The History Of Austria And Poland: A Complex Past

Austria and Poland have a long historical relationship that dates back several centuries. While the two nations were never the same country, they did have a strong and cordial relationship during the peak of their powers. However, their relationship was complicated and strained during the Partitions of Poland, in which Austria participated alongside Prussia and Russia, resulting in the progressive reduction of Poland's size and power. Despite this, Austria was considered the most tolerant of the three partitioning nations, and Polish culture flourished under Austrian rule. In the 20th century, after the collapse of Austria-Hungary, Austria and Poland re-established relations, which were once again interrupted by Nazi Germany's annexation of Austria and invasion of Poland. After World War II, both countries re-established relations, and Austria supported Poland's integration into the Western world, including its membership in NATO and the European Union.

The Teutonic Order and the Kingdom of Poland

The Teutonic Order was a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society around 1190 in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals. Its members were commonly known as the Teutonic Knights, having historically served as a crusading military order for supporting Catholic rule in the Holy Land and the Northern Crusades during the Middle Ages, as well as supplying military protection for Catholics in Eastern Europe.

The Teutonic Order was present not only in Prussia but throughout the Holy Roman Empire, and it was also subordinate to the Emperor, who had objected since 1501 to the Order offering tribute to the Polish king. The Teutonic Order was also present in Livonia, which became known as the Livonian Order. The Livonian branch continued as part of the Livonian Confederation established in 1422–1435, which became a protectorate of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1559, and was finally secularised and split into the Duchy of Courland and Semigalia, as well as the Duchy of Livonia in 1561, both duchies being fiefs of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

The Teutonic Order's presence in the Baltic region brought it into conflict with the Kingdom of Poland. The Teutonic Order established a state known as the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights, which included territories in what is now modern-day Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Tensions arose as the Teutonic Order sought to expand its influence and control over these territories, often bringing them into conflict with the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Polish–Teutonic Wars refer to a series of conflicts that took place between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Order, occurring primarily during the 14th and 15th centuries and were characterised by territorial disputes, political manoeuvring, and religious differences.

The Teutonic Order was invited to Poland by Konrad I of Masovia in the 13th century to help fight the pagans to the north and east. The Teutonic Order, however, wanted to become a state and used this opportunity to grow in power. This eventually resulted in conflict with Poland, which went "hot" in the 1300s and "epic" in the 1400s. The Teutonic Order's massacre of the inhabitants of the Polish port city of Gdańsk in 1308 entered Polish folklore. The Teutonic Order's invasion of Poland in 1519 resulted in the Polish–Teutonic War of 1519–1521, which ended with the Compromise of Thorn in April 1521.

The Teutonic Order fell into decline after its defeat at the hands of a combined Polish–Lithuanian army at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, which broke its military power. The Teutonic Order's decline was furthered by the Peace of Thorn in 1466, which resulted in the extant territory of its Prussian branch becoming known as Monastic Prussia or Teutonic Prussia, a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Poland. The Teutonic Order's remaining Prussian territories were secularised in 1525 during the Protestant Reformation to become the Duchy of Prussia, ruled by the House of Hohenzollern, remaining a fiefdom of the Polish Crown.

The Habsburgs' attempts to take power in Poland

The Habsburgs, also known as the House of Austria, were one of the most prominent and important dynasties in European history. They ruled Austria from 1273 until 1918 and attempted to take power in Poland several times.

The first attempt by the Habsburgs to take power in Poland started in 1573 when they began presenting their candidacies in the Polish royal elections. However, they were unsuccessful in their attempts to become King of Poland.

In 1587, after the Polish-Lithuanian royal election, Maximilian III tried to become King of Poland by involving Austria in the War of the Polish Succession. This was considered the first major Austro-Polish war, and the Austrians were decisively defeated by the Poles at the Battle of Byczyna in 1588.

In the 18th century, the growing Russian influence and expansion, along with the decline of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, led Austria to switch its support from Poland to Russia. Austria participated in the Partitions of Poland with Prussia and Russia, which strained relations between the two countries. Despite this, Austria acquired the smallest partition of Poland, as it only participated in the First and Third of the three partitions.

During the 19th century, the Austrian government made few concessions to their Polish constituents, maintaining an attitude that a "patriot was a traitor – unless he was a patriot for the [Austrian] Emperor." However, by the early 20th century, just before World War I and the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the Austrian Partition had the most local autonomy out of the three partitions. The local government, or Governorate Commission, had considerable influence locally, and Polish was accepted as the official regional language. Polish organizations had some freedom to operate, and Polish parties could formally participate in Austro-Hungarian politics.

