of the relationship with Sweden and France were carried out during which hostilities nearly started again.

Empress Maria Anna of Spain had died giving birth to her last child on 13 May 1646. Ferdinand remarried to another first cousin, [[Maria Leopoldine of Austria]] (1632–1649), on 2 July 1648. The wedding ceremony, held in [[Linz]], was notably splendid.<ref name="Barthold">{{Cite book |last=Barthold |first=Friedrich Wilhelm |title=Geschichte des großen deutschen Krieges vom Tode Gustav Adolfs |publisher=Liesching |year=1843 |isbn=1409421198}}</ref> The marriage, however, lasted little more than a year and ended with Maria Leopoldine's own premature death in childbirth.

Ferdinand's last marriage was to [[Eleonora Gonzaga (1630–1686)|Eleonora Magdalena Gonzaga of Mantua-Nevers]] in 1651. Empress Eleonora was very pious and donated, among other things, for the Ursuline monastery in Vienna and the [[Order of the Starry Cross]] for noble women. She was also well educated and interested in art. She also composed music and wrote poetry and, together with Ferdinand, was the centre of the Italian Academy.<ref name=rep/>

Ferdinand's sovereign power in the Austrian hereditary lands, as well his royal power in [[Kingdom of Hungary (1526-1867)|Hungary]] and [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemia]], was significantly greater than his predecessor's had been before 1618. Princely power was strengthened, and the influence of the estates was massively reduced. The church reform towards the Counter-reformation continued. Ferdinand formed a standing army from the remains of the Imperial army that was soon to show great effectiveness under his successor, Leopold I. Under Ferdinand the fortifications of Vienna were massively expanded and updated, as he invested a total sum of over 80,000 [[Guilder|fl]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Die Bautätigkeit der Habsburger im 17. Jahrhundert in Wien |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11582357.pdf |last=Petra Locher |publisher=Core |access-date=19 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kaiser Ferdinand III. (1608-1657) |url=https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/17491/1/Hengerer_Ferdinand_17491.pdf |publisher=Uni München |access-date=19 March 2020}}</ref>

Despite a considerable loss of authority in the empire, Ferdinand remained active in imperial politics. He would also re-establish his positions in the empire's institutions. Ferdinand had the [[Aulic Council]] restructured, which competed with the [[Reichskammergericht|Imperial Chamber Court]]. It had already been recognized at the Peace of Westphalia and remained in effect until 1806. In late 1652, he summoned a ''Reichstag'' in Regensburg, which lasted until 1654. The event was the last traditional imperial diet and was replaced by the future [[Perpetual Diet of Regensburg|Perpetual Reichstag]], with its permanent congress of emissaries. The Reichstag decided that the content of the peace treaties in Münster and Osnabrück under imperial law should become part of the imperial constitution.<ref name="Wilson2011">{{Cite book |last=Peter Hamish Wilson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=567MDwAAQBAJ |title=The Thirty Years' War: Europe's Tragedy |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-674-06231-3}}</ref>

The emperor managed to postpone some of the constitutional questions that were particularly dangerous for his power. The fact that some of the nobles who had been raised by his father to the rank of prince gained a seat and a vote in the Reichstag also speaks for his growing strength. At this Reichstag, he also made an alliance with [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|Poland-Lithuania]] against [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]]. His empire came to Poland's support during the [[Second Northern War]]. Ferdinand also brought about the royal election of his son [[Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans|Ferdinand IV]], who, however, died in 1654. Because his second son, Leopold, was still too young to be elected as King of the Romans, Ferdinand delayed the opening and the conclusion of the Deputationstag after the Reichstag to gain time until the next election.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hengerer |first=Mark |title=Kaiser Ferdinand III. (1608–1657): Eine Biographie |publisher=Böhlau Verlag |year=2012 |isbn=978-3-205-77765-6 |location=Wien – Köln – Weimar |page=322 |language=de}}</ref> Finally, Leopold was crowned King of Hungary and Bohemia. In 1656, Ferdinand sent an army into Italy to assist Spain in its struggle with France.

==Death and burial place==
[[File:GrabFerdinand III.JPG|thumb|Emperor Ferdinand III's sarcophagus in the Vienna [[Imperial Crypt|Capuchin Crypt]]]]
Ferdinand died on 2 April 1657 and rests in the [[Imperial Crypt|Capuchin Crypt]] in Vienna. His interior organs were separately buried in the [[Ducal Crypt, Vienna|Ducal Crypt]].

