Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor

Reign: 1637 – 1657
Life: 1608–1657

Ferdinand ascended the throne at the beginning of the last decade of the Thirty Years' War and introduced lenient policies to depart from the old ideas of divine right held by his father, as he wished to end the war quickly. After military defeats and against a background of declining power, Ferdinand was compelled to abandon the political stances of his Habsburg predecessors in many respects to open the long road towards the much-delayed Peace of Westphalia. Although his authority as emperor was weakened after the war, his position in Bohemia, Hungary and Austria was stronger than that of his predecessors before 1618. Ferdinand was the first Habsburg monarch to be recognised as a musical composer.

During Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor's reign, Shah Jahan ruled Mughal Empire, Louis XIV of France ruled France, and Charles I of England ruled England.