Sigismund Francis, Archduke of Austria

Sigismund Francis, Archduke of Further Austria (27 November 1630 – 25 June 1665) was the ruler of Further Austria including Tyrol from 1662 to 1665.

Sigismund Francis
Portrait by Giovanni Maria Morandi, c. 1665
Archduke of Further Austria
Reign	30 December 1662 – 25 June 1665
Predecessor	Ferdinand Charles
Successor	Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
Born	(1630-11-27)November 27, 1630 Innsbruck, County of Tyrol
Died	July 25, 1665(1665-07-25) (aged 34) Innsbruck, County of Tyrol
Spouse	Hedwig of Sulzbach ​ (m. 1665)​
House	Habsburg
Father	Leopold V, Archduke of Austria
Mother	Claudia de' Medici
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Biography

He was born at Innsbruck, the second son of Leopold V, Archduke of Austria and Claudia de' Medici. He was appointed as Prince-bishop of Augsburg in 1646. In 1653, he became bishop of Gurk and in 1659 Prince-bishop of Trent. He was never ordained as a priest or consecrated as a bishop.

In 1662 he was put forth by his cousin Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor as a candidate for bishop of Strasbourg. This included large cash incentives to the cathedral chapter and a promise that Sigismund would be a very hands off ruler. After the 1662 death of his brother Archduke Ferdinand Charles, he became Archduke of Further Austria, and therefore withdrew from the candidacy for the bishopric.^[1] He was more able than his brother and could have made him a good ruler, but with his early death in 1665 the younger Tyrolean line of the House of Habsburg ended. Leopold I, who as the heir male succeeded Sigismund Francis, took direct control over the government of Further Austria and Tyrol.

He married Hedwig of the Palatinate-Sulzbach on 3 June 1665 and died in Innsbruck twenty-two days later of an illness.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Sigismund Francis, Archduke of Austria

8. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor[2] (= 22) 4. Charles II, Archduke of Austria[3] 9. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary[2] (= 23) 2. Leopold V, Archduke of Austria 10. Albert V, Duke of Bavaria[4] 5. Maria Anna of Bavaria[3] 11. Anna of Austria[4] 1. Sigismund Francis, Archduke of Austria 12. Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany[5] 6. Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany[6] 13. Eleanor de Toledo[5] 3. Claudia de' Medici 14. Charles III, Duke of Lorraine[7] 7. Christina of Lorraine[6] 15. Claude of Valois[7]

Male-line family tree

v t e House of Habsburg[n 1]
Original line Albert Count of Habsburg c. 1188–1239 Rudolf I of Germany c. 1218–1291 Albert I of Germany 1255–1308 Hartmann 1263–1281 Rudolf II Duke of Austria 1270–1290 Rudolf I of Bohemia 1281–1307 Frederick the Fair c. 1289–1330 Leopold I Duke of Austria 1290–1326 Albert II Duke of Austria 1298–1358 Henry the Friendly 1299–1327 Otto Duke of Austria 1301–1339 John Parricida c. 1290–1312/1313   Albertinian line   Leopoldian line Rudolf IV Duke of Austria 1339–1365 Frederick III 1347–1362 Albert III Duke of Austria 1349–1395 Leopold III Duke of Austria 1351–1386 Frederick II Duke of Austria 1327–1344 Leopold II Duke of Austria 1328–1344 Albert IV Duke of Austria 1377–1404 William Duke of Austria c. 1370–1406 Leopold IV Duke of Austria 1371–1411 Ernest Duke of Austria 1377–1424 Frederick IV Duke of Austria 1382–1439 Albert II of Germany 1397–1439 Frederick III HRE 1415–1493 Albert VI Archduke of Austria 1418–1463 Sigismund Archduke of Austria 1427–1496 Ladislaus the Posthumous 1440–1457 Maximilian I HRE 1459–1519 Philip I of Castile 1478–1506   Spanish / Iberian line   Austrian / HRE line Charles V HRE 1500–1558 Ferdinand I HRE 1503–1564 Philip II of Spain 1527–1598 Maximilian II HRE 1527–1576 Ferdinand II Archduke of Austria 1529–1595 Charles II Archduke of Austria 1540–1590 Carlos Prince of Asturias 1545–1568 Philip III of Spain 1578–1621 Rudolf II HRE 1552–1612 Ernest of Austria 1553–1595 Matthias HRE 1557–1619 Maximilian III Archduke of Austria 1558–1618 Albert VII Archduke of Austria 1559–1621 Wenceslaus Archduke of Austria 1561–1578 Andrew Margrave of Burgau 1558–1600 Charles Margrave of Burgau 1560–1618 Ferdinand II HRE 1578–1637 Maximilian Ernest of Austria 1583–1616 Leopold V Archduke of Austria 1586–1632 Charles of Austria 1590–1624 Philip IV of Spain 1605–1665 Charles of Austria 1607–1632 Ferdinand of Austria 1609–1641 John-Charles of Austria 1605–1619 Ferdinand III HRE 1608–1657 Leopold Wilhelm of Austria 1614–1662 Ferdinand Charles Archduke of Austria 1628–1662 Sigismund Francis Archduke of Austria 1630–1665 Balthasar Charles Prince of Asturias 1629–1646 Charles II of Spain 1661–1700 Ferdinand IV King of the Romans 1633–1654 Leopold I HRE 1640–1705 Charles Joseph of Austria 1649–1664 Joseph I HRE 1678–1711 Charles VI HRE 1685–1740
Notes: "Habsburg family tree". Habsburg family website. 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.

References

1. O'Connor 1978, p. 19-21.
2. Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Karl II. von Steiermark" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 352 – via Wikisource.
3. Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Leopold V." . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 416 – via Wikisource.
4. Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria von Bayern" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 20 – via Wikisource.
5. "The Medici Granducal Archive" (PDF). The Medici Archive Project. pp. 12–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2005. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
6. Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Claudia von Florenz" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 159 – via Wikisource.
7. "Christine of Lorraine (c. 1571–1637)". Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Gale Research. 2002. Retrieved 28 August 2018.

Works cited

• O'Connor, John T. (1978). Negotiator out of Season. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. ISBN 0-8203-0436-0.

Regnal titles
Preceded by Ferdinand Charles	Archduke of Further Austria 1662–1665	Succeeded by Leopold VI
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Heinrich von Knöringen	Prince-Bishop of Augsburg 1646–1665	Succeeded by Johann Christoph von Freyberg-Allmendingen
Preceded by Franz von Lodron	Bishop of Gurk 1653–1665	Succeeded by Wenzeslaus von Thun
Preceded by Carlo Emanuele di Madruzzo	Prince-Bishop of Trent 1659–1665	Succeeded by Ernst Adalbert von Harrach