Albert VII, Archduke of Austria, was the third son of Emperor Maximilian II and Maria of Habsburg. He was raised at the Spanish Court and in 1577 he was made Cardinal of Toledo. From 1585 to 1595 he was viceroy of Portugal and was appointed Stadtholder of Portugal in 1596. He 1599 he relinquished his orders and married the Infanta Isabella, daughter of Philip II of Spain. In 1599 he was defeated by Marice of Nassau and in 1609 made a twelve year's truce with him.
There is a similar portrait of the Archduke attributed to Frans Pourbus in the Groeningemuseum, Bruges.