==Marriages and children==
{{refimprove|section|date=February 2022}}
On 20 February 1631, Ferdinand III married his first wife, [[Maria Anna of Spain]] (1606–1646). She was the youngest daughter of [[Philip III of Spain]] and [[Margaret of Austria (1584-1611)|Margaret of Austria]]. They were first cousins, as Maria Anna's mother was a sister of Ferdinand's father. They were parents to six children:
* [[Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans]] (8 September 1633{{spaced ndash}} 9 July 1654)
* [[Mariana of Austria|Archduchess Maria Anna "Mariana" of Austria]] (22 December 1634{{spaced ndash}} 16 May 1696). At the age of 14, she was married to her maternal uncle [[Philip IV of Spain]]. Their daughter [[Margaret Theresa of Spain]] married Mariana's brother [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor]].
* Archduke Philip August of Austria (15 July 1637{{spaced ndash}} 22 June 1639)
* Archduke Maximilian Thomas of Austria (21 December 1638{{spaced ndash}} 29 June 1639)
* [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor]] (9 June 1640{{spaced ndash}} 5 May 1705)
* Archduchess Maria of Austria (13 May 1646)

On 2 July 1648 in [[Linz]], Ferdinand III married his second wife, [[Maria Leopoldine of Austria|Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria]] (1632–1649). She was a daughter of [[Leopold V, Archduke of Austria]], and [[Claudia de' Medici]]. They were first cousins as male-line grandchildren of [[Charles II, Archduke of Austria]], and [[Maria Anna of Bavaria (Archduchess of Austria)|Maria Anna of Bavaria]]. They had a single son:
* [[Karl Josef of Austria|Archduke Karl Josef of Austria]] (7 August 1649{{spaced ndash}} 27 January 1664). He was Grand Master of the [[Teutonic Knights]] from 1662 to his death.

On 30 April 1651, Ferdinand III married [[Eleonora Gonzaga (1630–1686)|Eleonora Gonzaga]]. She was a daughter of [[Charles IV Gonzaga, Duke of Rethel]]. They were parents to four children:
* Archduchess Theresia Maria Josefa of Austria (27 March 1652{{spaced ndash}} 26 July 1653)
* [[Eleonora Maria of Austria|Archduchess Eleonora Maria of Austria]] (21 May 1653{{spaced ndash}} 17 December 1697); married first [[Michael Korybut Wiśniowiecki]], King of Poland, and then [[Charles V, Duke of Lorraine|Charles Léopold]], Duke of Lorraine.
* [[Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria]] (30 December 1654{{spaced ndash}} 4 April 1689); married [[Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine]].
* Archduke Ferdinand Josef Alois of Austria (11 February 1657{{spaced ndash}} 16 June 1658)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ferdinand III of Habsburg (Habsburg-Lothringen), Holy Roman Emperor |url=https://www.geni.com/people/Ferdinand-III-von-Habsburg-Kaiser/6000000007896893977 |website=Geni.com |date=13 July 1608 |access-date=2 November 2019}}</ref>

==Music==
Ferdinand III was a well-known patron of music and a composer. He studied music under [[Giovanni Valentini]], who bequeathed his musical works to him, and had close ties with [[Johann Jakob Froberger]], one of the most important keyboard composers of the 17th century. Froberger lamented the emperor's death and dedicated to him one of his most celebrated works, ''Lamentation faite sur la mort très douloureuse de Sa Majesté Impériale, Ferdinand le troisième''; a [[tombeau]] for Ferdinand III's death was composed by the violinist [[Johann Heinrich Schmelzer]]. Some of Ferdinand's own compositions survive in manuscripts: masses, motets, hymns and other sacred music, as well as a few secular pieces. His ''Drama musicum'' was praised by [[Athanasius Kircher]], and the extant works, although clearly influenced by Valentini, show a composer with an individual style and a solid technique.<ref>{{Cite Grove |last=Lederer |first=Josef-Horst |title=Ferdinand III}}</ref>

Recordings of Ferdinand's compositions include:
:''Jesu Redemptor Omnium. Deus Tuorum. Humanae Salutis''. With [[Johann Heinrich Schmelzer|Schmelzer]]: ''Lamento Sopra La Morte de Ferdinand III.'' [[Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor|Joseph I]]: Regina Coeli. [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]]: Sonata Piena; Laudate Pueri. Wiener Akademie, dir. [[Martin Haselböck]], CPO 1997.
:Ferdinand III: Hymnus "Jesu Corona Virginum". On ''Musik für Gamben-Consort''. [[Klaus Mertens]], Hamburger Ratsmusik, dir. Simone Eckert CPO 2010

