Person

Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor

1578–1637 · 17th century

Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, was the son of Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria and ruled from Graz before becoming emperor in 1619. A Jesuit-educated champion of the Counter-Reformation, he expelled Protestant preachers from Styria and his other lands. The Bohemian revolt against him in 1618 began the Thirty Years' War, and his victory at the White Mountain in 1620 was followed by forced re-Catholicisation.

Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Image: Unidentified painter · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 5 state histories

Duchy of StyriaDuchy of KrnovInner AustriaDuchy of Mecklenburg-GüstrowElectorate of Bavaria

See also

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