Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (5 January 1614 – 20 November 1662), younger brother of Emperor Ferdinand III, was an Austrian soldier, administrator and patron of the arts.

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria
Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, by Pieter Thijs
Born	5 January 1614 Wiener Neustadt
Died	20 November 1662 (aged 48) Vienna
Allegiance	Holy Roman Empire
Years of service	1640 to 1656
Commands	Governor, Spanish Netherlands 1647-1656
Battles / wars	Thirty Years' War Second Breitenfeld Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) Gravelines Lens
Relations	Emperor Ferdinand III brother Leopold I nephew
Other work	Prince-bishop Halberstadt Passau Breslau Olmütz Strasbourg Grand Master, Teutonic Order 1641–1662

He held a number of military commands, with limited success, and served as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, before returning to Vienna in 1656. Despite being nominated as Holy Roman Emperor after Ferdinand's death in 1657, he stood aside in favour of his nephew Leopold I.

His main interest was in art, and he patronised artists including David Teniers the Younger, Frans Snyders, Peter Snayers, Daniel Seghers, Peter Franchoys, Frans Wouters, Jan van den Hoecke and Pieter Thijs. His collection of 17th century Venetian and Dutch paintings are now held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

Life

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, ca 1650s by David Teniers the Younger

Born at Wiener Neustadt on 5 January, 1614, he was the sixth of seven children born to Emperor Ferdinand II (1578-1637) and his first wife, Maria Anna of Bavaria (1574–1616). His elder brother became Emperor Ferdinand III (1608–1657).

Career

As a younger son, Leopold was educated for the church but was never ordained. Despite not being a member of the clergy, he held various Prince-Bishoprics within the Holy Roman Empire to provide him an income: Halberstadt (1628–1648), Passau (1625–1662), Breslau (1656–1662), Olmütz (1637–1662) and Strasbourg (1626–1662).

He was also appointed to the Bishopric of Halberstadt in 1627, Magdeburg in 1629 and Bremen in 1635. All three were in the Protestant north, where the infrastructure of the Catholic church had long since disappeared; he never exercised power and all three were secularised in 1648.^[1] He became the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order in 1641.

During his lifetime, the Habsburg rulers of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire faced the 1568 to 1648 Dutch Revolt, the 1618 to 1648 Thirty Years War and other conflicts, including the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659). Despite his reluctance, Ferdinand made him Imperial commander in 1639, largely due to lack of reliable subordinates; he resigned following a disastrous defeat at Second Breitenfeld in 1642, a battle fought against the advice of his generals.

He was re-appointed after another Imperial defeat at the 1645 Battle of Jankau, then Governor of the Spanish Netherlands in 1647. In that role, he lost the Battle of Lens against Condé and then he helped negotiate an end to the war in the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia; the Franco-Spanish War continued, obliging him to remain in Brussels until 1656.^[2]

Art collection

While in Brussels, he employed David Teniers the Younger as keeper of his collection, spending immense sums on works by Frans Snyders, Peter Snayers, Daniel Seghers, Peter Franchoys, Frans Wouters, Jan van den Hoecke, Pieter Thijs, Jan van de Venne and others. He also acquired a number of Italian masters, purchased from the sale of collections owned by Bartolomeo della Nave and Charles I. His most prized pieces engraved in the book Theatrum Pictorium, which is often called the first "art catalogue".

When the tomb of Childeric I, an early Merovingian king, was discovered in 1653 by a mason doing repairs in the church of Saint-Brice in Tournai, it was Leopold Wilhelm who had the find published in Latin. On his return to Vienna in 1656, his collection relocated to the Hofburg Palace, where Jan Anton van der Baren, a Flemish priest and artist, served as director. The collection was bequeathed to his nephew Leopold I, and is now part of the collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

He played an active role in court politics and was close to his stepmother, Eleonora of Mantua (1598-1655), who shared his interest in Italian art and was a prominent supporter of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Although suggested as a candidate to replace Ferdinand as Holy Roman Emperor in 1657, he ensured his nephew Leopold I was elected when he reached 18 in July 1658. ^[3]

• 
  Bust of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, by Francois Dieussart (1656). Kunsthistorisches Museum
• 
  Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in his Gallery in Brussels, by David Teniers the Younger, c. 1650
• 
  Gallery of the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in Brussels; by David Teniers the Younger, 1651

