Today marks the birthday of two Habsburg emperors. True, beyond their shared date of birth, they had rather little in common.
On 24 February 1500, Charles V was born. From his very first breath, he seemed destined to rise to the Imperial throne and to inherit several kingdoms and principalities — not to mention numerous smaller realms, titles, and claims. Depending on one’s point of view, Charles’s legacy may be assessed differently, but his shaping impact on the political reality of Europe is beyond doubt.
Decades later, the retired Charles could greet the birth of his great-grandson Matthias on 24 February 1557. At that time, of course, no one could foresee that one day he would replace his elder brother, the eccentric, mentally unstable, and childless Rudolf II, on the Imperial throne. Though peace-loving and tolerant, Matthias was a rather average personality. At the height of political and dynastic crisis, he managed to avert the immediate collapse of the dynasty, but ultimately failed to stabilise the political situation in the long run.
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