Tag: Holy Roman Empire
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The troubled mind of Emperor Rudolf II (1552–1612)
When Rudolf II became Holy Roman Emperor in 1576, he gradually shifted the imperial court from Vienna to Prague, transforming the latter into a center of Renaissance culture. He attracted to his court some of the greatest intellects of his time, supporting literature, painting, alchemy, astrology, natural philosophy, and medicine. He collected scientific instruments, exotic…
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Emperor Otto II, malaria, and aloe
Sally MetzlerChicago, Illinois, United States Holy Roman Emperor Emperor Otto II (AD 955–983) conquered the Saracens and quelled the invading Magyar menace. However, his ambitious reign abruptly ended, not in battle, but in bed. At the young age of twenty-eight, he departed from this world. Tradition maintains that a malarial fever caused his premature death.…