Archduke Rudolf of Austria-Tuscany

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cardinal name=Rudolf Cardinal von Habsburg-Lothringen
dipstyle=His Eminence
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See=Olomouc|

Rudolf Johannes Joseph Rainier Cardinal von Habsburg-Lothringen, Archduke and Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia (January 8, 1788-24 July 1831) was an Archbishop of Olomouc and member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.

Born in Pisa, Italy, he was the youngest son of Emperor Leopold II and Maria Louisa of Spain. He was elected archbishop of Olomouc in 1819 and became cardinal in the same year.

He was born in Florence then part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany the youngest son of Emperor Leopold II.

In 1803 or 1804, Rudolf began taking lessons in piano and composition from Ludwig van Beethoven. The two became friends, and Rudolph became a supporter and patron of Beethoven; their meetings continued until 1824. Beethoven dedicated 14 compositions to Rudolph, including the Archduke Trio and his great Missa Solemnis. Rudolph, in turn, dedicated one of his own compositions to Beethoven. The letters Beethoven wrote to Rudolph are today kept at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna.

At the age of 31 on 24 March 1819 he was appointed Archbishop of Olomouc in the present day Czech Republic but then part of the Austrian Empire. He was created and proclaimed Cardinal-Priest of the titular church of "S. Pietro in Montorio" by Pope Pius VI on 4 June 1819.

He chose to be ordained and was done so on 29 August 1819. He was consecrated a bishop on 26 September 1819.

He died on 23 July 1831 in Baden at the age of 43 and was interred in the Imperial Crypt Vaults in Imperial Crypt in Vienna; his heart was buried in the crypt in Saint Wenceslas cathedral in Olomouc.

Sources

* [http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyMusicPupils.html Biographies of Beethoven's pupils]
* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1819.htm Cardinal biographies]

External links

* [http://test.woodwind.org/Databases/Composers/Names/008501.html List of his compositions]

Ancestry

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1= 1. Archduke Rudolf of Austria
2= 2. Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
3= 3. Maria Louisa of Spain
4= 4. Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
5= 5. Maria Theresa of Austria
Queen of Hungary & Bohemia
6= 6. Charles III of Spain
7= 7. Maria Amalia of Saxony
8= 8. Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
9= 9. Princess Élisabeth Charlotte of Orléans
10= 10. Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
11= 11. Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
12= 12. Philip V of Spain
13= 13. Elisabeth of Parma
14= 14. Augustus III of Poland
Elector of Saxony
15= 15. Maria Josepha of Austria
16= 16. Charles V, Duke of Lorraine
17= 17. Eleonora Maria Josefa of Austria
Queen Dowager of Poland-Lithuania
18= 18. Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
19= 19. Countess Palatine Elizabeth Charlotte of Simmern
20= 20. Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
21= 21. Eleonore-Magdalena of Neuburg
22= 22. Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
23= 23. Princess Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen
24= 24. Louis, Dauphin of France
25= 25. Duchess Maria Anna of Bavaria
26= 26. Edward II Farnese, Duke of Parma
27= 27. Countess Palatine Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg
28= 28. Augustus II of Poland
Elector of Saxony
29= 29. Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
30= 30. Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
31= 31. Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick-Calenberg