Rudolf IV of Austria

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Image:Rudolf IV.jpg Rudolf IV der Stifter (the Founder) (November 1 1339,Vienna–July 27 1365, Milan) was a member of the House of Habsburg and Duke and self-proclaimed Archduke of Austria from 1358 to 1365.

The oldest son of Albert II and Johanna von Pfirt, he was a member of the third generation of Habsburg dukes in Austria. He was the first of his line born in the country and considered it his home, which considerably contributed to his popularity. One of the most energetic and active rulers of Austria in the late middle ages, it was said of him that as a young man he already had the air of a king.

He was married to Katharine of Bohemia, which made him the son-in-law of Emperor Charles IV. His eagerness to compete with his father-in-law, who raised Prague to a radiant center of culture, was an important motivation of his plans and decisions.

As Charles did with Prague, Rudolf desired to raise the importance of Vienna, which is stressed in many of the documents of his time.

One thing that had bothered all Austrian dukes for more than a century was the fact Vienna was not the residence of a bishop, but still part of the diocese of Passau. This state of affairs was considered awkward for a ducal residence. With the Bishops of Passau having excellent connections to the Pope, the project to establish a bishopric in Vienna was bound to fail. Instead, Rudolf resorted to something which could be considered imposture: He initatiated the creation of a Metropolitan Chapter (which, according to the name, should be assinged to a bishop) at the Cathedral of Saint Stephan (Stephansdom), whose members wore red garments as cardinals do. The provost of the chapter received the title of Archchancellor of Austria.

Image:Rudolph4 of Austria Epitaph.png The extension of the Stephansdom itself was no bluff, with the construction of its gothic nave being started under Rudolf's rule. Rudolf had himself be depicted on the cathedral's entrance. The construction efforts can be seen as an attempt to compete with St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.

Similarly, the University of Vienna, which was founded by Rudolf in 1365 was expected to match the Charles University of Prague founded by Charles IV only in 1348. It is still known as Alma Mater Rudolphina today and, with the German section of the University of Prague abolished after World War II, it is the oldest continuing German-language university. However, a faculty of theology, which was considered crucial for a university at that time, was not established until 1385, twenty years after Rudolf's death.

Many other measures were introduced by Rudolf to improve the economy of Vienna, such as the mayor's duty to supervise sales of real property, which was meant to prevent sales to the dead hand, i.e. economically unproductive church ownership. Rudolf also managed to establish a relatively stable currency, the so-called Wiener Pfennig (Vienna Penny).

Rudolf is most known for another bluff, the forgery of the Privilegium Maius, which de facto put him on par with the electors of the Holy Roman Empire after Austria had not received an electorship in the Golden Bull. The title of Archduke, invented at this opportunity, became a honorific of all males of the house of Habsburg in the 16th century.

In 1363, he entered into a contract of inheritance with the childless Countess Margarete Maultasch of the Tyrol, which brought the Tyrol under Austrian rule after her death.

He concluded with his father-in-law the Contract of Inheritance of Brünn of 1364, which provided for mutual inheritance between the houses of Habsburg and Luxemburg.

In spite of the high-flying (and maybe sometimes megalomanic) character of his plans, he managed to modernize his territories and his residential city, the prominence of which considered markedly. His untimely death stopped his plans, as his brothers Albert III and Leopold III, who should have ruled jointly under the Rudolfinische Hausordnung (Rudolfinian House Rules), began to quarrel without remorse and decided to split up the territory between themselves in 1379.

Rudolf is also remembered for founding Novo Mesto in Slovenia, the German name of the town being Rudolfswert in his honor.

He and his wife are buried in the Ducal Crypt in the Stephansdom in Vienna.

Preceded by: Albert II	Duke of Austria Duke of Styria Duke of Carinthia	Succeeded by: Albert III and Leopold III
Preceded by: Margarete Maultasch	Count of the Tyrol,	Succeeded by: Albert III and Leopold III