Archduke Wenceslaus of Austria
Encyclopedia
Archduke Wenceslaus of Austria (9 March 1561 – 22 September 1578), was a German prince member of the House of Habsburg and since 1577 Grand Prior of the Order of Malta in Castile
.
He was the son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
by his wife Maria of Spain
.
, Wenceslaus was the eleventh child and eighth son of his parents' sixteen children, from whom nine survive early infancy. He grew up mostly in the Spanish court with several of his siblings. In 1577 Wenceslaus was appointed Grand Prior of the Order of Malta in Castile
, but died suddenly one year later in Madrid
, aged seventeen. He was buried in the Panteon de los Infantes in the Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial
.
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
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He was the son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian II was king of Bohemia and king of the Romans from 1562, king of Hungary and Croatia from 1563, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation from 1564 until his death...
by his wife Maria of Spain
Maria of Spain
Archduchess Maria of Austria was the spouse of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia and Hungary. She was the daughter of Emperor Charles V and twice served as regent of Spain.-Life:...
.
Life
Born in Wiener NeustadtWiener Neustadt
-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...
, Wenceslaus was the eleventh child and eighth son of his parents' sixteen children, from whom nine survive early infancy. He grew up mostly in the Spanish court with several of his siblings. In 1577 Wenceslaus was appointed Grand Prior of the Order of Malta in Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
, but died suddenly one year later in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, aged seventeen. He was buried in the Panteon de los Infantes in the Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial
El Escorial
The Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a historical residence of the king of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometres northwest of the capital, Madrid, in Spain. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum, and...
.