71-7579 THIRY, Jr., Alexander George, 1930- REGENCY OF ARCHDUKE FERDINAND, 1521-1531; FIRST HABSBURG ATTEMPT AT CENTRALIZED CONTROL OF GERMANY, The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1970 History, modern University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED REGENCY OF ARCHDUKE FERDINAND, 1521-1531: FIRST HABSBURG ATTEMPT AT CENTRALIZED CONTROL OF GERMANY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Alexander G. Thiry, B. A., M. A. ****** The Ohio State University 1970 Approved by Iviser Department of History PREFACE For those with professional interest in the Reforma­ tion era, Ferdinand of the House of Habsburg requires no special introduction here. As the younger and sole brother of Charles V, who was the Holy Roman Emperor of the German Nation in the first-half of the sixteenth century, Ferdi­ nand's place among the list of secular, notables of the pe­ riod is assured. Singled out in 1521 by his imperial brother to be the Archduke of Austria and to become his personal representative in Germany, attaining the kingships of Bohe­ mia and Hungary in 1526 and 1527 respectively, and designated, following his brother's abdication and retirement from pub­ lic life in 1556, to succeed him as emperor of Germany, Fer­ dinand could not help leaving behind him from such political heights indelible footprints upon the course of history. Yet, probably because of the fragmentation of Ferdi­ nand's energy into these many various channels of responsi­ bility and the presence of his illustrious brother, Charles V, and his fanatical nephew, Philip II of Spain, who both eclipsed his own place on the stage of history, Ferdinand's historical significance has been largely overlooked by IX posterity. Although his activities with respect to Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary have already been adequately scruti­ nized by the historians of these nations, a full length biographical treatment is still a desideratum. There are, in the main, two phases of Ferdinand's public career which need critical evaluation: the ten-year period between 1521 and 1531 when he served as Statthalter, or regent, of Ger­ many; and the concluding six-year period of his life between 1558 and 1554 when he reigned as emperor of the Germans. It is the purpose of this study to consider the first phase -- to recapitulate and analyze the saliant features of Ferdinand's ten-year term in the German regency, with par­ ticular emphasis on the political and religious currents then in operation and a more than passing glance at his in­ volvement in the affairs of Central Europe. In coping with this objective, an effort was made — whenever possible — to investigate primary sources, among which the most impor­ tant are Ferdinand's correspondence with members of his family and the transactions of German imperial diets. In undertaking this task within that epoch of history when religious fervor captivated minds and often prompted them to deeds that observers may well judge irrational by present-day standards and whose ultimate repercussions still echo within Christendom today, it has been my explicit aim to develop and maintain persistently a tone of impartiality. I l l since a total divestment of personal bias is hardly accom­ plishable in its entirety by anybody, I can only hope that in different places I have either equally pleased or dis­ pleased all shades in the religious spectrum. No preface is ever complete without recognizing those whose counsel, encouragement, and help have aided the author in the realization of his project — a pleasure in itself and rendered even more pleasing by being able to acknowledge publicly such a debt to others. I wish to express my grati­ tude to the Fulbright Commission on Higher Education whose generosity, in the form of a Travel and Research Grant, made it possible for me to avail myself of the primary sources in Vienna, Austria, and set my eyes upon places Ferdinand once frequented. Moreover, I am rightfully indebted to the Austrian state authorities — to the Federal Ministry of Education in particular — whose friendliness and coopera­ tive spirit I have constantly enjoyed while collecting mater­ ial for this study. Above all, for personal suggestions, competent guidance, and untiring assistance my obligations to Dr. Harold J. Grimm, Professor of History at The Ohio State University and my faculty advisor, are deep and long standing. Without his good judgment and fine discrimination in all that pertained to translating my thoughts into words, I would now be embar­ rassed in presenting this study to the public. XV The final acknowledgment is to Mrs. June Bourgeois, who spent many weary hours typing and patiently checking the manuscript. None of the above should be blamed in any way for the final result. All evaluations and conclusions and what errors may still remain are my own. Broadview Heights, Ohio Alexander G. Thiry June, 1970 V VITA Sept. 5, 1930 Born, Budapest, Hungary 1959 . B.A., Baldwin-Wallaca College Berea, Ohio 1959-1960 . Graduate Assistant, Department of History, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 1963 M.A., Kent State University Kent, Ohio 1964-1967 . Teaching Assistant, Department of History The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1967-1968 . Recipient of Fulbright Travel and Research Grant to Vienna, Austria 1968-1969 . Instructor, Department of History, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Modern European History Renaissance and Reformation. Professor Harold J. Grimm French Revolution and Napoleon. Professor John C. Rule Tudor and Stuart England. Professor Clayton R. Roberts VI TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ................................................ XI VITA ................................................ vi INTRODUCTION ......................................... 1 Chapter I. YEARS OF MATURATION:1503-1522 ................ 9 II. TRYING YEARS:1522-1524 26 III. YEARS OF ASCENDANCY:1524-1526 ................ 63 IV. REACHING THE APEX:1524-1526 ................... 96 V. WINNING OF THE CROWNS OF BOHEMIA AND HUNGARY:1526-1527 .............................. 133 VI. YEARS OF CATHOLIC REACTION:1526-1529 .... 157 VII. FINAL YEARS TO AMBITION'S-END:1529-1531 . 203 NOTES TO THE T E X T ............................ 271 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................... 299 vxx INTRODUCTION THE EUROPEAN WORLD AT THE EVE OF FERDINAND'S ACCESSION Perhaps as early as 1300 but certainly by the middle of the fifteenth century and onward into the first decades of the sixteenth century, western Europe was churning through a period of transition from medieval into modern times. Like all prior transitions, this one, too, entailed a radical re­ organization of all the basic forms of life, altering all the economic, social, political, and spiritual values that the Middle Ages had for centuries provided. Although the contours of this metamorphosis were not sharply etched at first, they gained definiteness as the increasing momentum of change swept the second half of the fifteenth century so that by the early 1500's, it had become fairly evident that the legacy of the Middle Ages would no longer hold up in the court of facts. One of the most salient features of medieval civili­ zation was its attempt to force its citizens to live together as a single religious community, everyone adopting and adhereing to a set of uniform beliefs as promulgated by the Roman Catholic Church. This colossal organization. which asserted and exercised spiritual control over all its members of its monolithic body ever since the days of the declining Roman Empire, had been, like any other institution, subjected to mismanagement, corruption, and the maladies arising from other shortcomings. While this ecclesiastical aggregate had managed in the past, either voluntarily or under some outside pressure, to purge itself of much in­ ternal disease, it proved reluctant after 1300 to remedy the malignancy that was now menacing the soundness of its struc­ ture. To make matters even worse, the Papacy itself, the apex of this mammoth body, chose to set a sorry example of dis­ unity, wordliness, and divided purpose. Its Avignon sojourn (1309-78), the Great Schism (1378-1417), and its subsequent involvement in the factional politics of Italy brought it to what must have been its nadir in the eyes of its Founder. Criticism now rose to demand specific reforms and became crystallized in the concilier movement whose aim was to cleanse the Augean stable in Rome in democratic fashion through decisions arrived at in general councils of the Church, representing, theoretically, all the faithful. Sensing correctly that the conciliarists were determined, in their reforming zeal, to curtail some of the papal prerogatives, the popes managed, by and large, to outmaneuver their antagonists and even succeeded in strengthening the monarchical principles of the Roman Curia within the Church. But their papal maneuverings proved to be a Pyrrhic victory, for the resolute avoidance of self-reform rendered vulner­ able the unity and discipline of Latin Christendom. In fact, the Church became a virtual tinderbox of early modern Europe, ready to explode at any moment if the right candle was held to it. The other memorable characteristic of the medieval panorama was the all-pervasive feudal system which set its own stamp on all economic, social, and political institu­ tions. The relative self-sufficiency marking the feudal system economically, with its manorial organization for agricultural production and its merchant-craftsman-guild network controlling the industrial output, was gradually replaced by new economic concepts and forms. Due to the increased use of money instead of barter, the western Euro­ pean peasantry, once bound to the soil of their landlords, now advanced to being free tenants, though they still faced a host of oppressive dues and services. Even more dramatic was the disintegration of the corporate guild system of the Middle Ages under the impact of new trading relationships, increased industrial production, and novel forms of business organization and techniques.