In summary, the Habsburgs made several attempts to take power in Poland, but they were ultimately unsuccessful in establishing direct rule in the country.

The Austrian Partition

Austria acquired Polish lands during the First Partition of 1772 and the Third Partition of Poland in 1795. The Austrian sector encompassed the second-largest share of the Commonwealth's population—over 2.65 million people living on 128,900 square kilometres of land, constituting the formerly south-central part of the Republic. The territories acquired by the Austrian Empire during the First Partition included the Polish Duchy of Zator and Duchy of Oświęcim, as well as part of Lesser Poland with the counties of Kraków, Sandomierz, and Galicia, excluding the city of Kraków. In the Third Partition, the annexed lands included Western Galicia and Southern Masovia.

During the 19th century, the Austrian government made few concessions to their Polish subjects, maintaining an attitude that a "patriot was a traitor – unless he was a patriot for the [Austrian] Emperor." However, by the early 20th century, on the eve of World War I and the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the Austrian Partition had the most local autonomy compared to the other two partitions. The local government, known as the Governorate Commission (Polish: Komisja Gubernialna), held considerable influence. Polish was accepted as the official regional language, used in schools, and Polish organisations and political parties were allowed to operate and participate in Austro-Hungarian politics.

Economically, the Austrian Partition, particularly the region of Galicia, was considered backward and the poorest of the three partitions. It was characterised by inefficient agriculture and a lack of industry. Corruption was rampant during elections, and the region was a low priority for investment and development by the Viennese government. Despite these challenges, Polish culture flourished in the Austrian Partition, and Poles enjoyed wide autonomy.

Austria's involvement in the Partitions of Poland

The Partitions of Poland were three territorial divisions of Poland that occurred in 1772, 1793, and 1795, ending the existence of the Polish state for 123 years. The partitions were conducted jointly by the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg monarchy (Austria).

During the First Partition of 1772, Austria, Russia, and Prussia signed a treaty that partitioned Poland. This agreement deprived Poland of approximately half of its population and almost one-third of its land area. Austria acquired territories in Little Poland (Małopolska) south of the Vistula River, western Podolia, and the area that became known as Galicia.

In the Second Partition of 1793, Poland was forced to cede additional lands to Prussia and Russia. Austria did not participate directly in this partition, as it was occupied with war against revolutionary France. However, the Second Partition further reduced Polish territory and strengthened the hold of the partitioning powers.

The Third Partition of Poland occurred in 1795 and marked the final erasure of the Polish state from the map of Europe. Russia, Prussia, and Austria concluded an agreement to divide the remaining territories of Poland among themselves. Austria acquired the remaining section of Little Poland, from Kraków northeastward to the arc of the Northern Bug River.

Overall, Austria's involvement in the Partitions of Poland was driven by its expansionist interests and the opportunity to gain territory at the expense of a weakened Poland. The Austrian sector, also known as the Austrian Partition, eventually encompassed the second-largest share of the Polish population and about 18% of the former Commonwealth territory.

Austria and Poland's relationship after World War II

Austria and Poland have a long historical relationship that dates back several centuries. However, their relationship after World War II was strained due to their differing political alignments. While Poland became a satellite state of the Soviet Union, Austria was closely tied to the West and the United States. This led to limited contact and tense relations between the two countries during the Cold War era.

In the aftermath of World War II, Poland underwent significant territorial changes. The country's international border shifted, with the Oder-Neisse line becoming its western border and the Curzon Line becoming its eastern border. These changes resulted in population transfers involving millions of Poles and Germans between 1945 and 1946. Poland lost territories in the east to the Soviet Union, which today form parts of Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. Meanwhile, Poland gained territories in the west, including the Free State of Danzig and German areas east of the Oder-Neisse line.

Austria, on the other hand, re-established itself as a republic and pledged neutrality after the war. The country was occupied by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union. The relationship between Austria and Poland during this period was influenced by their differing political systems and alignments.

Despite the strained relations, there was a small community of Polish refugees in Austria, who had escaped from communist rule in Poland. The collapse of communism in Europe in 1989 marked a turning point in the relationship between the two countries. Austria supported Poland's integration into the Western world, including its accession to NATO and the European Union.

Since the end of communism in Poland, the relationship between the two countries has improved significantly. Both Austria and Poland are now members of the European Union, and they continue to cooperate economically and democratically. They are also both members of other international organizations, including the OECD, OSCE, United Nations, and World Trade Organization.

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