Kornelius von Österreich

Cornelius of Austria, known in German as Cornelius de Austria, was born in Salzburg in 1507. He was an illegitimate son of Emperor Maximilian I; his mother was an otherwise unidentified woman from Salzburg. Nothing is known about his early childhood or education. From 1523 onward, Cornelius lived in Padua, where he studied law and learned Latin and Italian. At the suggestion of Archduke Ferdinand, he was expected to continue his studies in Vienna in 1527. The Habsburg court apparently considered significant political opportunities for him: Cornelius was regarded as a possible Duke of Milan, and a marriage to a princess from the Medici family was also planned. A career in the Church was considered as well. Cornelius might have become coadjutor in Klosterneuburg, but this plan failed because of opposition from the provost and the chapter. The Hungarian queen, Mary, also protested against it. After these plans came to nothing, the records about Cornelius disappear. No further details of his life are known, nor are the date and circumstances of his death.