The Heir, the Spare, and the Bishops: Socialization and Fraternal Dynamics at the Archducal Court of Graz (1590–1600)

At the close of the sixteenth century, Archduke Charles of Inner Austria determined that only his eldest son was to succeed him. Barring his younger sons from rule was a break with the Habsburg tradition of partible inheritance and would prove to be an important step towards the introduction of primogeniture. How did the Austrian Habsburgs deal with this change in succession practice? This contribution focuses on the socialization of the three younger brothers in order to explore which roles were assigned to them and how they were prepared for them. The article argues that the younger brothers were not treated all the same. The second-eldest brother took on an ambivalent role according to which he was both a secular stand-in for his older brother and a possible future bishop. The two youngest sons were purposefully steered towards clerical careers from a very young age. Even if the younger sons did not all acquiesce in their new roles, their socialization would provide a blueprint for later Habsburg childhoods.