On 7 July 1528 she was born in Prague, daughter of the future Emperor Ferdinand I and Princess Anna Jagiello. Anna was no beauty but was still regarded highly on the marriage market of European royalty. Early in life, possessing a practical intelligence, early in life she developed an obsesssion with her own family and was happy with the pompous life at 'the most wonderful court in the world'in Vienna. She also found her strength in her never challenged catholic beliefs.

Still very young she became engaged to Theodor of Bavaria, son of Wilhelm IV, Duke of Bavaria, and Maria Jakobaea von Baden. When, on 8 July 1534 in Wolfratshausen, he died, she was only six years old. She then became engaged to Charles, Duke of Orl‚ans, son of Francois I, King of France, and Claude de France; but, when she was still only seventeen, on 5 september 1545 at Faremoutiers, he, too, died.

Less than a year later, on 4 July 1546 in Regensburg, with a dowry of 50,000 gulden, she married Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria, a brother of the deceased Theodor, and they became the parents of seven children. Their elaborate wedding announced a new style at the Bavarian court but, while Albrecht's father was still the ruling Duke of Bavaria, they resided at the castle Trausnitz in Landshut.

From 1550, when Albrecht succeeded his father, Italian renaissance as well as the Spanish-Habsburg cultural connections were embraced. They supported financially the arts world and soon 'the Bavarian Splendour' became legendary. They also supported the painter Hans Muelich as well as founding several museums. Orlando di Lasso, with Palestrina the most important composer of the 16th century, was brought to Munich to enhance further the charisma of their court. The book collections they bought later became the Bavarian State Library. 

Anna, a devout catholic, had brought to Bavaria her Franciscan father confessors and consultants; however, Albrecht, and later their son Wilhelm V, opened Bavaria up to the Jesuits. Anna's daughter, Maria, was married to Anna's brother, Archduke Karl, and their son became Emperor Ferdinand II. As a result, Anna was ancestor of both the dynasty of Bavaria and Austria until the collapse of these monarchies in 1918. Anna survived her husband by eleven years and, as his widow, received an income of 200,000 gulden and lived in the, widow residence, especially built for her, at the court in Munich.
 

Source: Leo van de Pas