Margrave Andrew of Burgau

Andreas von Österreich
Cardinal Andrew of Austria
Born	(1558-06-15)15 June 1558 Březnice Castle in Březnice, Bohemia
Died	12 November 1600(1600-11-12) (aged 42) Rome
Buried	Santa Maria dell'Anima in Rome
Noble family	House of Habsburg
Father	Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria
Mother	Philippine Welser

Andrew's coat of arms

His coat of arms when he was Bishop of Constance

Andreas von Österreich, Margrave of Burgau, also known as Andrew of Austria (15 June 1558 at Březnice Castle in Březnice, Bohemia – 12 November 1600 in Rome) was a cardinal, Bishop of Constance and of Brixen. He belonged to the Austrian nobility, descending from its ruling dynasty, the House of Habsburg.

Youth

Andrew and his younger brother Charles grew up at Bresnitz Castle in Březnice, Bohemia, and later at Ambras Castle in Innsbruck, Tyrol. The marriage of their parents, Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria and Philippine Welser, was morganatic. This meant that the brothers were not considered members of the Habsburg dynasty and could not use their father's title, Archduke of Austria, bearing instead that of Margrave of Burgau.

His father decided that Andrew should have a career in the clergy. In March 1574, Andrew travelled to Rome, where Pope Gregory XIII made him a cardinal, with Santa Maria Nuova as his titular church. Andrew was only 17 years old, his father having obtained the position for him.

Later life

Andrew was Abbot of Murbach from 1587 until his death. From 1589, he was also Bishop of Constance and from 1589 also Bishop of Brixen. In 1598 and 1599, he briefly replaced Archduke Albert VII as Governor General of the Habsburg Netherlands, while Albert travelled to Spain to marry Infanta Isabella Clara.

In 1600, he traveled to Rome to celebrate the Jubilee, afterwards visiting Naples. On his return journey, he fell ill and died after receiving the last rites from the Pope himself. He was buried in the Santa Maria dell'Anima in Rome.

Issue

Andrew had two illegitimate children, Hans-Georg Degli Abizzi (b. 1583) and Susanna Degli Abizzi (1584-1653). They were raised by his brother Charles.

References

• Heinrich Benedikt (1957), "Burgau, Andreas", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 3, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 43–44; (full text online)
• Margot Rauch: Karl von Burgau und Kardinal Andreas von Österreich, in: Philippine Welser & Anna Caterina Gonzaga: Die Gemahlinnen Erzherzog Ferdinands II., catalogue for an exhibition, Innsbruck, 1998
• Margot Rauch: Kardinal Andreas von Österreich, in: Ambras — Das Schloss der Philippine Welser, permanent presentation, Innsbruck, 2007
• Eduard Widmoser: Kardinal Andreas von Österreich, Markgraf von Burgau (1558-1600), in: Lebensbilder aus dem Bayerischen Schwaben, vol. 4, Munich, 1955, p. 249-259.
• Constantin von Wurzbach: [1], in: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich

External links

• Österreich, Andreas von in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
• Short biography