Hungary's Pre-Austria-Hungary Era: A Story Of Dependency

Hungary was not dependent before the formation of Austria-Hungary. The medieval Kingdom of Hungary was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1526 and was liberated by the Austrian Empire in 1699. The Ausgleich (Compromise) of 1867 granted Hungary considerable autonomy over its internal affairs and control over its non-Magyar ethnic groups. The agreement was a compromise between the emperor and Hungary, not between Hungary and the rest of the empire. The empire of Austria, as an official designation of the territories ruled by the Habsburg monarchy, dates to 1804, when Francis II, the last of the Holy Roman emperors, proclaimed himself emperor of Austria as Francis I. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a dual monarchy, formed by a merger of the two older states in 1867.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a dual monarchy

The Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as the Dual Monarchy, was a constitutional monarchy in Central Europe from 1867 to 1918. It was a military and diplomatic alliance of two sovereign states, the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, with a single monarch, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, who was also King of Hungary. The two states had their own constitutions, governments, and parliaments, and their citizens were treated as foreigners in the other state. The two countries conducted unified diplomatic and defence policies, with "common" ministries of foreign affairs, defence, and finance under the direct authority of the monarch. The dual monarchy was formed in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War and wars of independence by Hungary against Habsburg rule. It was dissolved in 1918 when Hungary terminated the union with Austria.

The Austrian half of the empire, officially known as Cisleithania, consisted of seventeen historical crown lands and was a multinational state that granted numerous rights to its various nationalities. It had an area of 300,004 km². The Hungarian half, known as Transleithania, was dominated by the Kingdom of Hungary but also included the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia and the free city of Rijeka/Fiume. It had an area of 325,411 km². Bosnia and Herzegovina, which belonged to neither, had an area of 51,200 km².

The dual monarchy was a real union, with the two states united by their common army and foreign policy. The strongest linking factor was the monarch, who personified the unity of the empire. The two states were co-equal in power, and their relationship was defined by the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, which restored Hungary's territorial integrity and its old historic constitution. The compromise also restored the Hungarian parliament, which had been the supreme legislative power in Hungary since the 12th century, and granted Hungary considerable autonomy over its internal affairs and control over its non-Magyar ethnic groups. The compromise was unpopular among ethnic Hungarian voters, who felt it betrayed the cause of Hungarian independence, but it was supported by ethnic minority voters in Hungary.

The dual monarchy was one of the major powers in Europe, with the third-largest population and the second-largest geographical area on the continent. It had the fourth-largest machine-building industry in the world and the fifth-largest GDP in Europe. It also had the second-largest railway network in Europe, after Germany. However, the Austro-Hungarian Empire faced internal pressures due to its multi-ethnic nature, with discontent among non-Hungarian minorities in Hungary and nationalist movements seeking independence. These pressures ultimately led to the dissolution of the empire after World War I.

It was formed by a merger of two older states in 1867

The Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, was formed in 1867 by a merger of two older states: the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. This merger was formalised by the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, also known as the Ausgleich.

The Austro-Hungarian Compromise was a deal between the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph and the Kingdom of Hungary, not between Hungary and the rest of the empire. The peoples of the empire were not consulted, despite Franz Joseph's earlier promise to the imperial parliament, the Reichsrat, that he would not make further constitutional changes without their advice.

Hungary received full internal autonomy and control over its non-Magyar ethnic groups, and, in return, agreed that the empire should remain a single great state for purposes of war and foreign affairs. The Emperor thus surrendered his domestic prerogatives in Hungary, including his protection of the non-Magyar peoples, in exchange for the maintenance of dynastic prestige abroad.

The "common monarchy" consisted of the Emperor and his court, the minister for foreign affairs, and the minister of war. There was no common prime minister and no common cabinet. The common affairs were considered at the delegations, composed of representatives from the two parliaments. There was to be a customs union and a sharing of accounts, which was to be revised every 10 years. This decennial revision gave the Hungarians recurring opportunities to levy blackmail on the rest of the empire.

Hungarians were granted autonomy over their internal affairs

The Hungarians were granted autonomy over their internal affairs in 1867, when the Austro-Hungarian Compromise (also known as the Ausgleich) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. This was a military and diplomatic alliance of two sovereign states, with a single monarch who was titled both Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary, which had been lost after the Hungarian Revolution of 1848.

