Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria
Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, by Pieter Thijs
Born	5 January 1614 Wiener Neustadt
Died	20 November 1662 (aged 48) Vienna
Allegiance	Holy Roman Empire
Years of service	1640 to 1656
Commands	Governor, Spanish Netherlands 1647-1656
Battles / wars	Thirty Years' War Second Breitenfeld Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) Gravelines Lens
Relations	Emperor Ferdinand III brother Leopold I nephew
Other work	Prince-bishop Halberstadt Passau Breslau Olmütz Strasbourg Grand Master, Teutonic Order 1641–1662

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (5 January 1614 – 20 November 1662), younger brother of Emperor Ferdinand III, was an Austrian soldier, administrator and patron of the arts.

He held a number of military commands, with limited success, and served as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, before returning to Vienna in 1656. Despite being nominated as Holy Roman Emperor after Ferdinand's death in 1657, he stood aside in favour of his nephew Leopold I.

His main interest was in art, and he patronised artists including David Teniers the Younger, Frans Snyders, Peter Snayers, Daniel Seghers, Peter Franchoys, Frans Wouters, Jan van den Hoecke and Pieter Thijs. His collection of 17th century Venetian and Dutch paintings are now held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.