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The Austrian Empire, also known as the Austrian Monarchy, was a multinational European great power from 1804 to 1867. It was created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs and was the third most populous monarchy in Europe. The Kingdom of Hungary was administered separately from the rest of the empire. After the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 was adopted, joining the Kingdom of Hungary and the Empire of Austria to form Austria-Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This empire included Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia, Bukovina, Transylvania, Carniola, Küstenland, Dalmatia, Croatia, Fiume, and Galicia.
What You'll Learn
- The Austrian Empire was part of the Holy Roman Empire until 1806
- The Austro-Hungarian Empire was formed in 1867
- The Austrian Empire was the third most populous monarchy in Europe
- The Kingdom of Hungary was administered separately from the rest of the empire
- The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a multi-ethnic state
The Austrian Empire was part of the Holy Roman Empire until 1806
The Austrian Empire was a multinational European great power from 1804 to 1867. It was officially known as the Empire of Austria. The Kingdom of Hungary was administered by its own institutions separately from the rest of the empire. The Austrian Empire continued fighting against Napoleon throughout the Napoleonic Wars, except for a period between 1809 and 1813, when Austria was first allied with Napoleon during the invasion of Russia and later neutral during the first few weeks of the Sixth Coalition War.
The fall and dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire were accelerated by French intervention in the Empire in September 1805. On 20 October 1805, an Austrian army led by General Karl Mack von Leiberich was defeated by French armies near the city of Ulm. The French victory resulted in the capture of 20,000 Austrian soldiers and many cannons. Napoleon's army won another victory at Austerlitz on 2 December 1805. Francis was forced into negotiations with the French from 4 to 6 December 1805, which concluded with an armistice on 6 December 1805.
The French victories encouraged rulers of certain imperial territories to ally themselves with the French and assert their formal independence from the Empire. On 10 December 1805, Maximilian IV Joseph, the prince-elector and Duke of Bavaria, proclaimed himself king, followed by the Duke of Württemberg Frederick III on 11 December. Charles Frederick, Margrave of Baden, was given the title of Grand Duke on 12 December. Each of these new states became French allies.
Francis II agreed to the humiliating Treaty of Pressburg, signed in Pressburg (today Bratislava, Slovakia) on 26 December 1805, in which he recognised these new titles and ceded large amounts of territory to Napoleon's German allies and the French Satellite Kingdom of Italy. In practice, this meant the dissolution of the long-lived Holy Roman Empire and a reorganization under a Napoleonic model of the German states. Austrian claims on those German states were renounced without exception.
On 12 July 1806, the Confederation of the Rhine was established, comprising 16 sovereigns and countries. This confederation, under French influence, de facto put an end to the Holy Roman Empire. On 6 August 1806, Francis proclaimed the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, as he did not want Napoleon to succeed him.
The dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire was not recognised by George III of the United Kingdom who was also the Elector of Hanover (formally Brunswick-Lüneburg) and Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg; Hanover and Lauenburg were incorporated into the French satellite Kingdom of Westphalia in 1807, having been occupied several times since 1801, but Britain remained at war with France and no treaty was signed recognising their annexation. His claims were later settled by the creation of the Kingdom of Hanover which was held by George IV and William IV as Kings of Hanover. Succession could only be in the male line, so on Queen Victoria's accession to the British throne, her uncle, Ernest Augustus, succeeded as King of Hanover, thus ending the personal union with Great Britain that dated to 1714.
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The Austro-Hungarian Empire was formed in 1867
The Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as the Dual Monarchy, was formed in 1867 following the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. The war had resulted in the dissolution of the German Confederation and the exclusion of Austria from German affairs. This, along with the loss in the Second Italian War of Independence, which broke Austria's dominion over a large part of Northern Italy, gave the Hungarians an opportunity to break free of Austrian rule.
The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, also known as the Ausgleich, was a compromise between Emperor Franz Joseph and Hungary, which granted Hungary full internal autonomy and its own parliament, while the Empire of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary would remain a single great state for purposes of war and foreign affairs. The Hungarians also conceded that foreign affairs and defence were "common" to Austria and Hungary. The two countries conducted unified diplomatic and defence policies, with "common" ministries of foreign affairs and defence maintained under the monarch's direct authority, as was a third finance ministry.
The official name of the state was Austria-Hungary, but the Empire of Austria was often referred to as "Cisleithania", and the Kingdom of Hungary as "Transleithania". The two countries shared a single monarch, who was titled both Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe, and geographically the second-largest country in Europe. It was formed of two sovereign states, with the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia as an autonomous region under the Hungarian crown.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was formed of many different territories, including Bohemia, Bukovina, Moravia, Carniola, Küstenland, Dalmatia, Croatia, Fiume, and Galicia. It was a forerunner in science and technology, with Vienna and Prague connected by a telegraph line as early as 1847. It also had a multilingual character, with its krone banknotes bearing text in eight languages in addition to German and Hungarian.
