Transcript 12. Austrian Empire in 17th Century

HISTORY OF THE HABSBURGS
(AUSTRIA)
• Austrian empire began in 1273 with the election of
Rudolph of Habsburg as Holy Roman Emperor
• By 18th century, empire consisted of more than 300
states, fifty-one free towns, 1500 free knights and
their tiny estates
• Hapsburgs held on to title of Holy Roman Emperor,
but the title depended on help from many other
German states and principalities
Austria was
part of the
larger Holy
Roman
Empire. The
Holy Roman
Emperor was
almost always
elected from
Austria
because it had
the ability to
enforce
imperial
decisions on
the empire.
A DIVERSE EMPIRE
• Austria was not a national state due to its immense
diversity.
• Austrian empire lacked unity: made up of
Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Croats, Italians,
Serbs, Rumanians, and other
• Different languages, customs, and culture
• Not all areas of Austrian Empire were within Holy
Roman Empire, so different laws existed
Austria was
part of the
larger Holy
Roman
Empire. The
Holy Roman
Emperor was
almost always
elected from
Austria
because it had
the ability to
enforce
imperial
decisions on
the empire.
Map 13–3 THE AUSTRIAN HABSBURG EMPIRE, 1521–1772 The empire had three main units—
Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary. Expansion was mainly eastward: eastern Hungary from the
Ottomans (17th century) and Galicia from Poland (1772). Meantime, Silesia was lost after 1740,
but the Habsburgs remained Holy Roman Emperors.
GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRIA’S
INFORMAL EMPIRE
• No single constitutional system or administration for
all parts of realm
• The emperor had different political titles for each
part of his empire (Duke, Lord, Count, King)
• No central diet (government) for empire; only local
diets
• Local matters such as religion were left alone, as
long as the monarch received soldiers, taxes, and
support for war from the provinces
• Maygars, Hungarian nobility, accepted Habsburg
monarchy but did not pay taxes to Vienna
• Maintained certain local powers untouched by emperor
MUSIC AND VIENNA
• Music was the most famous and popular art of the
empire
• Emperor Leopold I, a composer himself, was a
significant patron to music
• Royal concerts, ballets, and operas were part of life
in Vienna
• Italians would come to Austria to improve their
musical productions
• The Slavs, Bohemians (Germans), and Magyars
(Hungary) excelled in singing and instruments
LEOPOLD I (R. 1658—1705)
• First cousin of Louis XIV of France
and Charles II of Spain
• Loved poetry and music
• A devout Catholicrestricted his
Protestant subjects
• Employed German and Italian
artists to build and decorate
baroque churches and palaces
A FOREIGN INVADER
• Ottoman Empire (Turks) invaded Austria and
attempted a siege of Vienna in 1683
• With the help of King Jan Sobieski’s Polish army and
Germans, Austrians, and Hungarians, Leopold’s
forces drove out the Turks
“THE BATTLE FOR VIENNA”
RESPECT FOR LEOPOLD I
• Key figure in the War of Spanish Succession
• Austrian efforts against France proved to turn the
tide against France and ended Louis XIV’s bid to
have a common prince for France and Spain
• Elevated the power of Brandenburg-Prussia
during the war to create a strong nation to
oppose France
• Expanded Austrian territory into southeastern
Europe at the expense of the Turks who they were
battling with as well