Ferdinand II (1529 - 1595) was the Count of the Tyrol and regent of Further Austria from 1564 until 1595.
Ferdinand was born in Linz on 14 July 1529 as the second son of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I. In 1547 Ferdinand was made the administrator of Bohemia, and he led the campaign against the Turks in Hungary in 1556.
In 1557 Ferdinand married Philippine Welser, the daughter of a wealthy patrician from Augsburg. His father only allowed the marriage in 1559 on condition that the marriage was kept secret and any children from the marriage would not be able to inherit unless the House of Habsburg became extinct entirely in the male line, although the children took the last name "of Austria". Ferdinand and Philippine eventually had three survivng children.
After his father died in 1564 Ferdinand was made the Count of the Tyrol and the regent of Further Austria. However he remained the governor of Bohemia until 1567 following the wishes of his brother Maximilian. Ferdinand worked to ensure the success of the Counter-Reformation in his lands. Ferdinand was an avid art collector and gained a large collection which brought him into debt. After Philippine died in 1580, Ferdinand married Anne Catherine of Mantua in 1582. He died on 24 January 1595. As his children weren't entitled to inherit, Tyrol returned to the elder Austrian line of Habsburgs.
Children with Philippine Welser[]
- Andrew (1558 - 1600)
- Charles (1560 - 1627)
Children with Anne Catherine[]
- Anne (1585 - 1618)
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Preceded by: |
Ferdinand I |
Succeeded by: |
|---|---|---|
| Ferdinand I | Count of the Tyrol 1564 - 1595 |
Rudolph V |