Person

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor

1503–1564 · 16th century · Also known as Ferdinand of Habsburg

Ferdinand I was the younger brother of Charles V, who gave him the Austrian lands in 1521. After Louis II died at Mohács in 1526 he was elected king of Bohemia and Hungary, and Croatian nobles chose him in 1527, founding the Habsburg Monarchy of Central Europe. He fought the Ottomans and John Zápolya for Hungary and succeeded Charles as emperor in 1556.

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Image: Hans Bocksberger the Elder · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 7 state histories

Kingdom of Croatia (1102-1526)Inner AustriaHabsburg MonarchyKingdom of Hungary (1526-1867)Realm of Jovan NenadEastern Hungarian KingdomKingdom of Croatia (Habsburg)

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ferdinand-i-holy-roman-emperor
MLA
“Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ferdinand-i-holy-roman-emperor. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ferdinand-i-holy-roman-emperor.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ferdinand-i-holy-roman-emperor (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