Bohemia under Rudolf II Habsburg (1576 to 1612) was the place to be, apparently.
from his Biography:
"Rudolf was an intelligent and gifted man. He spoke several languages with ease, had a good taste for art and was interested in mathematics and science. Since his return from Spain, however, Rudolf suffered from dark moods and after his crowning they continued to deepen. Those were troubled times. Germany was divided by Protestant and Catholic factions. A mighty earthquake took place in Vienna and the plague came and went, as did the Turks. In 1577 Rudolf suffered his first emotional breakdown, became severely melancholic and rarely left the castle. Four years later, he was so ill that there were fears for his life. He rapidly lost weight. The next year he decided to move his residence permanently to Prague in Bohemia to escape the crowds and pressures of Vienna. He turned to the study of astronomy and magic and started collecting beautiful and curious objects.
Rudolf gathered astronomers, humanists, physicians, artist, craftsmen and antiquarians about him. In the castle gardens the Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe, set up his instruments for observing the stars and wrote down his measurements of the planetary movements. When Rudolf's cousin, Archduke Ferdinand of Styria, banished Johannes Kepler from his province, Rudolf welcomed him at his court. Using Brahe's computations, known as the "Rudolphine Tables", Kepler developed his theory of the elliptical movements of the planets. Meanwhile, alchemists stirred mysterious vats in the kitchens of Hradschin castle, experimenting with elixirs. Exotic animals strolled through the corridors. In addition, Rudolf collected paintings of, among others, Breughel and Correggio.
(...)
On January 19, 1612, his condition deteriorated and the next morning he died. Nonetheless, the people of Prague mourned "der gute Herr", because his reign was regarded as Prague's golden age."
Throughout his life Rudolf was contantly at ends with the rest of the Habsburgs, who eventually conspired to depose him. Perhaps if Rudolf hadn't been so inbred, or if his alchemists had discovered a way to cure him from his melancholy, Prague could have been the capital of a Bohemian empire. There's plenty of potential for ASBs in this timeline, as well... among the magicians with whom he consulted were Rabbi Judah Loew (the creator of the famous Golem of Prague) and John Dee.