Rudolph I
Rudolph I, or Rudolf I, (1218-1291), the founder of the Austrian house of Hapsburg, or Habsburg. The family was of Swiss origin. Rudolph became count of Hapsburg in 1239 on the death of his father, Albert IV. In 12 73 the electors of the Holy Roman Empire passed over the powerful King Ottokar II of Bohemia and chose the obscure Rudolph as emperor and king of Germany. The empire at that time was weak and Ottokar refused to recognize Rudolph's election. The emperor, however, gathered enough support from other nobles to defeat Ottokar at the Battle of Marchfeld in 1278.