Germany: Icon of Maximilian II (1527-1576), 32nd Holy Roman emperor, from the book 'Icones imperatorvm...

Maximilian II (1527-1576) was the son of Emperor Ferdinand I. He was chosen and crowned as King of Germany in 1562 after assuring the Catholic electors of his faith, and was crowned a year later as King of Hungary. By the time his father died in 1564, Maximilian had inherited the crowns of Croatia, Bohemia and of the Holy Roman emperor. Maximilian's rule was marred by the ongoing Ottoman-Habsburg wars as well as deteriorating relations with his Habsburg cousins in the Spanish Empire. By the time of his death in 1576, he had not succeeded in achieving his three major goals: rationalising the governmental structure, unifying Christianity and evicting the Ottomans from Hungary. He refused to receive the last sacraments of the Church while on his deathbed. From the book "Icones imperatorvm romanorvm" (Icons of Roman Emperors)