Background
The death of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, on 2 April 1657 was followed by the longest interregnum since the 13th century. This was largely a result of the youth of Ferdinand's surviving son Leopold, who was only seventeen at the time of his father's death. It was generally agreed that the emperor had to be at least eighteen years old. Cardinal Mazarin, the French chief minister, hoped to prevent Leopold's election and to secure either the election of his king Louis XIV or, at least, a candidate from outside the House of Habsburg such as Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria. [1] The electors called to choose Ferdinand's successor were:
Following the precedent set by his elder brother in the election of 1653, Leopold abstained from the vote.
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