Austria–Hungary

Austria, 1867–1918. Draft, not yet reviewed

Austria-Hungary was a multi-national empire in Central Europe under a constitutional dual monarchy that existed between 1867 and 1918. It consisted of two largely self governing states with a single monarch who was titled both the Emperor of Austria and the Apostolic King of Hungary. The two countries conducted unified diplomatic, defence and monetary policies. Austria-Hungary was one of the Central Powers in World War I, which began with an Austro-Hungarian war declaration on the Kingdom of Serbia on 28 July 1914.

Seat of power: Vienna

Rulers

Franz Joseph I of Austria

Emperor of Austria, 1848–1916

Franz Joseph, who was troubled by nationalism throughout his reign, concluded the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, which both granted greater autonomy to Hungary and created the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. He ruled peacefully for the next 45 years. The Bosnian Crisis resulted from Franz Joseph's 1908 annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, already occupied by his troops since the Congress of Berlin (1878).

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

Charles I of Austria

Emperor of Austria, 1916–1918

He began secret negotiations with the Allies, hoping to peacefully end the First World War, but was unsuccessful. He made efforts to preserve the empire by returning it to federalism and by championing Austro-Slavism, but Austria-Hungary hurtled into disintegration. Following the Armistice of 11 November 1918, Charles "renounced any participation" in government affairs, but did not abdicate.

Portrait of Charles I of Austria: Hermann Clemens Kosel, Public domain, file

Culture

The Ring was built, along with grand buildings on either side of the road, in the second half of the 19th century. The road is built where the city walls once stood.
In 1857, Emperor Franz Joseph I issued the decree "Es ist Mein Wille", ordering the demolition of the city walls and moats.
Aristocrats and other wealthy private individuals rushed to have prestigious Ring Road palaces built in the historicist style.
The Postal Savings Bank building was built by Otto Wagner in Art Nouveau in 1906.

Picture

The Ringstrasse is a circular grand boulevard that serves as a ring road around the historic city centre, the Innere Stadt, of Vienna, Austria.

Image: Gugerell, CC0, file

Sources

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