  rudolf ii (july 18, 1552 &ndash; january 20, 1612) was holy roman emperor (1576â1612), king of hungary and croatia (as rudolf i, 1572â1608), king of bohemia (1575â1608/1611) and archduke of austria (1576â1608). he was a member of the house of habsburg. rudolf's legacy has traditionally been viewed in three ways:hotson, 1999. an ineffectual ruler whose mistakes led directly to the thirty years' war; a great and influential patron of northern mannerist art; and a devotee of occult arts and learning which helped seed the scientific revolution. ==biography== thumb|left|200px|archduke rudolf rudolf was born in vienna on 18 july 1552. he was the eldest son and successor of maximilian ii, holy roman emperor, king of bohemia, and king of hungary and croatia; his mother was maria of spain, a daughter of charles v and isabella of portugal. rudolf spent eight formative years, from age 11 to 19 (1563â1571), in spain, at the court of his maternal uncle phillip ii. after his return to vienna, his father was concerned about rudolf's aloof and stiff manner, typical of the more conservative spanish court, rather than the more relaxed and open austrian court; but his s
1552_births 1612_deaths 16th-century_Austrian_people Bohemian_monarchs Bohemian_princes Burials_at_St._Vitus_Cathedral Counts_of_Tyrol German_kings Holy_Roman_Emperors House_of_Habsburg Kings_of_Croatia Kings_of_Hungary Knights_of_the_Garter Knights_of_the_Golden_Fleece Occultists People_from_Vienna Rulers_of_Austria Rulers_of_Transylvania