Andrew, Margrave of Burgau

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 Bishop of Brixen. In 1598 and 1599, he briefly served as acting Governor General of the Habsburg Netherlands while Archduke Albert VII travelled to Spain to marry Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia.

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 Santa Maria dell'Anima in Rome. His marble funeral monument in the church was completed by the sculptors Gillis van den Vliete and Nicolas Mostaert around 1600 and includes a portrait of Andrew kneeling in prayer.

Issue

Andrew had two illegitimate children with Dorotea de Montfort. They were raised by his brother Charles and his wife Sibylle.

• Hans-Georg Degli Abizzi (b. 1583), married Susanna Yperhofen von Yperhofstal
• Susanna Degli Abizzi (1584–1653), married Johann Schratz with issue

Male-line family tree

Notes

References

• 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: http://de.wikisource.org/wiki/BLK%C3%96:Habsburg,_Andreas|Habsburg,_Andreas, in: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich

References

1. Sigrid-Maria Größing, ''Leidenschaftliches Habsburg'', Verlag A&M
2. [https://www.academia.edu/41387723/Gillis_van_den_Vliete_e_la_comunit%C3%A0_tedesca_della_chiesa_di_Santa_Maria_dellAnima Tancredi Farina, ''Gillis van den Vliete e la comunità tedesca della chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Anima''] in: 'In corso d'opera 2. Ricerche dei dottorandi in Storia dell'Arte della Sapienza', a cura di C. Di Bello, R. Gandolfi, M. Latella (Collana Ricerche dei dottorandi - 2), Campisano Editore, Rome, 2019, pp. 123-130 {{in lang. it