Ep. 204: Habsburg Dukes (1308-1437) – Rudolf IV, Founder and Forger
History of the Germans
Dirk Hoffmann-Becking
4.9 • 550 Ratings
🗓️ 28 August 2025
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Rudolf IV of Habsburg (1339–1365), son of Albrecht “the Wise,” reigned as Duke of Austria for just seven years but left a lasting mark. Born when the dynasty seemed close to extinction, Rudolf secured Austria’s survival and prestige. Politically, he sought to elevate Vienna by founding the University of Vienna (1365) and beginning construction of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Though he fulfilled his father's ambition to gain the Tyrol, the family fell behind their rivals, namely the Luxemburgs.
Rudolf’s most audacious act was the Privilegium Maius, a set of forged charters claiming ancient Roman emperors had granted Austria near-sovereign status, primogeniture, and the unique title of Archduke. Though denounced by Petrarch as absurd, the documents shaped Habsburg identity for centuries and underpinned later power.
By creating myths of divine and heroic origins, Rudolf forged a sense of Habsburg exceptionalism. Though dying young without heirs, he truly was “the Founder.”
The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the history of the Germans, Episode 204, Rooder of the 4th, the Founder and Forger, |
| 0:11.0 | which is also episode 2 of season 11, the fall and rise of the House of Habsburg. |
| 0:17.0 | In a niche to the left of the main altar in the Stefan Storm, the great cathedral in the center of Vienna, somewhat hidden by later decoration, stands a cenotaph. |
| 0:26.6 | On its cover you see two figures lying side by side, each nearly two meters long and wearing splendid clothes, their feet resting on two lines. |
| 0:34.6 | The figures are wearing what looks like crowns, a band surmounted by |
| 0:39.2 | 12 spikes, a royal couple, no doubt. There is an inscription surrounding them, but you will be |
| 0:45.9 | unable to read it. It is written in a script I've never seen before, the alphabetum caldeorum. |
| 0:53.4 | This script, it is said, comes from the ancient Caldeans, |
| 0:57.2 | are people living in Babylon in biblical times. We know what it says on the Senate of, though, |
| 1:03.5 | because there is a conversion table from that script into Latin held in the State Library in |
| 1:08.8 | Munich. The mystery revealed, we can now read the text which merely says, |
| 1:13.4 | this is the grave of Duke Rudolf the founder. |
| 1:18.2 | Who was this man? |
| 1:19.7 | Who was this man? Who wrote his name and title in a secret script onto his funeral monument? |
| 1:23.9 | A script most people believe he had actually created himself. |
| 1:27.7 | And who called himself the founder, a name by which he is still known to us today. |
| 1:33.4 | What is he the founder of? |
| 1:35.3 | Why is he wearing a crown when he is only a duke? |
| 1:38.0 | How come he is one of the most important early Habsburgs, yet reigned for merely seven years. This is a story of myths and mysteries, of |
| 1:46.7 | tangible political objectives, elaborate forgeries, a tale that features letters by Julius |
| 1:51.7 | Caesar and Nero that reveal an unexpected fondness for this land on the edge of the empire. |
| 1:57.9 | Ah, and Hercules' son will also make an appearance in Austria. Seriously, this |
... |
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