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The Austrian Empire, also known as the Empire of Austria, was a European great power that existed from 1804 to 1867. It was formed from the realms of the Habsburg monarchy, which had previously been legally separate lands under the Holy Roman Empire. After the fall of Napoleon, Austria became the leader of the German states once again. However, following the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Austria was expelled from the German Confederation, leading to the formation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867. This empire included the Kingdom of Hungary and the Austrian lands, which were separate sovereign countries in international law. The Austro-Hungarian Empire lasted until 1918 and encompassed territories that would become modern-day Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, and possibly others.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Official Name | Austria-Hungary |
| Also Known As | Österreich-Ungarn, Österreichisch-Ungarische Monarchie, Österreichisch-Ungarisches Reich, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, Doppelmonarchie, Dual Monarchy |
| Time Period | 1867-1918 |
| Comprised Of | Austria, Hungary, Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, and other territories |
| Government | Dual Monarchy with separate administrations for Austria and Hungary |
| Economy | Fourth-largest machine-building industry in the world, rapid economic growth in the late 19th century, disparities between western and eastern regions |
| Population | Included Jews, Hungarians, Germans, Italians, and other ethnic groups |
| Language | German was the primary language of higher education |
| Religion | Included religious minorities such as Jews |
| Diplomacy | Had diplomatic relations with the United States until 1917 |
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What You'll Learn
Austria-Hungary
The Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as the Dual Monarchy, was formed in 1867 through a constitutional compromise between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. The two were separate sovereign countries in international law, and the Kingdom of Hungary had its own name, king, and history. The agreement was a compromise between the emperor and Hungary, not between Hungary and the rest of the empire. Hungary received full internal autonomy and a responsible ministry, while the empire remained a single great state for purposes of war and foreign affairs.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a continuation of the Austrian Empire, which was officially known as the Empire of Austria and was a multinational European great power from 1804 to 1867. The Austrian Empire was created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs, unifying all Habsburg possessions under one central government. The empire was proclaimed by Francis II in 1804 in response to Napoleon's declaration of the First French Empire.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a union between Cisleithania, the northern and western parts of the former Austrian Empire, and Transleithania (Kingdom of Hungary). Following the 1867 reforms, the Austrian and Hungarian states were co-equal in power, and they conducted unified diplomatic and defence policies. A third component of the union was the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, an autonomous region under the Hungarian crown, which negotiated the Croatian-Hungarian Settlement in 1868.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a liberal piece of legislation that offered extensive language and cultural rights. Article 19 of the 1867 "Basic State Act" (Staatsgrundgesetz), valid only for the Cisleithanian (Austrian) part of Austria-Hungary, stated that all races of the empire had equal rights and that every race had the inviolable right to preserve and use its own nationality and language. The equality of all customary languages was recognized by the state in schools, offices, and public life.
The empire included parts of modern-day Italy (Trentino, South Tyrol, parts of the province of Belluno, and small portions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia), Poland (voivodeships of Lesser Poland, Subcarpathia, and the southernmost part of Silesia), and Ukraine (oblasts of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, and most of the oblast of Chernivtsi). It also included the Principality of Liechtenstein, which had previously looked to Vienna for protection.
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The Holy Roman Empire
The term "Holy Roman Empire" was first used in the 13th century, although the concept of the Empire's ruler holding supreme power inherited from the ancient emperors of Rome (translatio imperii) existed before that. Before the 13th century, the empire was referred to as universum regnum ("the whole kingdom"), imperium christianum ("Christian empire"), or Romanum imperium ("Roman empire"). In 1512, the name was changed to the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation", although this name never had official status according to some historians.
The end of the Holy Roman Empire came about due to French intervention in 1805, which resulted in the capture of 20,000 Austrian soldiers and many cannons. This encouraged rulers of certain imperial territories to assert their independence from the Empire. On July 12, 1806, the Confederation of the Rhine was established, comprising 16 sovereigns and countries, effectively putting an end to the Holy Roman Empire. On August 6, 1806, Francis II, the last of the Holy Roman emperors, proclaimed the dissolution of the Empire as he did not want Napoleon to succeed him.
