He was born at Alcala de Henares on the 10th of March 1503, his father being Philip the Handsome, son of the emperor Maximilian L, and his mother Joanna, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, king and queen of Castile and Aragon. Ferdinand I was regarded with especial favour by his maternal grandfather who wished to form a Spanish-Italian kingdom for his namesake.
Education
He was educated in Spain.
Career
In 1521 he got from Carl five Austrian duchies (Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Styria, Carinthia and Krain) as a share in the inheritance after his grandfather, Maximilian I. The following year, under the Brussels Treaty, Charles V handed over to his brother more Tyrol, Swabian and Alsatian lands Habsburg home and ceded to Charles in 1520 by the Swabian Union of Württemberg, but demanded that this deal be kept secret for six years. In the summer of 1526 he took part in the work of the First Speyer Reichstag. In 1526, King Ludovic / Lajos II was killed in the Mohacs battle, after which Ferdinand claimed his rights to the crown of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Moravia and Silesia, based on the fact that Louis had no children and his successor was Anna Jagellonskaya. But the Hungarians and Czechs did not recognize the heredity of royal dignity in these countries. In October 1526, the Bohemian Sejm elected Ferdinand as a king, at the same time they placed him some conditions, the ranks of Moravia, Silesia and Luzatia recognized Anna and her husband as their sovereigns by right of inheritance. In February 1527, the coronation of Ferdinand took place in Prague. The state of affairs in Hungary was much more complicated. As the king the Hungarians chose the governor and the largest tycoon of Transylvania, Janos Zapoliai, and crowned him in November of that year. Another part of the Hungarians chose Ferdinand in Presburg, which led to a long struggle for Hungary, which was further aggravated by the intervention of the Turks. The combination of the Czech Republic, Moravia, Silesia and Hungary with the hereditary Habsburg lands created an extensive Habsburg monarchy, which for Western Europe was a cover for the Turks. The consequence of the acquisition of the Slavic and Hungarian lands was the movement to the east of the center of gravity of the interests of Ferdinand and his successors, which contributed to the weakening of the imperial power in Germany. In 1547 was severely suppressed the estate uprising in Prague.
Achievements
Religion
He pursued a policy aimed at strengthening the peace in the imperial world, reaching a compromise between Catholics and Protestants (in many ways, the Trident Cathedral was renewed by his efforts).
Interests
Ferdinand was also a patron of the arts and particularly fond of music and hunting.
Connections
In May 1521 he was married at Linz to Anna (d. 1547), a daughter of Ladislaus, king of Hungary and Bohemia. They had 15 children.