This scholarly collection examines the rituals, cultural practices and political significance associated with the deaths of powerful rulers in the late Middle Ages. Based on papers presented at a symposium held at the University of Salzburg in November 1993, the volume brings together interdisciplinary studies of royal and imperial death, including preparations for dying, funeral ceremonies, public mourning, burial practices and the visual representation of deceased rulers. Particular attention is given to Frederick III and Maximilian I, with comparative examples from other European courts and political traditions. The contributors investigate how death was used to express dynastic continuity, legitimate political authority and reinforce social hierarchies. By combining historical, cultural and art-historical perspectives, the book explores how rulers and their societies transformed death into a public event charged with religious, ceremonial and political meaning.