Kateřina Stradová also known as ''Anna Marie Stradová'' and ''Catherina Strada'' (c. 1568-1629), was the mistress of
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–16 ...
, with whom she had six children.
Kateřina Stradová was the daughter of the painter
Ottavio Strada the Elder, the sister of the painter
Ottavio Strada the Younger, and the grand-daughter of the dealer and courtier
Jacopo Strada
Jacopo Strada (Mantua, 1507 – Prague 1588) was an Italian polymath courtier, painter, architect, goldsmith, inventor of machines, numismatist, linguist, collector, and merchant of works of art. His portrait by Titian has kept his image fami ...
. She became the mistress of Rudolf II at about the age of fifteen. She was given the title of countess. They had six children, but only their eldest son is well attested in historical records. She was given the title of countess and is described as bright and attentive, educated in Vienna, and was said to have fine and gracious features.
Children
She had six children with Rudolf:
#
Don Julius Caesar d'Austria
Don Julius Caesar d'Austria (1584 or 1585—25 June 1609) was the oldest illegitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II and his long-term mistress, Catherina Strada. Don Julius had schizophrenia and died while he was serving a life sentence in ...
# Matyáš d’Austria
# Carlos d’Austria
#
Karolina d’Austria
# Dorothea d’Austria
# Alžběta d’Austria
In popular culture
In the films ''
The Emperor and the Golem
''The Emperor and the Golem'' (, literally "The Emperor′s Baker and Baker′s Emperor") is a two-part Czechoslovak historical fantasy comedy film produced in 1951. The film was shot in color (not common for Czechoslovak films in that period) b ...
'' and ''The Baker's Emperor'', she was played by .
References
* JANÁČEK, Josef. Rudolf II. a jeho doba. 3. vyd. Praha ; Litomyšl: Paseka, 2003. 564 s. .
* Evans, R. J. W.. Rudolf II and his world: A study in intellectual history, 1576–1612. Oxford: Clarendon Press (1984).
* Janacek, Josef. Rudolf II and His Time. Prague; Litomyšl: Paseka (2003). .
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stradova, Katerina
16th-century people from Bohemia
1560s births
1629 deaths
Mistresses of Holy Roman Emperors
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor