It is significant that the high point of irenicism in Habsburg Vienna corresponded with the reign of Maximilian II (1564–1576), for the most prominent feature of this phenomenon was its confessional neutrality. Maximilian's predecessor, Ferdinand I, though a tolerant ruler in many respects, was a loyal son of the Catholic church. Ferdinand had officially invited the Jesuits to the Austrian lands. Ferdinand's grandson, Rudolf II, was raised by a zealous Catholic mother. He had been educated in Spain at the court of his orthodox cousin, Philip II, and at the beginning of his reign he did indeed support more vigorous policies of Catholic reform. When he succeeded his father in 1576, a papal representative described the new emperor as “most Catholic and very religious.” Maximilian, the adiaphorist, stood in contrast to both his father and son.

The enigmatic religious convictions of Maximilian II have puzzled historians since the emperor's death in 1576. A conflicting series of deathbed reports confuse the matter. A papal observer confirmed that Maximilian died an orthodox Catholic while others maintained that the Habsburg remained a crypto-Protestant to his last hour. Though historians have yet to reach a consensus on this issue, there are a few facts that can be agreed upon. From an early age he had a broad exposure to Protestantism. One of his first tutors was the Alsatian Wolfgang Schiefer who taught the young prince at Innsbruck between 1536 and 1538 before it was discovered that he was a Lutheran. Schiefer had studied at Wittenberg and was a friend of Philip Melanchthon, Joachim Camerarius, Ulrich von Hutten and Luther himself.