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The Austrian Empire was the third most populous monarchy in Europe
The Austrian Empire, also known as the Empire of Austria, was a multinational European great power from 1804 to 1867. It was created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs and was the third most populous monarchy in Europe after the Russian Empire and the United Kingdom. It was also the third-largest empire in Europe geographically.
The Austrian Empire was formed in response to Napoleon's declaration of the First French Empire, with Francis II unifying all Habsburg possessions under one central government. The Kingdom of Hungary was administered separately from the rest of the empire, with its own institutions.
The Austrian Empire included many countries and regions that are now independent republics, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, and Poland. It also included parts of modern-day Italy and Montenegro.
The empire was ruled by the House of Habsburg, a royal German family that was one of the principal sovereign dynasties of Europe. The Austrian half of the empire, in particular, granted significant linguistic and cultural rights to minorities.
After the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 was adopted, joining the Kingdom of Hungary and the Empire of Austria to form Austria-Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This marked the start of a dual monarchy, with a single monarch who held the titles of Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary.
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The Kingdom of Hungary was administered separately from the rest of the empire
The Kingdom of Hungary was administered separately from the rest of the Austrian Empire, which was known as the Austrian Empire from 1804 to 1867. The Austrian Empire was a multinational European great power and the third most populous monarchy in Europe after the Russian Empire and the United Kingdom.
The Kingdom of Hungary was administered separately from the Austrian Empire as a result of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, which followed the Austro-Prussian War. The Compromise was an agreement between Emperor Franz Joseph and Hungary, not between Hungary and the rest of the empire. The agreement gave Hungary full internal autonomy and its own responsible ministry, while the empire remained a single great state for war and foreign affairs. The agreement also established a customs union and a sharing of accounts, which was to be renegotiated every ten years. The two countries conducted unified diplomatic and defence policies, with "common" ministries of foreign affairs and defence maintained under the monarch's direct authority.
The Kingdom of Hungary was also distinct from the Austrian Empire in terms of its name, history, and population. The Kingdom of Hungary had its own name, a king, and a history separate from the rest of the empire. The rest of the empire, on the other hand, was a casual agglomeration of various territories without a clear description. The Kingdom of Hungary was also the more populous of the two, providing more than half of the Austro-Hungarian armed forces during World War I.
The Kingdom of Hungary's separate status within the empire ended in 1918, when the Hungarian Parliament voted to terminate the union with Austria. This decision was influenced by the growth of internal social contradictions, the separation of different parts of the empire, and the weakening of the empire due to World War I and other factors. The termination of the union ultimately led to the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the formation of separate Austrian and Hungarian states.
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The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a multi-ethnic state
The Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as the Dual Monarchy, was a multi-ethnic state. It was formed in 1867 by the unification of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, which had previously been defeated in the Austro-Prussian War. The two states shared a single monarch, who was titled Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. The Empire was ruled by the House of Habsburg, a royal German family that was one of the principal sovereign dynasties of Europe from the 15th to the 20th century.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a constitutional monarchy, with the Kingdom of Hungary having its own parliament and considerable autonomy. The Empire was geographically the second-largest country in Europe and the third most populous, after Russia and the German Empire. It was considered a "prison of nations" during an era of rising nationalism in the 19th century. However, the Austrian half of the Empire granted remarkable linguistic and cultural rights to minorities. German was the lingua franca of the Empire and Central Europe in general, but the Empire was multi-ethnic, with recognition of local languages.
The Empire included the following territories:
- Austria
- Hungary
- Bohemia
- Moravia
- Bukovina
- Transylvania
- Carniola
- Küstenland
- Dalmatia
- Croatia
- Fiume
- Galicia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (Austro-Hungarian Condominium)
- Overseas possessions in the Nicobar Islands and Maputo Bay in Mozambique
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Frequently asked questions
The Austrian Empire, also known as the Austrian Kingdom, was a multinational European great power from 1804 to 1867. It was made up of the following countries:
- Austria
- Hungary
- Bohemia
- Moravia
- Bukovina
- Transylvania
- Carniola
- Küstenland
- Dalmatia
- Croatia
- Fiume
- Galicia
After 1867, the Austrian Empire became known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire or Austria-Hungary. This was due to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, which joined the Kingdom of Hungary and the Empire of Austria to form a dual monarchy.
Before 1804, the Austrian Empire was officially known as the Holy Roman Empire.