Holy Roman Emperor from 1619 to 1637 and one of the principal architects of the Counter-Reformation in Central Europe. Salzburg Cathedral was consecrated in 1628 during his reign, the culmination of decades of baroque ambition begun under Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau.
Ferdinand's defining conflict was the Thirty Years' War. Archbishop Paris Lodron's success in keeping Salzburg neutral and unscathed throughout that war, while much of Central Europe burned, remains one of the most remarkable diplomatic achievements of the era.
