[June 3] Leopold IV, duke of Further Austria

Habsburg family coat of arms

Parents: Leopold III, duke of Austria, and Viridis Visconti

Date of Birth: 1371

House: Habsburg
Spouse: Catherine, daughter of Philip II, duke of Burgundy, and Margaret III, countess of Flanders

Predecessor: Leopold III

Reign: 1386 – 1411

Summary: At only the age of fifteen, Leopold's brother, Duke William of Inner Austria, enlisted him to rule Further Austria. The region of Further Austria included the Habsburg hereditary lands in Swiss Aargau as well as various lands in the west of Austria. Throughout his reign, Leopold would face opposition from the Swiss over which he ruled. In 1391, he was granted sole administration over Further Austria, and in 1396 he added the management of Tyrol in northern Italy to his dossier. By 1393, he was involved in a dynastic marriage that could have had far-reaching consequences if it had produced any heirs. His new wife, Catherine, was a member of the Burgundian royal family and her mother, Margaret, was the countess of Flanders in her own right. Although no heirs were produced, this marriage was an interesting foreshadowing of an actual dynastic alliance that would form about eighty years later.

Ernest and Frederick, two younger brothers of Leopold's, were left in Austria where they earned their own titles as Austrian dukes in 1402. When William, the eldest, died in 1406, Leopold IV became the effective ruler of all the Austrian lands and the head of the family. With no children, Ernest and Frederick began partitioning up Austria for when they succeeded to the throne. Leopold allowed them their game and remained the ruler of Further Austria, granting administration of the eastern lands to his power-hungry younger brothers. Leopold also began to mentor Albert V, the senior member of the junior cadet line of the Habsburgs and the future king of Hungary and Germany. The younger brothers fought Leopold over this move to consolidate Habsburg control, but both brothers in turn later acted as guardians for Albert as well. Leopold died in 1411 and was succeeded by Frederick in Further Austria, with Ernest already ruling Inner Austria.

Date of Death: 3 June 1411

Successor: Frederick IV

Other Monarch Deaths:

Ivan, tsar of Bulgaria (1395)

John XXIII, pope of Rome (1963)