View source for Frederick IV, Duke of Austria

{{Other people|Friedrich of Austria}}
{{infobox royalty
| name = Frederick IV
| title = [[List of rulers of Austria|Duke of Austria]]
| image = Friedrich IV of Austria.jpg
| caption = Portrait by [[Anton Boys]]
| house = [[House of Habsburg]]
| father = [[Leopold III, Duke of Austria|Leopold III]]
| mother = [[Viridis Visconti]]
| spouse = Elisabeth of the Palatinate<br/>Anna of Brunswick-Lüneburg
| issue = [[Sigismund, Archduke of Austria]]
| birth_date = 1382
| birth_place = 
| death_date = {{death date|1439|6|24|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Innsbruck]], [[County of Tyrol|Tyrol]]
| burial_place = [[Stams]] Abbey
}}

'''Frederick IV''' (1382 – 24 June 1439), also known as '''Frederick of the Empty Pockets''' ({{langx|de|Friedrich mit der leeren Tasche}}), a member of the [[House of Habsburg]], was [[List of rulers of Austria|Duke of Austria]] from 1402 until his death. As a scion of the Habsburg [[Leopoldian line]], he ruled over [[Further Austria]] and the [[County of Tyrol]] from 1406 onwards.

==Biography==
Frederick was the youngest son of Duke [[Leopold III, Duke of Austria|Leopold III]] (1351–1386) and his wife [[Viridis Visconti|Viridis]] (d. 1414),{{sfn|Wilson|2016|p=lix}} a daughter of [[Bernabò Visconti]], [[List of rulers of Milan|Lord of Milan]]. According to the 1379 [[Treaty of Neuberg]], his father ruled over the Habsburg [[Inner Austria]]n territories of [[Duchy of Styria|Styria]], [[Duchy of Carinthia|Carinthia]], [[Duchy of Carniola|Carniola]], as well as over Tyrol and the dynasty's original Further Austrian possessions in [[Duchy of Swabia|Swabia]]. After the early death of Duke Leopold in the 1386 [[Battle of Sempach]], Frederick and his elder brothers [[William, Duke of Austria|William]], [[Leopold IV, Duke of Austria|Leopold IV]] and [[Ernest, Duke of Austria|Ernest]] initially remained under the tutelage of their uncle Duke [[Albert III, Duke of Austria|Albert III of Austria]].

As an inheritance dispute arose upon Duke Albert's death in 1395, the young Leopoldian dukes insisted on their rights: the next year, William went on to rule the Inner Austrian lands and Leopold IV ascended as Count of Tyrol. When Frederick came of age in 1402, he was formally assigned to administer his father's inheritance in the scattered Habsburg territories in Swabia, referred to collectively as Further Austria (''Vorderösterreich'') and took his residence in [[Freiburg im Breisgau]]. Another division of the Leopoldian territories took place after William' death in 1406: Duke Leopold IV, now eldest heir, ceded Tyrol to Frederick; however, he did not become sole ruler in Further Austria until Leopold's death in 1411. 

The early years of Frederick's reign were marked by external and internal conflicts. He had to overcome the opposition of Tyrolean nobles (who gave him the title "of the Empty Pockets") in 1406/1407 and a rebellion in the [[Prince-Bishopric of Trent|Bishopric of Trent]]. He also had to deal with the independence movement in the Swabian [[Appenzell]] lands, where the conflict with the [[Abbey of Saint Gall|Prince-Abbots of St Gall]] had escalated in 1401, sparking the [[Appenzell Wars]]. Frederick had to withstand in a series of longstanding military conflicts, until a peace was concluded in 1410. However, the Appenzell area became a protectorate of the [[Old Swiss Confederacy]] in 1411. Back in Tyrol, he had to face the invading forces of Duke [[Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria|Stephen III of Bavaria]], whom he defeated in the [[Lower Inn Valley]].
[[File:Cod. St. Georgen 63, fol. 53v - 54r.jpg|thumb|left|Council of Constance: tournament of Frederick IV of Austria and [[Frederick II, Count of Celje|Frederick II of Celje]], depiction in the chronicles by [[Ulrich of Richenthal]] (c. 1470)]]
Upon the death of Duke Leopold IV in 1411, the surviving younger brothers Frederick and Ernest again divided the Leopoldian possessions. With Further Austria, Frederick became undisputed ruler over the Habsburg territories in the [[Alsace]] region and of the [[Burgau]] margraviate. In 1417 he also inherited the former [[House of Kyburg|Kyburg]] estates from the extinct comital Habsburg-Laufenburg branch. Several border conflicts with the [[Republic of Venice]] led to the loss of [[Rovereto]] in the [[Lagarina Valley]].

