Frederick IV, Duke of Austria

Who was Frederick IV, Duke of Austria?

Frederick IV, Duke of Further Austria, also known as Frederick of the Empty Pockets, was the Habsburg duke of Further Austria from 1402, and Count of Tyrol from 1406, until his death. He was the younger son of Leopold III, Duke of Inner Austria.

Frederick's rule over Tyrol and the scattered Habsburg territories in southwestern Germany and in the Alsace referred to collectively as Vorderösterreich was formalized in 1402 through a partition of his father's inheritance. Later, in 1406, his elder brother Leopold IV ceded Tyrol to his sole rule when their eldest brother William died; and Frederick became sole ruler in Further Austria only upon Leopold's death in 1411. The early years of Frederick's reign were marked by external and internal conflicts. He had to overcome the opposition of the local nobles in 1406/07, and had to deal with the independence movement in Appenzell, which became a protectorate of the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1411.

When he sided with Antipope John XXIII at the Council of Constance, Emperor Sigismund placed him under the Imperial ban.