Family correspondence of Ferdinand I (1537-1540)

The proposed project "The family correspondence of Ferdinand I, 1537-1540" is a continuation of the current project "The family correspondence of Ferdinand I, 1535-1536" which has been carried out at the University of Salzburg since May 2005. In the current project`s first stage, the project team tried to locate the letters Ferdinand I exchanged with the members of his family between 1535 and 1564. In the second stage, his family correspondence from the years 1535 and 1536 was fully transcribed, summarized, and commented on. In the proposed follow-up project, a critical edition of the correspondence will be continued for the years from 1537 to 1540. In addition to the historical and editorial work, a linguistic analysis of the texts will also be carried out. In the course of the current project, a database has been set up which contains the following information: exact archival location of each letter, type of letter (original, copy, draft), correspondence partners, place and date of issue, and used languages. Part of the follow-up project, is making the database accessible for external users on the homepage of the University of Salzburg. For the years between 1537 and 1540, we expect first-hand information about the political dispute between Charles V as well as Ferdinand I and the protestant estates in Germany, the continuing difficulties with France and the Ottoman Empire as well as about Ferdinand`s controversial territorial claims over Hungary. In this context, we assume to find details about the process which led to the peace treaty signed between Ferdinand and Zapolyi in Großwardein in 1538. We also hope to find relevant details concerning the preparation of a general council to be held in Mantua and its subsequent adjournment, which was, among other things, due to the rising tensions between the Habsburgs and the Valois.

The main goal of the research project "The Edition of the Family Correspondence of Ferdinand I (1537-1540)" was the preparation of an edition of the correspondence of Ferdinand I (1503-1564) and his siblings Charles V and Mary of Hungary, the regent of the Netherlands, during the period of time mentioned above. It represents the continuation of the FWF-Project "The Edition of the Family Correspondence of Ferdinand I (1535-1536)" and the previously published four volumes of his family correspondence.For the letters from 1537 to 1540, the proved editorial scheme was kept: Following extensive summaries in German and English, information on the archival data and existing print versions of the letters is given. With the exception of the standardized addresses, the text of the letters is presented in their entirety. Each letter is followed by a detailed commentary, in which additional information gained from extensive archival and bibliographical research is provided. The search for complementary sources has been carried out mainly in the Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv in Vienna, as well as in the Archives Générales du Royaume in Brussels.The central topics of the correspondence of Ferdinand I with Charles V and Mary of Hungary are the war with France and the resulting negotiations to obtain a lasting peace; the ongoing threat of Hungary and the hereditary lands by Ottoman incursions; Charles's plans to organize a crusade against the Sultan and Ferdinand's diplomatic efforts in Istanbul to reach a peaceful solution; the peace negotiations between Ferdinand and Jnos Szapolyai, his rival in Hungary; the political and religious polarization in the Empire as well as the efforts undertaken by the Habsburg siblings to reach an understanding with the protestant estates through religious colloquies; the Habsburg claims to the Duchy of Guelders; the demands of Mary of Hungary to obtain the rights and revenues connected to her dowry.Other topics frequently mentioned in the correspondence are the death of Empress Isabella; the deaths of the Duke of Florence (Alessandro de Medici ) and the Duke of Mantua (Federico II Gonzaga ); the upheavals in Ghent; the marriage between the heir to the Polish throne, Sigismund II August, and Ferdinand's eldest daughter, Elizabeth; the concerns for the survival of Catholicism in the Duchy of Saxony after the death of Duke George; the misadministration of Mary's estates in Hungary and the embezzlement carried out by some of her officials; the religious innovations in Augsburg and the spreading of heresies in Besançon; the payment of outstanding wages for the Imperial Chamber Court; the question of the Episcopal succession in the Archdiocese of Salzburg; and Charles's health problems, especially his gout.