[FERDINAND I. OF AOSTRIA.] From this time the House of Austria was divided into two great branches, the successors of Charles V., or the Spanish breach, and those of Ferdinand, or the German branch. Ferdinand I. died in 1564, leaving his eldest son, Maximilian, as arch duke of Austria, and his other son, Charles, as duke of Styris, Carin thia, and Carniola. Maximilian succeeded his father as emperor, and died in 1576, after an able and wise reign. He concluded a convention with John Sigismund, who resigned to him the crown of Hungary, retaining the title of Prince of Transylvania. In Bohemia, Maximilian was acknowledged without difficulty, and his government was praised by both Roman Catholics and Protestants for its tolerance, moderation, and respect for their local privileges and usages. He was succeeded by his son Rudolf, styled Rudolf IL, emperor of Germany. For the first time since the Habsburg family camo into possession of the Austrian territories, Rudolf, as 3Iaximilian's eldest son, obtained the sole possession of his paternal dominions, while his brothers, instead of having a joint-share in the government, were provided with annual pensions. This change, whether arranged during the reign of Maxi milian IL, or effected by a family compact between his heirs, established the right of primogeniture in the House of Austria, which has remained ever since. (Coxe, 'History of the House of Austria.') Rudolf IL was very different from his father ; he was bigoted and intolerant, and he alienated the Protestants of his dominions by forbidding the public exercise of their worship. The result was insurrection, followed by repression and persecution. The same course pursued in several of the German states led the Protestants to form a confederation, and to ally themselves with the United Provinces of Holland and with Henry IV. of France. Henry was assassinated in May 1610, just as he was ready to pour his troops across the frontiers, and Rudolf himself died in 1612, leaving no issue. He was succeeded by his brother Matthias, who had already in his brother's lifetime seated himself on the thrones of Hungary and Bohemia, being assisted by the Protestants, whom he favoured. After a short interregnum Matthias was elected emperor. He died in 1619,
also without issue, leaving his cousin Ferdinand, son of Charles, duko of Styria, and grandson of Ferdinand I., to succeed him. But before Matthias 's) death Bohemia was again in open insurrection, owing to the intolerant conduct of the archbishop of Prague, who had demolished several chapels of the Dissidents. This was the origin of the famous Thirty Years' War, which shook Europe to its very extremities. The events which followed are noticed in the article FERDINAND II. OF GERMANY. [Guersvus ADoLenes.) Ferdinand IL died in 1637, and was succeeded by his son Ferdinand Il L, who, being wiser and more moderate than his father, put an end to the war, In 1648, by the treaty of bliloster and Osnaburg, called also the treaty of Westphalia. Ferdinand died in 16.57, and was succeeded by his son Leopold, who was already king of Bohemia and Hungary. Leopold, styled I. of Germany, a man of very inferior abilities, bad a long and troubled reign, continually harassed by the unprincipled ambition of Louis XIV., who, aided by some alliances which his money enabled him to procure among the German electors, became the scourge of Germany. Louis, in order to annoy Leopold still more, prevailed on the Turks to advance to the very walls of Vienna, when at last a sense of the general danger roused Holland, England, Denmark, and even Sweden, against the com mon disturber of Europe. The victories of Engene and Marlborough saved the empire on the side of the Rhine, as Sobieski had saved Austria on the Turkish side. Thus Leopold was enabled to weather the storm. He died In 1705, leaving his son Joseph to succeed him, while his other son, Cherie., was fighting in the peninsula for the crowns of Spain and the Indies. Joseph I. reigned only a few years, but his reign was glorious ; bia armies and those of his allies completely turned the fortune of war against Louis XIV. Ho died in 1711, and was succeeded by his brother Charles, who put an end to the war of the Spanish succession by renouncing his claims to the crowns of Spain and the Indies in favour of Philip of Bourbon. The sequel of Charles's reign is given in the article Cr/ARLES VL or GERMANY.