Sigismund Franz
Holder of several bishoprics (Augsburg, Gurk, Trent); from 1662 sovereign ruler of Tyrol and the Austrian Forelands to his death in 1665
Born in Innsbruck on 27 November 1630
Died in Innsbruck on 25 June 1665
As the younger brother of Ferdinand Karl of Tyrol, Sigismund Franz was originally intended for the Church. However, he was able to assert himself after his brother’s death as his successor in Tyrol, where he took several highly promising steps towards consolidating the situation after the disastrous regency of his brother. Having resigned from his ecclesiastical offices, Sigismund Franz planned to marry in order to secure the succession, but died before this could take place. The Tyrolean male line of the Habsburgs died out with Sigismund Franz, and Tyrol reverted to the main line of the dynasty.
