page_title: Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
section_title: Marriage and children
hierarchical_section_title: Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor / Marriage and children
context_page_description: Maximilian II, a member of the Austrian House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor from 1564 until his death. He was crowned King of Bohemia in Prague on 14 May 1562 and elected King of Germany on 24 November 1562. On 8 September 1563 he was crowned King of Hungary and Croatia in the Hungarian capital Pressburg. On 25 July 1564 he succeeded his father Ferdinand I as ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.
  Maximilian's rule was shaped by the confessionalization process after the 1555 Peace of Augsburg. Though a Habsburg and a Catholic, he approached the Lutheran Imperial estates with a view to overcome the denominational schism, which ultimately failed. He also was faced with the ongoing Ottoman–Habsburg wars and rising conflicts with his Habsburg Spain cousins.
  According to Fichtner, Maximilian failed to achieve his three major aims: rationalizing the government structure, unifying Christianity, and evicting the Turks from Hungary.
context_section_description: On 13 September 1548, Maximilian married his first cousin Maria of Spain, daughter of Emperor Charles V and Isabella of Portugal. Despite Maria's commitment to Habsburg Spain and her strong Catholic manners, the marriage was a happy one. The couple had sixteen children:
  Archduchess Anna of Austria (1 November 1549 – 26 October 1580). Married Philip II of Spain, her uncle. She was the mother of Philip III of Spain.
  Archduke Ferdinand of Austria (28 March 1551 – 25 June 1552).
  Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612).
  Archduke Ernest of Austria, (15 July 1553 – 12 February 1595). He served as Governor of the Low Countries.
  Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria (5 July 1554 – 22 January 1592). Married Charles IX of France.
  Archduchess Marie of Austria (27 July 1555 – 25 June 1556).
  Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (24 February 1557 – 20 March 1619).
  A stillborn son (20 October 1557).
  Archduke Maximilian of Austria (12 October 1558 – 2 November 1618). Elected king of Poland, but never crowned. He served as grandmaster of the Teutonic Order and Administrator of Prussia.
  Archduke Albert of Austria (15 November 1559 – 13 July 1621). He served as Governor of the Low Countries.
  Archduke Wenceslaus of Austria (9 March 1561 – 22 September 1578).
  Archduke Frederick of Austria (21 June 1562 – 16 January 1563).
  Archduchess Marie of Austria (19 February 1564 – 26 March 1564). Named after her deceased older sister.
  Archduke Charles of Austria (26 September 1565 – 23 May 1566).
  Archduchess Margaret of Austria (25 January 1567 – 5 July 1633). A nun.
  Archduchess Eleanor of Austria (4 November 1568 – 12 March 1580).
caption: Maximilian II with his family by Giuseppe Arcimboldo
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