Rudolf II. German emperor, son of Maximilian II. Born in Vienna in 1552. Became king of Hungary in 1572, and of Bohemia three years later. Ascended the imperial throne in 1576. Indolent and incapable, he left the empire to the care of worthless ministers. Disorder and foreign invasion speedily followed. Persecution inflamed the Protestants. By 1611, his brother, Matthias, supported by other kinsmen, had wrested Hungary and Bohemia from him. Had a taste for astrology and alchemy, and patronized Kepler and Tycho Brabe. Died 1612.

---