Austria's Royal Past: Kings, Queens, And More

Austria is a federal parliamentary republic and does not have a king or queen. The country is a federation of nine states, with Vienna as its capital. The area of modern-day Austria has been inhabited since at least the Paleolithic period and was annexed by the Romans in the late 1st century BC.

Austria was a prefecture of Bavaria created in 976 and was ruled by the House of Babenberg from 976 until 1246. It was then ruled by the House of Habsburg from 1246 until 1918, when the monarchy was abolished following World War I.

The last Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary was Karl I, who reigned from 1916 to 1918.

Austria's monarchy was abolished in 1918

Emperor Karl I's attempts to save the situation with a 'peace note' and a 'People's Manifesto' came too late and failed to achieve the desired effect. Instead, they contributed to the monarchy's dissolution. On 28 October 1918, the plenary assembly of the National Committee in Prague voted for the independence of Czechoslovakia, and on the same day, the Polish deputies to the Austrian Reichsrat proclaimed the union of their formerly Habsburg Lands with the Polish state. The German-speaking deputies from Cisleithania assembled on 21 October for the constituent session of the National Assembly of German-Austria, which was to include all the German-speaking areas of the Monarchy. However, such a union of states made up of the peoples of the Danube regions of the former monarchy found no support in the national assemblies in Prague, Ljubljana and Zagreb.

On 11 November 1918, Karl I issued a carefully worded proclamation in which he recognised the Austrian people's right to determine the form of the state and renounced the right to participate in Austrian affairs of state. Two days later, he issued a similar proclamation for Hungary. However, he did not abdicate, remaining available in the event that the people of either state should recall him. For all intents and purposes, this was the end of Habsburg rule.

The country is now a federal parliamentary republic

Austria is a federal parliamentary republic. The country is no longer a monarchy and does not have a king or queen.

Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous city and state. The country is bordered by Germany to the northwest, the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west.

Austria has a long history of monarchical rule. From 976 until 1246, the Margraviate of Austria and its successor, the Duchy of Austria, was ruled by the House of Babenberg. At that time, those states were part of the Holy Roman Empire. From 1246 until 1918, the duchy and its successor, the Archduchy of Austria, was ruled by the House of Habsburg. Following the defeat of Austria-Hungary in World War I, the titles were abolished, and the modern Republic of Austria was established.

Austria became a federal, representative democracy with a popularly elected president as head of state and a chancellor as head of government and chief executive. The country has the 13th highest nominal GDP per capita and high standards of living. Austria has been a member of the United Nations since 1955 and of the European Union since 1995.

The last emperor of Austria was Karl I, who reigned from 1916 to 1918

Karl I ascended the throne at the age of 29, following the death of his great-uncle, Franz Joseph. He was the son of Archduke Otto of Austria and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony, and became heir presumptive in 1914 when his uncle, Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated in Sarajevo.

During his reign, Karl I attempted to preserve the empire by returning it to federalism and championing Austro-Slavism. However, these efforts ultimately failed, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire hurtled into disintegration. Czechoslovakia and the State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs were proclaimed, and Hungary broke monarchic ties with Austria by the end of October 1918.

Following the armistice of 1918, Karl I issued a proclamation in which he recognised the rights of the Austrian people to determine their form of government and released his government officials from their loyalty to him. However, he did not use the term "abdicate" and, in effect, did not abdicate. Despite this, the Republic of German-Austria was proclaimed the following day, and in April 1919, the National Assembly formally dethroned the Habsburgs and banished Karl I from German-Austria for life.

Karl I spent the early part of his exile in Switzerland, and the remaining years of his life attempting to restore the monarchy. He made two attempts to reclaim the Hungarian throne in 1921 but failed due to the opposition of Hungary's regent, Miklós Horthy.

Karl I died in exile on the Portuguese island of Madeira in 1922, at the age of 34. He was buried in the Church of Our Lady of Monte on the island, despite several attempts to move his remains to the Habsburg Crypt in Vienna.

In 2004, Karl I was beatified by the Catholic Church, with October 21 as his feast day.

Karl I was also the last king of Hungary

Karl I was the last king of Hungary, and also the last emperor of Austria. He was a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and was the great-nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph.

Karl I became the heir presumptive to the Habsburg throne after the assassination of his uncle, Franz Ferdinand, in 1914. Franz Ferdinand's children were barred from succession due to his morganatic marriage.

Karl I was a devout Catholic, and a peace-loving man. He was, however, unable to prevent the centrifugal forces of nationalism from tearing apart his multinational empire. He attempted to transform the western part of his empire into a federated state, but this proved insufficient and too late to prevent its collapse.

In November 1918, after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian armies on the Italian front, Karl renounced all participation in affairs of state, but notably, did not abdicate. He was deposed by the Austrian parliament in April 1919 and exiled to Switzerland.

In 1921, Karl I made two attempts to reclaim the Hungarian throne, but failed due to the opposition of Hungary's regent, Admiral Miklós Horthy. He was then exiled to the Portuguese island of Madeira, where he died of respiratory failure in 1922, aged 34.

Karl I was beatified by the Catholic Church in 2004, with October 21 as his feast day.

Austria is now a semi-presidential representative democracy

Austria is a semi-presidential representative democracy with a popularly elected president as head of state and a chancellor as head of government and chief executive. The country has a bicameral parliament, with the composition of the Nationalrat (lower house) determined every five years by a general election in which every citizen over the age of 16 has the right to vote. The Bundesrat (upper house) has a limited right of veto. The president is directly elected by popular majority vote, with a run-off between the top-scoring candidates if necessary. The chancellor is selected by the president and tasked with forming a government based on the partisan composition of the Nationalrat.

Austria's political system is based on the constitution of 1920 and 1929, which was reintroduced in 1945. The country's current constitution states that its official name is the Republic of Austria, and that German is its official language. The country is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous city and state.

Austria's history as a monarchy ended with the defeat of Austria-Hungary in World War I. The empire's collapse led to the proclamation of the Republic of German-Austria in 1918 and the First Austrian Republic in 1919. The current republic was established after World War II, when the country was occupied by Allied forces. In 1955, Austria regained full independence by concluding the Austrian State Treaty with the Allies, and declared its perpetual neutrality by an act of parliament.

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