| Leopold IV | |
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| Portrait of Leopold IV, 1610 | |
| Duke of Habsburg | |
| Reign | 16 October 1604 - 30 June 1618 |
| Coronation | 29 October 1604 in Strasbourg |
| Predecessor | Peter II |
| Born | 13 April 1586 Strasbourg, Habsburg, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 30 June 1618 Quedlinburg, Holy Roman Empire |
| House | House of Habsburg |
| Father | Peter II |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Leopold IV (13 April 1586 - 30 June 1618) was Duke of Habsburg from 1604 until his death. He was the grandson of Leopold III, mastermind of the Catholic League alliance, and the son of Peter II, who he succeeded.
Leopold ascended to the throne in the midst of the Forty Years' War. His father Peter II had fell victim to an assassination, leaving Leopold barely of age. This effectively destroyed any chance of the House of Habsburg dominating the imperial government of Frederick V, or succeeding him, undoing much of the work done by Leopold's predecessors. As Duke of Habsburg, Leopold focused on repulsing Jungist rebels and their allies, which were ravaging across Swabia and in the Habsburg-aligned territories of Alsace. Leopold was a skilled swordsman and fighter himself, choosing to lead soldiers into battle himself to much success.
However, Leopold never forgot his father's death or how his family had been wronged. When he returned to the imperial government at Frankfurt he secretly began conspiring to avenge his father's death, beginning with those he perceived had ordered the killing. Although successful, this weakened the Catholic regime as a whole. Consumed by revenge, Leopold abandoned the day-to-day affairs of the Duchy of Habsburg and set out after one of his father's last surviving assassins, imperial guard Saumon Meise.
Leopold eventually caught up to Meise near the town of Quedlinburg in 1618, where he challenged Meise to a duel while in disguise. After seemingly besting Meise and badly wounding him, Leopold revealed his identity and demanded that Meise confess to his many murders and crimes. However, Leopold's premature celebration proved his undoing, as Meise managed to knock Leopold to his feet and choke him to death, before succumbing to his wounds himself the following day.
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