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How did Johann Ferdinand Portia influence Leopold I’s early life?
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Leopold I
Leopold I, detail of a portrait bust, c. 1700; in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Johann Ferdinand Portia played a significant role in the early life of Leopold I as his leading educator. As a cultured count, Portia was responsible for providing Leopold with a careful education during his youth.
The influence of this relationship extended well beyond Leopold's formative years; after Leopold ascended to the throne, he appointed Portia as lord high steward. Portia maintained his influence over the emperor until his death in 1665.1