On July 1, 1618, Ferdinand II, from a so-called intra-Austrian-Styrian branch of the Habsburgs, was crowned the King of Hungary in St Martin's Cathedral in Bratislava. He succeeded to the throne less than a year after his cousin's death – childless Matthias II in March 1619.  At that time, Ferdinand was already 41 years old, married to his cousin, Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria, and a father of seven children. His second marriage to Eleonora Gonzaga, Princess of Mantua (crowned in 1622), bore no children. Ferdinand's upbringing was managed by a strict Catholic mother and Jesuits. Under their influence, the young...