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The Napoleonic Wars
The Austrian Empire, officially the Empire of Austria, was a significant player in the Napoleonic Wars. The Napoleonic Wars dominated Austrian foreign policy from 1804 to 1815, and the Austrian army was one of the most formidable forces that Napoleon's troops had to confront. The Austrian Empire was created in 1804 by Francis II, unifying all Habsburg possessions under one central government. This was done in response to Napoleon's proclamation of the First French Empire.
The Austrian army was initially inadequately equipped and poorly trained when it first faced the French in 1805. Napoleon's strategic move to march his army into Germany took the Austrians by surprise, as they had anticipated an invasion of Italy. Napoleon's troops swiftly surrounded an Austrian army in the city of Ulm, forcing its surrender, and then advanced to Vienna, which he took in November 1805. He then moved into Moravia, where he defeated the Austrians and Russians at the Battle of Austerlitz on December 2, 1805. This defeat led to the Treaty of Pressburg, in which Austria gave up Venice, Tirol, and other lands to Napoleon and his clients.
Despite this defeat, Austria continued to fight against Napoleon throughout the Napoleonic Wars, except for a brief period between 1809 and 1813 when it was first allied with Napoleon during the invasion of Russia and then remained neutral during the early stages of the Sixth Coalition War. After Prussia signed a peace treaty with France in 1795, Austria bore the brunt of the war with Napoleonic France for almost a decade, which severely strained its economy and made the war unpopular. Emperor Francis I refused to engage in further wars with Napoleon for a long period. However, he secretly maintained his desire for revenge against France, forming a military pact with Russia in 1804.
Following the Napoleonic Wars, the Austrian Empire was a key beneficiary of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, chaired by Metternich. Austria regained its Adriatic lands and territories in modern-day Austria, and it acquired considerable Italian territories, including Lombardy, Venetia, Tuscany, and Modena. Metternich's foreign policy aimed to preserve the Habsburgs' power and influence in international affairs, leading to the formation of the Quadruple Alliance with Britain, Prussia, and Russia.
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The Habsburgs
The House of Habsburg, also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilisation. The name 'Habsburg' is derived from the castle of Habsburg, or 'Habichtsburg' ('Hawk's Castle'), built in the 1020s in present-day Switzerland by Radbot of Klettgau, a descendant of Guntram the Rich, the earliest traceable ancestor of the dynasty. Radbot's grandson Otto II was the first to take the name of the castle, adding 'Count of Habsburg' to his title.
In the 19th century, the Habsburgs became emperors of Austria and, later, of Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual Monarchy. This union was formed in 1867 when the Kingdom of Hungary and the Empire of Austria joined as equal partners, with the Emperor Franz Joseph surrendering his domestic prerogatives in Hungary in exchange for the maintenance of dynastic prestige abroad. The Habsburg monarchy came to an end with the defeat in World War I and the proclamation of the Republic of German-Austria and the First Hungarian Republic in 1918.
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The Kingdom of Hungary
The Compromise of 1867, also known as the Ausgleich, was a pivotal moment in the relationship between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Austrian Empire. It transformed the Habsburg domains into a real union, with 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. This compromise recognised the kingdom's sovereignty and equal power with the Austrian state in the unified diplomatic and defence policies of the Dual Monarchy.
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Frequently asked questions
The Austrian Empire collapsed in 1918, at the end of World War I, and was reformed as the Republic of German-Austria, which adopted the current frontiers of modern-day Austria. Other modern countries that were formed from the Austrian Empire include:
- Hungary
- Italy
- Poland
- Ukraine
- Liechtenstein
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a dual monarchy between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, formed in 1867.
The official name of the state formed by the Ausgleich was Austria-Hungary.
The two countries that made up the Austro-Hungarian Empire were Austria and Hungary.
The core of the union that made up the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a real union between Cisleithania (the northern and western parts of the former Austrian Empire) and Transleithania (the Kingdom of Hungary). A third component of the union was the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, an autonomous region under the Hungarian crown.
