Austria

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Austria is a country located in central Europe, bordered by Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. Austria was part of the Roman Empire, but it was during the Middle Ages that the country emerged as a powerful player in European affairs. In 1278, the House of Habsburg began its reign in Austria, which lasted until the end of World War I. During this time, Austria became a major cultural center, and its rulers included some of the most influential figures in European history, such as Empress Maria Theresa, Emperor Franz Joseph, and Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The latter's assassination in 1914 was a key trigger for the outbreak of World War I. Austria also played a pivotal role in the rise of Nazism, as it was the birthplace of Adolf Hitler. In 1938, Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany, but it regained its independence after World War II. Today, Austria is known for its rich cultural heritage, including the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the works of Gustav Klimt.

The states of Austria

Austria is a federal republic composed of nine states:

These are the main administrative divisions of Austria. Each state has its own constitution and governor.

Austrian history

Austrian history has been dictated almost overwhelmingly by the history of one family: the Habsburgs. There was no entity known as Austria in ancient times. Instead the Celts who lived here in pre-Roman times knew the region as Noricum and that was the name which the Romans applied to the province established here after the region was conquered in the late first century BCE and early first century CE. The area was overrun by Germanic and Asiatic tribes during the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century, with the Bavarii being a predominant element. Later it was incorporated as the eastward territory in the empire of Charlemagne in the late eighth century. It is from its position on the eastern extremity of the Carolingian empire that the region acquired its modern name, Austria deriving from Ostarrîchi, an Old High German word meaning ‘eastern realm’.^[1]

Like most parts of Germany and Central Europe, Austria was divided into dozens of small lordships and principalities during the High Middle Ages. From amongst the noble families here the Habsburgs would emerge in the late medieval period to begin uniting the lands of modern-day Austria under their rule, though ironically enough the Habsburgs take their name from their old ancestral castle which actually lies in Switzerland. During the thirteenth century the Habsburgs succeeded in acquiring extensive territory across Lower and Upper Austria, Salzburg and the Tyrol. They also became a major contender for the elective titles of King of the Romans and Holy Roman Emperor, a politico-religious office which gave the holder considerable influence across Germany and Central Europe. The Habsburgs would hold the office of Holy Roman Emperor continuously from 1440 to 1806 except for a brief interruption in the eighteenth century.^[2]

Under the Habsburgs Austria emerged in the late medieval period as a country of sorts, but one which was the personal patrimony of the Habsburgs. In the early modern period (c. 1500–1800), the Habsburgs began building an empire with Austria at the heart of it, the result of a shrewd policy of dynastic marriages which the family had engaged in since the High Middle Ages. Hungary and Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic) became part of the Habsburgs' territories in 1526 following the death of King Louis of Hungary. In the course of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the Habsburgs also acquired extensive lands and influence in the Low Countries around Belgium and in parts of Italy. These were eventually lost as a result of the French Revolutionary Wars, Napoleonic Wars and independence movements which followed in the nineteenth century, but Austria retained its power status by expanding aggressively into the Balkans as the Ottoman Empire stagnated and declined. This resulted in the conquest of territory approximating to Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and parts of other countries such as Poland and Romania.

Austria Hungary ethnic — A map of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, c. 1910, showing the various ethno-linguistic groups within it

All of this expansion created a problem for the Habsburgs. Their territories were a vast tapestry of different ethnic groups including Magyars, Czechs, Slovaks, Croats, Serbs, and Poles, each of which wanted political representation. In response to this the Austrian Empire was reformed to become the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867 and local representation was increased. But even so this could not prevent the empire from disintegrating into countries like Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Yugoslavia following the defeat of Austria-Hungary and its ally, the German Empire, in the First World War.^[3]

The end of the First World War also led to the fall of the Habsburgs as rulers of Austria. In their place a republic emerged, one which unfortunately was drawn into the ambit of Nazi Germany in 1938 as the Second World War approached. Following the conflict, Austria was jointly occupied by the victorious Allied powers and as the Cold War intensified there was a very real risk in the 1950s that Austria would be divided into a pro-NATO West Austria and a Soviet-bloc East Austria. Instead the country managed to remain outside of Russian influence and developed as a modern European democracy, one which joined the European Union in 1995.^[4]

See also:

Austrian history

Austrian geography

Austria is a country of two halves. The narrow western part of the country, comprised of regions like the Tyrol and Upper Austria, is mountainous and dominated by the Austrian Alps. As one heads east, this gives way to lowlands as the Alps trail off, and one heads into valleys that drain into the River Danube, which runs through the northeast of the country. Austria is one of the largest landlocked countries in Europe and is surrounded by Hungary, Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Italy, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. The country’s biggest cities are found in the lowlands to the east, with two of the country’s nine million people living in Vienna alone on the banks of the River Danube. Linz, Graz, and Salzburg are also in the east, and Innsbruck is the only settlement of more than 100,000 people in the west. Vienna dwarfs all of these other metropolitan areas. Austria remains one of the least urbanized major countries in Europe, with one in every three people still living in rural areas.^[5]

See also:

Austrian geography

Researching family history in Austria

One of the most significant repositories for the study of family history and genealogy in Austria is the Austrian States Archives, the federal archives and records body that houses many governmental records which can be used to trace ancestors back hundreds of years in the country.^[6] Because Austria was so monolithically Roman Catholic in medieval and early modern times, with the church being the most powerful entity in the country next to the Habsburgs themselves, church records such as those for baptisms and other religious ceremonies are extremely useful as well for studying one’s family history and genealogy. These have the benefit of going back thousands of years, whereas the first governmental census undertaken in the country only dates to 1754, and these were irregularly carried out thereafter.^[7]

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Austrian ethnicity

Austria is a multicultural country with a diverse mix of ethnicities. The largest ethnic group in Austria is the Austrians themselves. The rest of the population is made up of various ethnic minorities, including Germans, Turks, Slovenes, Croats, and Hungarians, among others. There is also a small but significant population of Romani people, who have a long and complicated history in Austria. Additionally, Austria has recently experienced an influx of refugees from countries such as Syria and Afghanistan, which has added to the diversity of the population. Despite some challenges, Austria is generally considered to be a welcoming and tolerant society, and its multicultural heritage is celebrated through various festivals and cultural events.

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Austrian surnames

Austrian surnames can reveal a person's place of origin, occupation, and social status, making them valuable for genealogical research. Understanding their origins and meanings can provide insights into the cultural and historical context of a family. A review of Austrian surnames can be helpful in tracing one's family history in Austria. For example, the surname "Mayer" means "landowner," and the surname "Schneider" means "tailor". Genealogical records in Austria are organized by geographical locality, so it is essential to identify the place where ancestors lived to search these records.

Examples of different Austrian surnames: Mayer, Schneider, Bauer, Huber, Wagner, Berger, Moser, and Fischer.

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Explore more about Austria

Austrian historical record collections on MyHeritage
Most common ethnicities in Austria on MyHeritage
Tracing Your European Ancestors, webinar by Julie Goucher on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
What's New in Austrian and Czech Jewish Genealogy, webinar by E. Randol Schoenberg on Legacy Family Tree Webinars

References

[1] ttp://konsul.kg/index.php/en/history-of-austria

[2] ttps://www.worldhistory.org/Holy_Roman_Empire/

[3] ttps://www.jstor.org/stable/4545523

[4] ttps://history.state.gov/countries/austria

[5] ttps://www.countryreports.org/country/Austria/geography.htm

[6] ttps://www.statearchives.gv.at/

[7] ttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/355145590_An_Inventory_of_Austrian_Census_Materials_1857-1910_Final_Report

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