Born at Wiener Neustadt in 1558, Maximilian III was the fourth son of Emperor Maximilian II and Empress Maria of Austria. In 1585, he became the Grandmaster of the Teutonic Order, and thereafter was known by the epithet "the German Master" ("der Deutschmeister"). In 1587, he was a candidate for the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and a portion of the Polish nobility elected him king. As a result of a chaotic election process, however, another candidate was also elected. Maximilian attempted to resolve the dispute by military means, thereby starting the War of the Polish Succession. Although he had considerable support in Poland, his rival attracted more supporters. After a failed attempt to storm Kraków in late 1587, Maximilian was defeated at the Battle of Byczyna in January 1588, and taken captive. He was only released through the intervention of Pope Sixtus V. In 1589, he formally renounced his claim to the Polish crown. In 1595, he succeeded his uncle Ferdinand II as Archduke of Further Austria and Governor of Tyrol, where he proved to be a solid proponent of the Counter-Reformation. Maximilian died at Vienna in 1618, and was buried in the canopied tomb in Innsbruck Cathedral.