== Ancestry ==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
|1= 1. '''Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor'''
|2= 2. [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor]]
|3= 3. [[Maria Anna of Bavaria (1574-1616)|Maria Anna of Bavaria]]
|4= 4. [[Charles II, Archduke of Austria]]<ref name="NDB-Ferdinand II">{{NDB|5|83|85|Ferdinand II.|Eder, Karl|118532510}}</ref>
|5= 5. [[Maria Anna of Bavaria (1551-1608)|Maria Anna of Bavaria]]<ref name="NDB-Ferdinand II" />
|6= 6. [[William V, Duke of Bavaria]]<ref name="BLKO-Maria Anna von Bayern">{{BLKO|wstitle=Habsburg, Maria Anna von Bayern|volume=7 |page=23}}</ref>
|7= 7. [[Renata of Lorraine]]<ref name="BLKO-Maria Anna von Bayern" />
|8= 8. [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor]]<ref name="BLKO-Karl II">{{BLKO|wstitle=Habsburg, Karl II. von Steiermark|volume=6 |page=352}}</ref>
|9= 9. [[Anna of Bohemia and Hungary]]<ref name="BLKO-Karl II" />
|10= 10. [[Albert V, Duke of Bavaria]]<ref name="BLKO-Maria von Bayern">{{BLKO|wstitle=Habsburg, Maria von Bayern |volume=7 |page=20}}</ref> (= 12)
|11= 11. [[Archduchess Anna of Austria|Anna of Austria]]<ref name="BLKO-Maria von Bayern" /> (= 13)
|12= 12. [[Albert V, Duke of Bavaria]]<ref name="ADB-Wilhelm V">{{cite ADB|42|717|723|Wilhelm V. (Herzog von Bayern)|Sigmund Ritter von Riezler|ADB: Wilhelm V. (Herzog von Bayern)}}</ref> (= 10)
|13= 13. [[Archduchess Anna of Austria|Anna of Austria]]<ref name="ADB-Wilhelm V" /> (= 11)
|14= 14. [[Francis I, Duke of Lorraine]]<ref name="Cartwright1913">{{Cite book |last=Cartwright |first=Julia Mary |url=https://archive.org/details/christinaofdenma00adyj |title=Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan and Lorraine, 1522–1590 |publisher=E. P. Dutton |year=1913 |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/christinaofdenma00adyj/page/536 536]–539}}</ref>
|15= 15. [[Christina of Denmark]]<ref name="Cartwright1913" />
}}

==Male-line family tree==
{{Habsburg family tree}}

==See also==
* [[Kings of Germany family tree]]. He was related to every other king of Germany.

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{Cite book |last=Hengerer |first=Mark |title=Kaiser Ferdinand III. (1608–1657): Eine Biographie |publisher=Böhlau Verlag |year=2012 |isbn=978-3-205-77765-6 |location=Wien – Köln – Weimar |language=de}}
*{{Cite book |last=Höbelt |first=Lothar |title=Ferdinand III. (1608–1657). Friedenskaiser wider Willen |publisher=Ares Verlag |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-90247-556-5|location=Graz |language=de}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

===Regnal titles===

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[Habsburg|House of Habsburg]]|13 July|1608|2 April|1657}}
{{S-reg|}}
{{S-bef|rows=4|before=[[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[King of Hungary]] and [[King of Croatia|Croatia]]|years=1625–1657|regent1=[[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]]|years1=1625–1637|regent2=[[Ferdinand IV of Hungary|Ferdinand IV]]|years2=1647–1654}}
{{S-aft|rows=5|after=[[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]]}}
|-
{{S-ttl|title=[[King of Bohemia]]|years=1627–1657|regent1=[[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]]|years1=1627–1637|regent2=[[Ferdinand IV of Hungary|Ferdinand IV]]|years2=1646–1654}}
|-
{{S-ttl|title=[[Holy Roman Emperor]]<br>[[List of rulers of Austria|Archduke of Lower and Inner Austria]]|
 years=1637–1657|}}
{{s-break}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[King in Germany]]|years=1636–1653|regent1=[[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]]|years1=1636–1637|regent2=[[Ferdinand IV of Hungary|Ferdinand IV]]|years2=1653–1654}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Elizabeth Lucretia, Duchess of Teschen|Elizabeth Lucretia]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Duchy of Teschen|Duke of Teschen]]|years=1653–1657|regent1=[[Ferdinand IV of Hungary|Ferdinand IV]]|years1=1653–1654}}
{{S-end}}

{{Holy Roman Emperors}}
{{House of Habsburg after Ferdinand II}}
{{Monarchs of Bohemia}}
{{German monarchs}}
{{Rulers of Austria}}
{{Austrian archdukes}}
{{Hungarian kings}}
{{Croatian kings}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand 3, Holy Roman Emperor}}
[[Category:1608 births]]
[[Category:1657 deaths]]
[[Category:17th-century Holy Roman Emperors]]
[[Category:17th-century archdukes of Austria]]
[[Category:17th-century monarchs of Bohemia]]
[[Category:17th-century Hungarian monarchs]]
[[Category:17th-century classical composers]]
[[Category:Austrian Baroque composers]]
[[Category:Dukes of Teschen]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece]]
[[Category:Male classical composers]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Graz]]
[[Category:Austrian people of the Thirty Years' War]]
[[Category:Field marshals of the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Burials at the Imperial Crypt]]
[[Category:Burials at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna]]
[[Category:Royal reburials]]
[[Category:Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor| ]]
[[Category:Austrian patrons of music]]
[[Category:Habsburg monarchs of Bohemia]]
[[Category:Kings of Hungary]]
[[Category:Kings of Croatia]]