Rudolf II of Hapsburg. Portrait of Rudolf II of Hapsburg (1552-1612), Austrian king, alchemist and a patron of science, at work in his laboratory. Rud

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Rudolf II of Hapsburg. Portrait of Rudolf II of Hapsburg (1552-1612), Austrian king, alchemist and a patron of science, at work in his laboratory. Rudolf reigned as the Holy Roman Emperor (1576-1612), King of Hungary (1572-1608) and King of Bohemia (1575-1611). He ruled badly, devoting most of his time to scientific study. He was a patron of the astronomer Tycho Brahe, financing an observatory in 1599 at Benatky Castle near Prague. Johannes Kepler joined Brahe here & also received patronage from Rudolf. Rudolf's frequent attacks of insanity and persecution of religious minorities made him unpopular and he was deposed by his brother Matthias in Bohemia and Hungary.

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Size: 2741px × 3543px
Photo credit: © JEAN-LOUP CHARMET/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: alchemist, brahe, chemical, habsburg, hapsburg, historic, ii, johannes, kepler, king, laboratory, patron, portraits, rudolf, surname, tychos