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Maximilian III of Austria

Maximilian III, Archduke of Further Austria, also known as Maximilian der Deutschmeister (born October 12, 1558 in Wiener Neustadt; died November 2, 1618 in Vienna) was the fourth son of Emperor Maximilian II and Maria of Spain.

From 1585 onwards, he was the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (de: Grossmeister des Deutscher Ordens), and administrator of the province of Prussia, its former main stronghold. Prussia had been secularized some decades earlier, when the then grand master of the order converted to Protestantism.

Archduke Maximilian was a grandson of Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, daughter and heiress of Ladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary, who himself was the eldest son of Casimir IV of Poland. He descended from the ancient Piast kings of Poland, and from Jogaila and his forefathers, Grand Dukes of Lithuania. The late Sigismund I the Old, himself a younger son, was Maximilian's great-great-uncle, and Maximilian descended from Sigismund's eldest brother.

In 1587 Maximilian was a candidate for the monarch of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, following the death of the previous Polish king, Stefan Batory. The election was disputed by another candidate, Sigismund III Vasa , prince of Sweden, grandson of Sigismund I the Old. When Maximilian attempted to resolve the dispute by bringing a military force and starting the war of Polish succession, he was defeated at the Battle of Byczyna by the supporters of Sigismund III, the proclaimed king, under the command of Polish hetman Jan Zamojski. He was taken captive and released only after intervention by Pope Sixtus V. In 1589, he waived his right to the Polish crown. The inactivity of his brother Emperor Rudolf II in this matter contributed to Rudolf's bad reputation.

From 1593 to 1595 Maximilian was regent for his young cousin, Ferdinand, Archduke of Inner Austria. Subsequently in 1595 he succeeded their uncle Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria in his territories, including Tirol, where he proved to be a consequent proponent of the Counter-Reformation. He also worked to depose Melchior Khlesl, and to ensure that Archduke Ferdinand of Inner Austria, his former young charge, would succeed as Holy Roman Emperor.

Maximilian's best known legacy is the baroque archducal hat, which is exhibited in the treasure chamber of the monastery of Klosterneuburg and was used for ceremonial purposes as late as 1835.