Archduchy of Austria

The Archduchy of Austria (Latin: Archiducatus Austriae; German: Erzherzogtum Österreich) was an important region in Europe. It started as a small area and grew into a big part of the Holy Roman Empire. The rulers of this area were also the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire for many years. The capital city, Vienna, became the main city of the empire and where the emperors lived.

The name "Austria" comes from an old term meaning "eastern kingdom." It began as a border area of Bavaria and became a duchy in 1156. In 1282, a new family, the House of Habsburg, started ruling there. From the 15th century, almost all the Holy Roman Emperors came from this family. After winning the lands of Bohemia and Hungary in 1526, the Habsburg rulers became very powerful in Europe.

The Archduchy of Austria stopped being an imperial state in 1806 when the Holy Roman Empire ended. After that, the lands became part of the Austrian Empire, split into areas called Lower and Upper Austria.

Geography

Austria was in the basin of the Danube River. To the east, it bordered the Kingdom of Hungary past the March and Leitha rivers. In the south, the border was the Duchy of Styria at the Semmering Pass. To the north, the Bohemian Forest and the Thaya River separated it from Bohemia and Moravia.

In the west, part of Upper Austria touched Bavaria. The area called Innviertel belonged to Bavarian rulers until Austrian forces took it during the War of the Bavarian Succession in 1778. Later, through the Peace of Teschen, it joined Austria. In 1803, during the German mediatisation, Austria also gained the Electorate of Salzburg and the Berchtesgaden Provostry.

History

After Austria became separate from the Duchy of Bavaria in 1156, the Babenberg dukes took control of nearby Duchy of Styria in 1192. When the Babenberg line ended in 1246, King Ottokar II of Bohemia ruled for a time, splitting Austria into Upper and Lower Austria. The Habsburg family then took over in 1278 under King Rudolf I of Germany.

Later, Duke Rudolf IV tried to make Austria an archduchy. This wasn’t accepted until Emperor Frederick III recognized the title in 1453. This title was then used by all Habsburg rulers. Through smart marriages, the Habsburgs grew very powerful and ruled many lands across Europe. In 1804, Emperor Francis II created the Austrian Empire and later ended the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. The Archduchy of Austria stayed important until it was dissolved in 1918.