The exhibition relates to the 500th anniversary of the year 1526, which was a turning point in European history. After King Louis II of Bohemia and Hungary died at the Battle of Mohács, the Habsburg monarch Ferdinand I was elected to both thrones. With this move, the Habsburgs conquered the whole of Central Europe. Their rule lasted until 1918. The long period of the Habsburg monarchy was interspersed with political struggles, wars, but also with a cultural boom.
Many Habsburg monarchs (Charles V, Ferdinand I, Rudolf II) as well as Habsburg women rulers (Mary of Hungary, Margaret of Austria etc.) have already been the subject of major succesful exhibitions. This project focuses on Queen Anne, daughter of the King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary from the House of Jagiellon and wife of Ferdinand I of Habsburg. Without her input, the Habsburgs would probably not have won the Czech or Hungarian crown. There are many question marks over her personality, yet we know that she worked alongside her husband to create and maintain the Habsburg monarchy against enemies from without and within. She was educated, intelligent and won the favour of her subjects for her social sensibilities, and - she was able to represent her husband in the political and economic spheres during his absence. As a Renaissance ruler, she was also a collector and partly a patron, and her personal care for her numerous descendants and strong family ties were unusual, and were used effectively in diplomacy and anchoring the Habsburg reign.
