Ferdinand II

Ferdinand II. (1578-1637), Emperor-elect, succeeded to the throne in 1619 upon the death of his uncle, Mathias. He was educated by the Jesuits, and was strongly opposed to Protestantism, and was most anxious to support all the decrees of the Council of Trent. This policy aroused the Bohemians, who declared the crown forfeited, and offered it to Frederick V., Elector-Palatine. Hence arose the Thirty Years' War. By the support of allies he was able to hold the throne, and his harsh measures drove many of his Protestant Bohemian subjects into exile.