The History of Mineral Collecting 1530-1799 by Wendell E. Wilson

One of these, Philip Lang, ruled him for years and was hated by those seeking favour with the emperor.

During his periods of self-imposed isolation, Rudolf reportedly had affairs with his court chamberlain, Wolfgang von Rumpf, and a series of valets. Like his contemporary, Elizabeth I of England, Rudolf dangled himself as a prize in a string of diplomatic negotiations for marriages, but never in fact married. These became worse with age, and were manifested by a withdrawal from the world and its affairs into his private interests. He suffered from periodic bouts of ' melancholy' (depression), which was common in the Habsburg line. He was more intrigued by occult learning such as astrology and alchemy, which was mainstream in the Renaissance period, and had a wide variety of personal hobbies such as horses, clocks, collecting rarities, and being a patron of the arts. Rudolf would remain for the rest of his life reserved, secretive, and largely a homebody who did not like to travel or even partake in the daily affairs of state. After his return to Vienna, his father was concerned about Rudolf's aloof and stiff manner, typical of the more conservative Spanish court, rather than the more relaxed and open Austrian court but his Spanish mother saw in him courtliness and refinement. Rudolf spent eight formative years, from age 11 to 19 (1563–1571), in Spain, at the court of his maternal uncle Phillip II. He was the eldest son and successor of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, and King of Hungary and Croatia his mother was Maria of Spain, a daughter of Charles V and Isabella of Portugal. Rudolf was born in Vienna on 18 July 1552.

The History of Mineral Collecting 1530-1799 by Wendell E. Wilson