Emperor of Austria

The title of Emperor of Austria was proclaimed in 1804 by the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II, who feared for the future of the old Reich in the face of Napoleon's aggressions, and wished to maintain his imperial title in the event that the Holy Roman Empire should be dissolved, as it indeed was in 1806. Francis thus became Emperor Francis I of Austria.

Related Topics:
1804 - Habsburg - Holy Roman Emperor - Francis II - Napoleon's - 1806

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The title lasted until 1918, but it was never clear what territory constituted the "Empire of Austria". When Francis took the title in 1804, the Habsburg lands as a whole were dubbed the Kaisertum Österreich. Kaisertum might literally be translated as "emperordom" (on analogy with "kingdom") or "emperor-ship"; the term denotes specifically "the territory ruled by an emperor," and is thus somewhat more general than Reich, which in 1804 carried connotations of universal rule. Austria proper (as opposed to the complex of Habsburg lands as a whole) had been an Archduchy since the 15th century, and most of the other territories of the Empire had their own institutions and territorial history, although there were some attempts at centralization, especially between 1848 and 1859. When Hungary was given self-government in 1867, the non-Hungarian portions, although usually collectively called Austria, were officially known only as the "Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council (Reichsrat)". The title, and the Empire (if there was such), were abolished at the end of the First World War in 1918, when German Austria became a republic, and the other kingdoms and lands represented in the Imperial Council established their independence or adhesion to other states.

Related Topics:
1918 - Empire of Austria - Reich - 1848 - 1859 - 1867 - First World War

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