Rudolf of Habsburg elected King of the Romans

1273

A Swabian count widely regarded as too weak to be a threat was chosen by the German electors to end the Great Interregnum. He turned out tougher than expected. His descendants would hold the imperial dignity, with one break, until 1806. Rudolf's seizure of Austria from Ottokar of Bohemia at the Marchfeld gave the Habsburgs their territorial base for six centuries of European dominance.