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FERDINAND (GERMANY) FERDINAND (NAPLES) 133 ognized Ferdinand. The electors, both Prot- estants and Catholics, met and decided that thereafter it should no longer be required of the emperors of Germany to receive the crown from the pope, thus putting an end to the many controversies and wars of which the dependence of the German emperor on the see of Borne had been the cause. In Bohemia Fer- dinand arbitrarily declared the crown heredi- tary in his family without the sanction of the states. A portion of the population opposed him by force of arms, but the insurrection was suppressed. He was tolerant to the Prot- estants, and tried to effect a union between them and the Catholics by inducing them to send deputies to the council of Trent. He also endeavored to obtain from the pope the use of the cup for the laity in the communion, and the liberty of marriage for the priests. He was succeeded in the empire, as well as in Hungary and Bohemia, by his son Maximilian II. FERDINAND II., emperor of Germany and king of Hungary and Bohemia, born July 9, 1578, died in Vienna, Feb. 15, 1637. He was the son of Charles, duke of Styria, third son of Ferdi- nand II He was a zealous Catholic, and is said to have made a vow at Loretto that he would exterminate Protestantism. .His cousin Mat-, thias, emperor of Germany and king of Hun- gary and Bohemia, abdicated in his favor the crown of the latter country in 1617, and pro- cured his election as king of the Eomans and as his successor in Hungary. The states of Bo- hemia refused to acknowledge Ferdinand, and a powerful Protestant rising was organized, at the head of which was Count Thurn. Short- ly after the death of Matthias (March, 1619), Ferdinand was besieged in Vienna, the insur- gents threatening to shut him up in a monas- tery, and cause his children to be educated as Protestants. He however remained firm, and being relieved by the timely arrival of loyal troops, repaired to Frankfort and claimed the imperial crown. He received the votes of all the Catholic electors, and was crowned em- peror. The states of Bohemia now offered the royal crown to the elector palatine, Frederick V., son-in-law of James I. of England. Hun- gary united with Bohemia against Ferdinand, and Bethlen Gabor of Transylvania joined his enemies. This was properly the beginning of the thirty years' war. Ferdinand was sup- ported by Spain, and Frederick was totally de- feated at the battle of Prague in 1620, and driven into exile. Ferdinand was now ac- knowledged as emperor of Germany and king of Bohemia. He abolished the constitutional charter of Bohemia, and undertook most vio- lent measures against the Protestants ; but the latter strengthened their league in Germany by placing Christian IV. of Denmark at its head (1625). The imperialists, under Tilly and Wallenstein, were victorious in several cam- paigns ; and the war was temporarily closed in 1629 by the peace of Liibeck. Ferdinand now redoubled the severity of his measures against the Protestants, when he received a formidable check by the intervention of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in 1630. The Protestants were upon the whole successful until the death of Gustavus at the battle of Ltitzen, Nov. 6, 1632. The vic- tory at Nordlingen in 1634 was the last great success of Ferdinand's army. FERDINAND III,, emperor of Germany and king of Hungary and Bohemia, son of the pre- ceding, born at Gratz in Styria, July 20, 1608, died at Vienna, April 2, 1657. He succeeded his father in 1637. From him he also received the inheritance of the thirty years' war, which soon took the aspect of a political rather than a religious conflict, Spain taking part with Ferdinand and France with the allied Protes- tants. The war was closed, as far as Germany was concerned, by the treaty of Westphalia, Oct. 24, 1648, although hostilities were still carried on between France and Spain. By this treaty Ferdinand gave up most of Alsace to France and a part of Pomerania to Sweden, recognized the independence of the Swiss con- federation, restored to the son of the elector palatine Frederick V. a portion of his father's possessions, and acknowledged the rights of his Protestant subjects. He was succeeded by his second son, Leopold I. ; the elder, crowned in 1653 king of the Romans as Ferdinand IV., having died in 1654. FERDINAND I., emperor of Austria and king of Hungary and Bohemia (as such Ferdinand V.), born April 19, 1793. His father was Francis I. (II.), who in 1806 resigned the title of emperor of Germany, having already assumed that of hereditary emperor of Austria. Fer- dinand was crowned as future king of Hungary in 1830, in 1835 succeeded his father, and in 1836 was crowned in Bohemia. His character was weak, and he was a mere tool in the hands of his minister, Prince Metternich. Disheart- ened by the troubles of 1848, he resigned the crown in favor of his nephew Francis Joseph (Dec. 2), and took up his residence at Prague. II. NAPLES. FERDINAND I., king of Naples, illegitimate son of Alfonso the Magnanimous, born about 1424, died Jan. 25, 1494. His father, who had ruled both Naples and Sicily, as well as Ara- gon and Sardinia, bequeathed to him at his death in 1458 the throne of Naples. His reign was troubled, and the nobles conspired to aid John of Anjou in a descent upon the country. Ferdinand lost the battle of Nola in 1460, escaped to Naples with but 20 followers, and was reduced to the last extremity. He was, however, favored by Pope Pius II. and by Francesco Sforza, duke of Milan; and his partisans were greatly strengthened by the alliance of the Albanian chieftain Scanderbeg, who put himself at the head of the army of Ferdinand, defeated John of Anjou at Troja in 1462, and forced him to leave Italy. Ferdinand was cruel and revengeful. Count Piccinino was one of his illustrious victims. In this reign