Causes of Rudolf’s change of policy--The Turkish question--Growth of power of the Komora Dvorska--Rudolf’s insanity--Opposition of his family to him--The Edict of 1602--of 1604--Bocksay’s insurrection--Growing opposition to Rudolf--Karl von Z̆erotin--His training, character, and policy--Rudolf removes him from office--His relations with Illyezhazy--His championship of Matthias--Differences between Rudolf and Matthias--Lichtenstein and Berka--The Moravian rising--Christian of Anhalt--Z̆erotin’s feelings about war--Alliance between Hungary, Moravia, and Austria against Rudolf--Wenceslaus Budovĕc--His struggles for religious liberty in Bohemia--His opposition to Matthias--The Assembly of 1608--Importance and originality of Budovĕc’s demands--Rudolf’s resistance--Failure of Matthias in Bohemia and success elsewhere--Lobkovic, Martinic, and Slavata--Adam of Sternberg--Resolution of Bohemian Protestants to resort to armed resistance--Bohemia and Silesia--Rudolf’s final resistance to the Protestants--Budovĕc’s leadership--The Defenders--Peter Vok of Rosenberg--Rudolf’s final concession--The Letter of Majesty--The Archduke Leopold--The peacemakers--Concession by Rudolf to Matthias--The Passau plot; its rise, horrors, and end--Flight of Leopold--Matthias crowned at Prague--Last hopes and death of Rudolf. XVII. FROM THE DEATH OF RUDOLF II. TO THE BATTLE OF THE WHITE HILL 454-482 (1612-1620.) Matthias’s difficulties--Policy of Z̆erotin--Erasmus von Tschernembl--His differences with Z̆erotin--Z̆erotin and Khlesl--Relations of Bohemia to Moravia and Silesia--Policy of Khlesl--The Transylvanian question--Khlesl worsted by Z̆erotin--Election of Matthias as Emperor and its results--The nobles and the towns--Results of their quarrels--The provincial question again--“Hapsburgs or no Hapsburgs?”--New persecution--Ferdinand of Styria--Khlesl’s change of policy--The Troppau question--Fall of Z̆erotin--Election of Ferdinand as King of Bohemia--The renewed persecution--The Assemblies of 1618--The Defenestratio--The Provisional Government--Fall of Khlesl--Alliances on both sides--Deaths of Maximilian and Matthias--Silesia, Lausitz, and Moravia join the Bohemians--Thurn’s invasion of Austria and its end--Bethlen Gabor, and the rising in Hungary--Election of Frederick as king--Discontent of the peasantry with the movement--Difficulties of the Assembly--Bethlen’s successes and failures--Maximilian of Bavaria--The final invasion--Battle of the White Hill. XVIII. FROM THE BATTLE OF THE WHITE HILL TO THE PRESENT TIME 483-509