Austrian Empire

Austria, 1804–1867. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a multinational European great power from 1804 to 1867. The empire was proclaimed by Francis II in 1804 in response to Napoleon's declaration of the First French Empire. It remained part of the Holy Roman Empire until the latter's dissolution in 1806. After Austria was defeated in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 was adopted, joining the Kingdom of Hungary and the Empire of Austria to form Austria-Hungary.

Seat of power: Vienna

Rulers

Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor

Emperor of Austria, 1804–1835

After Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French, Francis assumed the title of Emperor of Austria. He continued his leading role as Napoleon's adversary in the Napoleonic Wars, and suffered successive defeats that greatly weakened Austria as a European power. Due to the establishment of the Concert of Europe, which resisted popular nationalist and liberal tendencies, Francis was viewed as a reactionary later in his reign.

Portrait of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor: Friedrich von Amerling, Public domain, file

Ferdinand I of Austria

Emperor of Austria, 1835–1848

Suffering as many as twenty seizures per day severely restricted his ability to rule with any effectiveness. Though he was not declared incapacitated, a Regent's Council of Archduke Louis, Count Kolowrat, and Prince Metternich steered the government. Following the Revolutions of 1848, Ferdinand abdicated on 2 December 1848.

Portrait of Ferdinand I of Austria: Eduard Edlinger, Public domain, file

Franz Joseph I of Austria

Emperor of Austria, 1848–1916

Largely considered a reactionary, Franz Joseph spent his early reign resisting constitutionalism in his domains. The Austrian Empire was forced to cede its influence over Tuscany and most of its claim to Lombardy-Venetia to the Kingdom of Sardinia, following the Second Italian War of Independence in 1859 and the Third Italian War of Independence in 1866.

Portrait of Franz Joseph I of Austria: Carl Pietzner, Public domain, file

Culture

The Congress was chaired by Austrian statesman Klemens von Metternich and was held in Vienna from September 1814 to June 1815. Austria gained much of northern Italy.
The Congress format had been developed by Austrian Foreign Minister Klemens von Metternich, assisted by Friedrich von Gentz.
The Kingdom of Hungary was administered by its own institutions separately from the rest of the empire.

Picture

The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings held after the downfall of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

Image: Alexander Altenhof, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.