When Rudolf II was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1576, he quickly filled his castle with artistic and scientific treasures. Marshall returns repeatedly to Rudolf's attempt to create a "theatre of the ...

The strides in Western culture that took place around the 16th century are all too often associated with the Italian Renaissance, but other centers of learning in Europe deserve equal attention. Of ...

One of the more controversial members of the House of Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612) has historically been considered a failed ruler – or worse, a manic-depressive follower of the ...

The Theatre of the World: Astrology and Magic in Renaissance Prague by Peter Marshall Harvill Secker, £17.99, pp320 'We would only want a priest if we could find one of our own kind,' whispered the ...

In the final episode of her short series on the Habsburg dynasty, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb turns to one of the most fascinating and misunderstood rulers of early modern Europe: Rudolf II, Holy ...