Under the terms of the [[Western Schism]], Duke Frederick sided with [[Antipope John XXIII]], whom he helped on his flight from the [[Council of Constance]] in March 1415.{{sfn|Berenger|2013|p=62}} The [[House of Luxembourg|Luxembourg]] king [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]] had John arrested in Breisgau and placed Frederick under the [[Imperial ban]]. Thanks to the support of the local populace he managed to keep Tyrol, though he lost the western [[Aargau]], the [[Freie Ämter|Freiamt]] and [[County of Baden]] estates, in the old homeland of the Habsburgs, to the Swiss.

[[File:Stiftskirche Stams.JPG|thumb|Stams Abbey Church]]
In 1420, Frederick also moved his Tyrolean court from [[Meran]] to [[Innsbruck]]. After several rebellions by local nobles, his rule over Tyrol had stabilized, partially due to the successful beginning of [[silver]] mining that brought an increase in prosperity to the region. After the death of his brother Ernest on 10 June 1424, Duke Frederick also took over the [[regent|regency]] over Inner Austria for his minor nephews [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick V]] (the later Emperor Frederick III) and [[Albert VI, Duke of Austria|Albert VI]]. In his later years, however, he again had to cope with another rebellion against his Tyrolean rule, instigated by Prince-Bishop [[Alexander of Masovia|Alexander of Trent]].

Frederick died at his court in Innsbruck, despite his nickname, a rich man. His son and heir [[Sigismund, Archduke of Austria|Sigismund]] was called ''der Münzreiche'' ("Rich in Coin"). Frederick was buried in the [[Cistercians|Cistercian]] abbey of [[Stams]], Tyrol.

==Marriage and issue==

{{multiple image|total_width=425|align=right|image1=Elisabeth of the Palatinate.jpg|image2=Anna of Brunswick-Luneburg, wife of Frederick IV of Austria.jpg|footer=''(left)'' Elisabeth of the Palatinate ''(right)'' Anna of Brunswick-Luneburg}}

On 24 December 1407, Frederick married Elizabeth of the [[Electoral Palatinate|Palatinate]] (1381–1408),{{sfn|Wilson|2016|p=lix}} daughter of King [[Rupert, King of Germany|Rupert of Germany]], in Innsbruck. They had one daughter, Elizabeth, but both mother and child died shortly after the birth on 27 December 1408.

On 11 June 1411, Frederick married Anna (d. 1432),{{sfn|Wilson|2016|p=lix}} daughter of the [[House of Welf|Welf]] duke [[Frederick I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Frederick I of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]]; they had:
* Margaret (1423{{spaced ndash}}1424)
* Hedwig (1424{{spaced ndash}}1427)
* Wolfgang (1426)
* [[Sigismund, Archduke of Austria|Sigismund]] (1427{{spaced ndash}}1496).{{sfn|Wilson|2016|p=lix}}
Only Sigismund survived until adulthood. He succeeded his father in Tyrol and Further Austria.

==Male-line family tree==
{{Habsburg family tree}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book |title=A History of the Habsburg Empire 1273–1700 |first1=Jean |last1=Berenger |translator-first=C.A. |translator-last=Simpson |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 }}
*{{cite book |title= Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire |last=Wilson |first=Peter |publisher=Harvard University Press  |year=2016  }}

== External links ==
*[http://www.aeiou.at/aeiou.encyclop.f/f831241.htm;internal&action=_setlanguage.action?LANGUAGE=en Encyclopedia of Austria]

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Habsburg]]||1382|June 24|1439}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of rulers of Austria|Duke of Further Austria]]|before=[[Leopold IV, Duke of Austria|Leopold IV]]|after=[[Sigismund, Archduke of Austria|Sigismund]]|years=1402&ndash;1439}}
{{succession box|title=[[Count of Tyrol]]|before=[[William, Duke of Austria|William]]|after=[[Sigismund, Archduke of Austria|Sigismund]]|years=1406&ndash;1439}}
{{s-end}}

{{Rulers of Austria}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick 04 Duke of Austria}}
[[Category:1382 births|Austria, Friedrich IV of]]
[[Category:1439 deaths|Austria, Friedrich IV of]]
[[Category:15th-century dukes of Austria]]
[[Category:Counts of Tyrol]]
[[Category:Further Austria]]