Rudolf I of Germany

Rudolf I of Habsburg (1218–1291) was a Swabian count who, in 1273, became the first member of his house elected King of the Romans, ending the Great Interregnum. After his father's death in 1240 he took over the main Habsburg line and married Gertrude of Hohenberg.

He defeated and killed his rival Ottokar II of Bohemia at the Battle on the Marchfeld in 1278, securing Austria, Styria and Carinthia for his dynasty and laying the foundations of Habsburg power on the Danube. His efforts to make the crown hereditary failed, and he died at Speyer in 1291, never having been crowned emperor.