Frederick III 1415-93
Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany

Born in Innsbruck, Austria, the son of Duke Ernest of Austria, he was elected King of Germany as Frederick IV (1440) and crowned emperor (1452). His reign was one of anarchy, wars raging on the frontiers of the empire, and disorders within. During its course Frederick lost his hold upon Switzerland, purchased peace from his brother Albert in Upper Austria, allowed Francesco Sforza to take Milan, George of Podiebrad (1420-71) to take the throne of Bohemia, and Matthias I Hunyadi that of Hungary, and failed to oppose two Turkish invasions (1469, 1475). Nevertheless, by the marriage (1477) of his son, Maximilian I, to Mary, daughter of Charles, the Bold, of Burgundy, he laid the foundation of the subsequent greatness of the Habsburg dynasty. Although he neglected government for alchemy, astrology and botany, he lost no opportunity to aggrandize his own family, and from his time the Holy Roman Empire was almost exclusively ruled by the House of Austria.