Maximilian II, Habsburg Double-Headed Eagle – 1565 – Historical Wax Seal Stamp

Maximilian II, Habsburg Double-Headed Eagle - 1565 - Historical Wax Seal Stamp

Wax seal stamp based on the Great Seal of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Habsburg lands during the later 16th century.

Maximilian was born in Vienna in 1527, the eldest son of Ferdinand I. He was crowned King of Bohemia in 1562 and King of Hungary in 1563 before succeeding his father as Holy Roman Emperor in 1564. He ruled until 1576.

His reign came during a period of considerable religious and political division within Central Europe. Maximilian became known for pursuing a comparatively conciliatory position between the competing religious communities of his territories, while maintaining the extensive collection of kingdoms and hereditary lands inherited by the Austrian Habsburgs.

This design is based on Maximilian II’s Great Seal of 1565. At its centre is the imperial double-headed eagle, surmounted by the imperial crown and bearing a smaller shield upon its breast.

The central arms incorporate those of Austria alongside a castle emblem, while the eagle and shield are surrounded by the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Two lions support the principal shield, and a remarkable sequence of additional coats of arms surrounds the composition, representing the numerous territories and titles claimed by Maximilian.

The double-headed eagle had become one of the defining emblems of the Holy Roman emperors. In Maximilian’s Great Seal it forms the centre of an elaborate Renaissance heraldic composition intended to represent both imperial office and the extensive Habsburg inheritance.

The original Great Seal measured approximately 120 mm in diameter. This 50 mm version adapts the historic design into a practical wax seal while retaining the principal heraldic elements of the original. SIGILLA records surviving impressions from 1565 and identifies the design as Maximilian II’s imperial Great Seal.

Seal Legend:

MAXIMILIANVS II : D : G : E : RO : IMP : S : AVG ; GER : HUN : BOHEM : DAL : CROE : SCLA : REX : AR : D : AV : BVR : STIR : CHARN : CARE : WI : E : CO : TIROL : 7 C

Expanded Latin:

Maximilianus II, Dei Gratia Electus Romanorum Imperator Semper Augustus, Germaniae, Hungariae, Bohemiae, Dalmatiae, Croatiae, Sclavoniae etc. Rex; Archidux Austriae, Dux Burgundiae, Stiriae, Carinthiae, Carniolae et Wirtembergae etc., Comes Tirolis etc.

Translation:

“Maximilian II, by the grace of God, elected Emperor of the Romans, ever august; King of Germany, Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia; Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola and Württemberg; Count of Tyrol, and so forth.”

Design: Great Seal of Maximilian II
Person: Maximilian II
Dynasty: House of Habsburg
Date: 1565
Period: 16th-century Central Europe
Symbol: Imperial double-headed eagle
Original Seal Size: 120 mm
Stamp Size: 50 mm
Material: Solid brass
Type: Wax seal stamp / sealing stamp

Each stamp is made of solid brass, supplied with a wooden handle and presented in a velvet pouch.

Suitable for letters, envelopes, historical collections, Renaissance displays, heraldry collections, genealogy projects, traditional stationery and decorative sealing.

“Deus providebit.”

“God will provide.” — Motto of Maximilian II