Damon Mcknight
The name 'Austria' first appeared in 996 in a document of King Otto III, written as 'Ostarrîchi', referring to the territory of the Babenberg March. The Latinized name 'Austria' appeared in the 12th century, at which point the area now known as Austria was the easternmost extent of Bavaria. The area was settled in pre-Roman times by various Celtic tribes, and was conquered by the Roman Empire in 16 BC, becoming a province called Noricum. Austria, as a unified state, emerged at the end of the first millennium, first as a frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, then as a Duchy in 1156, and finally as an Archduchy in 1453.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Formation of Austria | 1804 |
| End of Austria-Hungary | 1918 |
| Current political system | Federal state with two legislative houses |
| Capital | Vienna |
| Population | 8.9 million |
| Geography | Landlocked, mountainous |
| Location | South-central Europe |
| Bordering countries | Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany |
| Largest lakes | Lake Constance, Neusiedler Lake |
| River | Danube |
| Culture | Hallstatt, La Tène |
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Austria-Hungary
The formation of Austria-Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy, or the Habsburg Monarchy, took place in 1867. This union was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe, comprising two sovereign states: the Empire of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary. The Compromise of 1867, also known as the Ausgleich, established this dual monarchy, with a single monarch holding the titles of Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary.
The history of Austria-Hungary is closely tied to the Habsburg dynasty, which ruled the region as a constitutional monarchy. The Compromise of 1867 granted the Kingdom of Hungary significant autonomy, including its own parliament and internal self-governance. While the two countries shared a monarch, they maintained separate identities and sovereignty in international law. The Ausgleich, passed as a constitutional law by the Hungarian parliament, secured individual rights and an impartial judiciary, as well as freedom of belief and education.
The origins of Austria-Hungary lie in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, which resulted in Austria's expulsion from the German Confederation. This defeat weakened Austria's position and prompted Emperor Franz Joseph to reorient his policies toward the east. Hungary had been seeking independence from Habsburg rule, and the Ausgleich represented a compromise that preserved the unity of the empire while granting Hungary considerable autonomy.
The dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary was a significant power in Europe, boasting the second-largest territory on the continent and the third-largest population. It encompassed a diverse array of territories, including Bohemia, Moravia, Bukovina, Transylvania, and Croatia, in addition to Austria and Hungary. The empire also had joint rule over Bosnia and Herzegovina starting in 1878, fully annexing it in 1908.
The complex dynamics within Austria-Hungary, with its multitude of nationalities and interests, proved challenging to manage. The monarchy struggled to maintain a balance among its many minorities, and this tension ultimately contributed to its downfall. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a Serbian nationalist in 1914 sparked World War I, leading to the empire's collapse in 1918. The defeat in the war, coupled with revolutions by various nationalist groups, marked the end of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, with the Kingdom of Hungary and the First Austrian Republic succeeding it de jure.
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The Austrian Empire
Prior to the formation of the Austrian Empire, the Habsburg monarchy controlled legally separate realms in a composite monarchy. This included the Kingdom of Hungary, which had always maintained its independence from the Holy Roman Empire and continued to do so even after becoming part of the Austrian Empire. The Hungarian kingdom's affairs remained administered by its own institutions, and no Imperial institutions were involved in its government.
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![The Austro-Hungarian Empire; 1877 [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/617DLHXyzlL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
The Copper Age
One of the earliest known Copper Age civilisations was the Vinča culture, which existed in the 5th and 6th millennia BCE in the regions of modern-day Serbia, Bulgaria, and Ex-Yugoslavia. Copper artefacts from this culture, such as a copper axe from 5500 BCE, have been discovered at sites like Majdanpek, Jarmovac, and Pločnik. Copper metallurgy also developed in other parts of Europe, including Bulgaria, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, and the Mediterranean islands of Corsica, Cyprus, and the Cyclades.
In Central Europe, the Mitterberg mines in the Salzach region of Austria were a significant source of copper. Prehistoric copper production in the Inn Valley of Austria dates back to the Copper Age. Additionally, the Austrian Alps in North Tyrol contain Bronze Age mines that produced copper with distinct lead isotope ratios.
The Carantanians, a group of Alpine Slavs, migrated into the Eastern Alps during the 7th century BCE, mixing with the Celto-Romanic population. They established the realm of Carantania, later known as Carinthia, which covered much of eastern and central Austrian territory. This was the first independent Slavic state in Europe.
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The Bronze Age
In the territories of Austria, the first traces of human settlement date back to the Lower Paleolithic Period (Old Stone Age). During the Neolithic period, a frozen human body, nicknamed Ötzi, was discovered in the Ötztal Alps on the Italian-Austrian border.
In Austria, the Late Bronze Age saw the emergence of the Urnfield culture, which was involved in salt mining in the northern salt mines at Hallstatt. This culture is associated with Proto-Celtic speaking populations and is named after the type site, Hallstatt, a lakeside village in the Austrian Salzkammergut southeast of Salzburg. The Hallstatt culture is considered the predominant Western and Central European archaeological culture of the Late Bronze Age, lasting from the 12th to the 8th centuries BC.
The transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age is marked by the development of the Hallstatt culture, which succeeded the Urnfield culture and was influenced by Mediterranean civilizations and Steppe peoples. This culture is often divided into two zones, Western and Eastern, with the rivers Enns, Ybbs, and Inn flowing through them. The Western Hallstatt area maintained contacts with Greek colonies on the Ligurian coast and the Etruscans, while the East had links with the Steppe Peoples from the southern Russian steppes.
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The Anschluss
However, after Hitler's rise to power in 1933, the desire for unification became associated with the Nazis, who saw it as an integral part of the "Heim ins Reich" ("back home to the realm") concept. The Austrian Nazi Party, despite its failure to win any seats in the 1930 general election, grew in popularity after Hitler came to power. The Nazis used propaganda campaigns with slogans such as "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer" ("One People, One Empire, One Leader") to convince Austrians to advocate for an Anschluss to the German Reich.
In February 1938, Hitler invited the Austrian chancellor, Kurt von Schuschnigg, to Germany and forced him to agree to give the Austrian Nazis a free hand. Schuschnigg later announced a plebiscite on the question of the Anschluss but was pressured to cancel it and resign. On March 12, 1938, Germany invaded, and the next day, Hitler annexed Austria, which ceased to exist as an independent country. A controlled plebiscite held on April 10 gave a 99.7% approval rating.
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Frequently asked questions
The name Austria first appeared in the 12th century, in the time of Leopold III (1095–1136).
The name Austria is a Latinisation of the native name for Austria, Österreich, which means "eastern realm" in Old High German.
Before the name Austria was used, the form Osterlant was common, and the inhabitants were referred to as Ostermann or Osterfrau.
Austria became an official archduchy of the Holy Roman Empire in 1453.
Austria became a unified state at the end of the first millennium.
