General Notes

Rudolf II (1552-1612), Holy Roman emperor (1576-1612), king of Hungary
(1572-1608), and king of Bohemia (1575-1611), born in Vienna, the son and
successor of Emperor Maximilian II. Rudolf's ability to rule was impaired by
frequent fits of insanity and by a passionate interest in science, to which he
devoted most of his time. He was the patron of the Danish astronomer Tycho
Brahe and the German astronomer Johannes Kepler. His sanction of religious
persecution aroused bitter discontent, and in 1604 an insurrection broke out
in Hungary. By 1608 Rudolf's brother Matthias had assumed control of both
Hungary and Bohemia, and in 1609 Rudolf was compelled to grant a charter of
religious liberties to the Bohemians.