Frederick III, the strange, eccentric man who came to the royal throne in 1440, would reign over the Holy Roman Empire for fifty-three years, longer than any other emperor. After him came Maximilian I (r. 1493–1519), his only son, who ruled for another twenty-six. Longevity and fecundity, Habsburg hallmarks, preserved the dynasty's reign over the Empire and its Austrian successor state for nearly 500 years. Had anyone predicted such a future at Frederick's accession, or at any other point in his long life, that person could today be considered certifiably mad.

There is truth behind Frederick's image as a monarch weighed down by isolation and lethargy, though he did not deserve the nickname of “the Empire's Arch-Sleeping Cap.” His isolation did not reflect ignorance about his realm, for no emperor in 250 years had better first-hand experience of the German lands.