The Compromise put an end to the 18-year-long military dictatorship and absolutist rule over Hungary that Emperor Franz Joseph had instituted after the revolution. It restored the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Hungary and its old historic constitution. The Hungarian parliament was re-established and, as it had been before 1849, it was the supreme legislative power in Hungary. Each part of the Monarchy had its own government, headed by its own prime minister.

The Hungarians had two main goals during the negotiations that led to the Compromise. One was to regain the traditional legal and political status of the Hungarian state. The other was to restore the series of reform laws (the so-called April Laws) of the revolutionary parliament of 1848, which were based on 12 points that established modern civil and political rights and economic and societal reforms in Hungary. The April Laws of the Hungarian revolutionary parliament (with the exception of the laws based on the 9th and 10th points) were restored by Franz Joseph.

Under the Compromise, the Hungarians were granted autonomy over their internal affairs and control over their non-Magyar ethnic groups. However, the two countries conducted unified diplomatic and defence policies, with "common" ministries of foreign affairs and defence maintained under the monarch's direct authority. A third finance ministry was responsible only for financing these two "common" portfolios.

The Austro-Hungarian Compromise turned the Habsburg domains into a real union between the Austrian Empire ("Lands Represented in the Imperial Council", or Cisleithania) in the western and northern half, and the Kingdom of Hungary ("Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen", or Transleithania) in the eastern half. While the Hungarians were granted autonomy over their internal affairs, the two parts of the Monarchy shared a common monarch and both foreign relations and defence were managed jointly. There was no common citizenship, and Austria-Hungary used two separate passports: the Austrian and the Hungarian.

The empire was ruled by Emperor Franz Joseph

The Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as the Dual Monarchy, was ruled by Emperor Franz Joseph from 2 December 1848 until his death in 1916. Franz Joseph was the eldest son of Archduke Franz Karl and Princess Sophie of Bavaria. He was brought up as a future emperor by his politically ambitious mother, who ensured he received a rigorous education in preparation for his future role.

Franz Joseph became emperor at the age of 18, when his uncle, Emperor Ferdinand, abdicated the throne. In 1854, Franz Joseph married his cousin, Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, with whom he had four children. He is often described as a reactionary ruler who spent much of his early reign resisting constitutionalism in his domains. Indeed, he revoked the Hungarian reform laws (April laws) that had been passed by the Hungarian parliament, which resulted in a war for total independence from the Habsburg dynasty.

In 1867, Franz Joseph concluded the Austro-Hungarian Compromise, which granted greater autonomy to Hungary and created the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. He was crowned King of Hungary on 8 June and, on 28 July, he promulgated the laws that officially turned the Habsburg domains into the Dual Monarchy. This appeased his Hungarian subjects but angered his Slavic ones.

Franz Joseph was a workaholic, running a civil administration that was highly regarded throughout Europe. He was a devout Catholic who attended Mass daily, and his strong sense of duty was evident from an early age. He was also a military man at heart, having served with the Austrian forces in Italy in his youth. He was a strict disciplinarian, and his own children often struggled to meet his high expectations.

Franz Joseph's later years were marked by personal tragedy. In 1889, his son Rudolf died by suicide, and, in 1898, his wife Elisabeth was stabbed to death by an Italian anarchist. In 1914, Franz Joseph's nephew and heir, Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated in Sarajevo, which led to Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia and the outbreak of World War I. Franz Joseph died in 1916, after ruling his domains for almost 68 years.

It was one of the largest countries in Europe

The Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as the Habsburg Empire, was a large multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe. It was formed in 1867 after the Austro-Prussian War and lasted until 1918, when it was dissolved following World War I. The empire was a union between the Austrian Empire ("Lands Represented in the Imperial Council", or Cisleithania) and the Kingdom of Hungary ("Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen", or Transleithania).

In terms of size, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was the second-largest country in Europe, with a total area of 676,615 square kilometres (261,173 square miles). It was geographically larger than many other European countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

The empire was also one of the most populous countries in the world, ranking third in Europe after Russia and the German Empire. It had a significant population size, with Hungary itself having around 9.7 million people.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire played a significant role in European politics and was considered one of the major powers on the continent. It had a strong economy, particularly in the Kingdom of Hungary, which became a global leader in food exports. The empire also had a well-developed industrial base, a large machine-building industry, and a modern transportation system, including railways and tramways.

In conclusion, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was indeed one of the largest countries in Europe in terms of both geographical size and population. Its economic and political influence made it a significant power in the region, and its legacy can still be felt in the countries that were once part of this vast empire.

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