Ancestors

Ancestors of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria

16. Philip I of Castile[4][5] 8. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor[6] (= 22, 26) 17. Joanna of Castile[5] 4. Charles II, Archduke of Austria[7] 18. Vladislas II of Bohemia and Hungary[8] 9. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary[6] (= 23, 27) 19. Anna of Foix-Candale[8] 2. Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor 20. William IV, Duke of Bavaria[9] (= 24) 10. Albert V, Duke of Bavaria[10] (= 12) 21. Marie of Baden-Sponheim[9] (= 25) 5. Maria Anna of Bavaria[7] (≠ 3) 22. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor[11] (= 8, 26) 11. Anna of Austria[10] (= 13) 23. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary[11] (= 9, 27) 1. Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria 24. William IV, Duke of Bavaria (= 20) 12. Albert V, Duke of Bavaria[12] (= 10) 25. Marie of Baden-Sponheim (= 21) 6. William V, Duke of Bavaria[13] 26. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (= 8, 22) 13. Anna of Austria[12] (= 11) 27. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary (= 9, 23) 3. Maria Anna of Bavaria (≠ 5) 28. Antoine, Duke of Lorraine[14] 14. Francis I, Duke of Lorraine[14] 29. Renée of Bourbon-Montpensier[14] 7. Renata of Lorraine[13] 30. Christian II of Denmark[14] 15. Christina of Denmark[14] 31. Isabella of Austria[14]

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. Mutschlechner, Martin. "Archduke Leopold Wilhelm: a Baroque prince of the Church par excellence". Habsburger.net. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
2. Mutschlechner, Martin. "Leopold Wilhelm: the prince of the Church in armour". Habsburger.net. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
3. González Cuerva, Tercero Casado 2017, p. 164.
4. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor at the Encyclopædia Britannica
5. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor at the Encyclopædia Britannica
6. 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.
7. Eder, Karl (1961), "Ferdinand II.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 5, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 83–85; (full text online)
8. Obermayer-Marnach, Eva (1953), "Anna Jagjello", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, p. 299; (full text online)
9. Goetz, Walter (1953), "Albrecht V.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 158–160; (full text online)
10. 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.
11. Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Anna von Oesterreich (1528–1587)" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 151 – via Wikisource.
12. Sigmund Ritter von Riezler (1897), "Wilhelm V. (Herzog von Bayern)", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 42, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 717–723
13. Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria Anna von Bayern" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 23 – via Wikisource.
14. Cartwright, Julia Mary (1913). Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan and Lorraine, 1522-1590. New York: E. P. Dutton. pp. 536–539.

Sources

• González Cuerva, Rubén; Tercero Casado, Luis (2017). "The Imperial Court during the Thirty Years War". In Caesar, Mathieu (ed.). Factional Struggles: Divided Elites in European Cities & Courts (1400-1750). BRILL. ISBN 978-9004344150.
• Schreiber, Renate (2004). "Ein Galeria nach meinem Humor": Erzherzog Leopold Wilhelm. Vienna: Kunsthistorisches Museum. ISBN 3854970854.
• Liedtke , Walter A. (1984). Flemish paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 0870993569. (See index, v. 1, for more information on Leopold Wilhelm's patronage)

External links

• Mutschlechner, Martin. "Archduke Leopold Wilhelm: a Baroque prince of the Church par excellence". Habsburger.net. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
• Mutschlechner, Martin. "Leopold Wilhelm: the prince of the Church in armour". Habsburger.net. Retrieved 27 January 2020.

Leopold William of Austria House of Habsburg Born: 5 January 1614 in Wiener Neustadt Died: 20 November 1662 in Vienna
Catholic Church titles
Regnal titles
Preceded by Christian William of Brandenburg as Lutheran Administrator	Prince-Archbishop of Magdeburg1 1631–1638	Succeeded by Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels as Lutheran Administrator
	Prince-Bishop of Halberstadt1 1628–1648	Secularised to the Principality of Halberstadt
Preceded by Frederick II, Crown Prince of Denmark as Lutheran Administrator	Prince-Archbishop of Bremen2 1635–1645	Succeeded by Franz Wilhelm, Count of Wartenberg as Vicar Apostolic
Preceded by Leopold V, Archduke of Austria	Prince-Bishop of Strasbourg1 1626–1662	Succeeded by Franz Egon of Fürstenberg
	Prince-Bishop of Passau1 1625–1662	Succeeded by Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria
Preceded by John Ernest Plateis of Plattenstein	Prince-Bishop of Olmütz1 1637–1662
Preceded by Karol Ferdynand Vasa	Prince-Bishop of Breslau1 1656–1662
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by John Caspar I, Lord of Stadion	Grand Master of the Teutonic Order 1641–1662	Succeeded by Archduke Charles Joseph of Austria
Government offices
Preceded by Manuel de Moura, Marquis of Castelo Rodrigo	Governor of the Spanish Netherlands 1647–1656	Succeeded by John of Austria, the Younger
Notes and references
1. Catholic Administrator, due to lack of canonical qualification 2. De jure only; de facto he was barred by the Swedish occupants