Frederick III of the Holy Roman Empire

Frederick III of the Holy Roman Empire (1415-1493), Holy Roman Emperor (1440-1493), and as Frederick IV, King of Germany (1440-1486). The son of Ernest of Habsburg, Duke of Styria and Carinthia (1377-1424), Frederick was elected Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany in 1440 and crowned by the pope in Rome in 1452, the last time an emperor was crowned in that city. Because he had sacrificed the liberty of the German Church in order to secure papal support, he incurred the disfavour of the German princes. Frederick was an incompetent ruler who ignored revolts and failed to defend the Habsburg domains against invasion. Nevertheless, by marrying his son and successor, Maximilian, to Mary of Burgundy in 1477, he increased the wealth and power of his dynasty. In 1486, when Maximilian was elected German king, Frederick turned the government over to his son and settled in Linz, where he devoted himself to the study of sciences.