Prince Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg (156818 October 1634) was an Austrian statesman, a son of Seyfried von Eggenberg, Lord of Erbersdorf (1526-1594), and great-grandson of Balthasar Eggenberger (died 1493). He was a prominent member of the House of Eggenberg and gained the title of Duke of Krumau. Biography Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg may only have been of simple parentage and had a Protestant upbringing, but by his own means, he succeeded in becoming one of the most influential Catholic princes in the Holy Roman Empire within just a few decades, outshining even his successful cousin, Ruprecht von Eggenberg. His career, however, developed too quickly and too successfully for it to go unnoticed and unenvied. Contemporaries and historians have had differing opinions regarding Eggenberg's character: seeing him as a man ... who is successful at everything he does, a fellow of good fortune, with a reputation of being completely loyal to the Emperor, highly gifted and reliable, but also a corrupt and slippery customer. Both contemporaries and historians are, however, in agreement about his brilliant diplomatic talent, his personal charm and cleverness, and his extraordinary manner of dealing with people. Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg was born in June 1568 in Graz and had a Protestant upbringing. However, little is known about his childhood and youth. In 1583, he traveled to Tübingen, the heartland of German Protestantism, to study at the renowned Protestant university, Tübinger Stift, where he received a profound education. A famous associate of Hans Ulrich's, Johannes Kepler, also received a first-rate education at the Tübinger Stift and went on to write his first work, Mysterium Cosmographicum, while teaching in Graz. The intellectual dimensions of this education were to later form the basis of the complex programmatic orientations of his new residence, Schloss Eggenberg. After completing his studies, he embarked on the Grand Tour, a long educational journey undertaken by young noblemen of the period, which took him through the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy. After the death of his father in 1594, he returned to Graz to take over the safeguarding and administration of his estate and then soon began his career at the Court of Archduke Ferdinand in Graz. To be able to serve at court, he had had to convert to the Catholic faith and subsequently also supported the strict counter-reformatory policies of the Archduke. Hans Ulrich's influence became ever stronger at the Inner Austrian court due to