Document from 1243 with the seal of Count Rudolf of Habsburg. Photo: Swiss National Museum

There is a legend that Staufer King Frederick II was Rudolf’s godfather. Whether or not this is true, the Habsburgs always regarded themselves as loyal to the Staufers and saw themselves as the Staufers’ successors, though they were not related to them. Many legends surrounding Rudolf of Habsburg arose soon after his death in family chronicles and can be described as ruling propaganda. They depict the Habsburger as successful and hard-working, but also as a popular and wise ruler.

Rudolf was the son of Albert IV, who was married to Hedwig of Kyburg and probably died on a crusade in 1239/40. This alliance was also later the basis for the Habsburgs’ claim to succession after the death of the Kyburgs. In 1240 Rudolf and his cousins from the branch of the family later known as the Laufenburg line took up the position of head of the family. He rose to prominence as a retainer of the Staufer King in the northern Italian wars and even kept his allegiance to Frederick II during a heavy dispute with the Pope in the ensuing years, unlike his cousins. Only after the death of the King in 1250 and his son Conrad IV in 1254 was Rudolf forced to adapt to this new situation. That same year he married Gertrude of the Swabian noble family of Hohenberg. During the following years, Rudolf of Habsburg was among the most successful noblemen who managed to massively expand their power during the so-called Interregnum, the period without a recognised king. This included his position in Alsace, which was strengthened by his marriage and where he took a timely stand with the city of Strasbourg in a conflict against the bishop of Strasbourg. This also included a massive expansion of power in the Black Forest that finally culminated in his claiming succession after the death of the Kyburgs from 1264, despite the resistance of the Counts of Savoy. He claimed succession partly for himself, partly for his cousin Eberhard of the Laufenburg line in order to maintain his own influence. Rudolf of Habsburg thus became a central figure in the region between Lake Geneva and Lake Constance.

Bruno Meier

The creative lion tamer

Born in 1218: Rudolf of Habsburg