But all these prospects were blighted by the religious bigotry which had gained a firm hold of the mind of the young emperor.  When he was but twelve years of age he was sent to Madrid to be educated.  Philip II., of Spain, Rhodolph’s uncle, had an only daughter, and no son, and there seemed to be no prospect that his queen would give birth to another child.  Philip consequently thought of adopting Rhodolph as his successor to the Spanish throne, and of marrying him to his daughter.  In the court of Spain where the Jesuits held supreme sway, and where Rhodolph was intrusted to their guidance, the superstitious sentiments which he had imbibed from his mother were still more deeply rooted.  The Jesuits found Rhodolph a docile pupil; and never on earth have there been found a set of men who, more thoroughly than the Jesuits, have understood the art of educating the mind to subjection.  Rhodolph was instructed in all the petty arts of intrigue and dissimulation, and was brought into entire subserviency to the Spanish court.  Thus educated, Rhodolph received the crown.

He commenced his reign with the desperate resolve to crush out Protestantism, either by force or guile, and to bring back his realms to the papal church.  Even the toleration of Maximilian, in those dark days, did not allow freedom of worship to any but the nobles.  The wealthy and emancipated citizens of Vienna, and other royal cities, could not establish a church of their own; they could only, under protection of the nobles, attend the churches which the nobles sustained.  In other words, the people were slaves, who were hardly thought of in any state arrangements.  The nobles were merely the slaveholders.  As there was not difference of color to mark the difference between the slaveholder and the slaves or vassals, many in the cities, who had in various ways achieved their emancipation, had become wealthy and instructed, and were slowly claiming some few rights.  The country nobles could assemble their vassals in the churches where they had obtained toleration.  In some few cases some of the citizens of the large towns, who had obtained emancipation from some feudal oppressions, had certain defined political privileges granted them.  But, in general, the nobles or slaveholders, some having more, and some having less wealth and power, were all whom even Maximilian thought of including in his acts of toleration.  A learned man in the universities, or a wealthy man in the walks of commerce, was compelled to find shelter under the protection of some powerful noble.  There were nobles of all ranks, from the dukes, who could bring twenty thousand armed men into the field, down to the most petty, impoverished baron, who had perhaps not half a dozen vassals.