[citation needed] Ferdinand was also instructed in the Catholic religion and their God-given right to rule, and that this was a gift based on the condition that they were to fear and love God.

He accommodated his world-famous collections in a museum built specifically for that purpose, making Ambras Castle the oldest museum in the world, and as the only Renaissance Kunstkammer of its kind to have been preserved at its original location, the Chamber of Art and Curiosities at Ambras Castle represents an unrivalled cultural monument.

In particular, the Chamber of Art and Curiosities, the gallery of portraits, and the collection of armor were very expensive, leading Ferdinand to incur a high level of debt.

[citation needed] After the death of his wife Philippine in 1580, he married his niece, Anna Caterina Gonzaga, a daughter of William I, Duke of Mantua, in 1582.

Since his sons from the first marriage were not entitled to the inheritance, and the second produced only surviving daughters, Tyrol was reunified with the other Habsburg lands.

[citation needed] He and his first wife Philippine Welser were parents of four children: On 14 May 1582, Ferdinand married his niece Anna Caterina Gonzaga.