Saturday, February 16, 2013
ferd IIIFERDINAND III (1608-1657)- emperor, son of ferdinand II. b gratz 2/1608, became king of bohemia 1625, king of hungary 1627, king of the romans1636, + succeeded as empweoe in 1637. milder in disposition, less fanatical, + somewhat disp[irited on account of the repeated defeats inflicyed on the german arms by duke berhard + general baner, he was at an early period of his reign strongly desirous of peace even at the cost of liberal concessions to protestants; but the determination of france + sweden to humiliate the imperial power prevented negotiations til 1643. between 1643 + 1648 fruitless conferences, the war raging intermittently. in 1647 however, F III guaranteed to hungary religious toleration + finally the peace of westphalia signed. the war had devestated all of germany, paralyzed its trade, killed 1/2 the people, religious toleration to germany, bu not bohemia. france got part of alsace + lorraine, + the son of frederick V gotthe upper palatine; while sweden obtained western pomerania, + became a member of the german diet + unified germany broken up, that w/the death of F III + the german kingdom ceased, until re-established by william I, after the franco-prussian war. during the peace negotiations of westphalia, ferdinand IV, oldest son of F II, was chosen kung of the romans, but he died in 1654. F III died in 1657 shortly after a treaty w/ the poles against sweden.
