After the death of his mother in 1631, together with his brother John Casimir he inherited the wealthy city of Żywiec in Lesser Poland.

After his coming of age, Charles Ferdinand decided never to accept the ordination of priesthood and gave the control of the Archdiocese of Wrocław to other influential bishops and priests that would be in charge like Bishop John von Balthasar Liesch Hornau and Archdeacon Peter Gebauer.

Similarly, with the Archdiocese of Płock, he gave control over the sect to Stanisław Starczewski and Wojciech Tolibowski After the death of King Władysław IV Vasa in 1648, he was a candidate to the Polish throne, together with his brother John Casimir whom he supported.

Later he has launched a tough policy and decisive steps to quell the civil war in Polish occupied Ruthenia and Ukraine.

Most notably he was supported by the Ruthenian nobles led by Jeremi Wiśniowiecki, however, his policies were opposed by the Protestants, Lutherans and by the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which feared the tightening of the Counter-Reformation.

Charles Ferdinand Vasa left a huge fortune and the majority of it was spent on various foundations of churches in the country.

Charles Ferdinand was a great patron of art and supporter of the Society of Jesus (he had an enormous silver altar built for the Jesuit Church in Warsaw[1]).