Page 45 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Austria

THE HIST OR Y OF A USTRIA  43

younger line of Habsburgs,
taking control of Austria – Styria,
Carniola, Carinthia and Tyrol – and
the Jagiellon inheritance –
Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia and
western Hungary.
Reformation and
Turkish Threat
During the Reformation, the state,
now with a population of seven
million, became the scene of fierce
religious conflicts. Ferdinand and
his successor, Maximilian II (1564–
76), pursued a policy of tolerance
towards the Protestants, but
Rudolf II (1576–1612), brought up
Gothic altar in Zwettl Abbey
in the staunchly Catholic Spanish
Burgundy in 1477 gained control of Alsace, court, declared himself in favour of the
Lorraine and the Netherlands, one of the Counter-Reformation. The growing
richest countries in Europe. He also entered religious conflict led to the Thirty Years’ War
into a treaty with the Jagiellons – thus (1618–48), which
reviving his claims to the Bohemian and ravaged large areas
Hungarian crowns – and, by arranging the (51 castles, 23 towns
betrothal of his son Philip to the Spanish and 313 villages in
Infanta Joan, extended Habsburg rule over Austrian-ruled
the Iberian Peninsula and the South countries alone).
American dominions. In 1519, Maximilian’s Even greater
successor, his grandson Charles V (1519–56), destruction was
heir to the Spanish and Austrian territories, caused by the wars
succeeded to the throne of an empire over fought in the 16th and
which, it could be said, “the sun never set”. 17th centuries against
Following the the Turks, who twice Turkish banner, captured
abdication of tried to conquer Vienna in 1683
King Charles in 1556, (1529, 1683). The crush-
the imperial crown ing defeat suffered by the Sultan’s army
passed to his brother during the second siege of Vienna allowed
Ferdinand (1556–64); the Habsburgs to take control of the whole
Panel inscribed “AEIOU”,
Frederick III’s motto he represented the of Hungary, Transylvania and Croatia.
1438 Albrecht II becomes the first
Habsburg emperor 1556 Abdication of Charles V
and ascension to the throne of 1683 Outbreak of
1469 Founding of the his brother, Ferdinand I Great Turkish-
bishopric of Vienna Austrian war
1400 1450 1500 1550 1600 1650 1700
1493 Coronation of 1618–48
Maximilian I Thirty Years’
War 1697 Prince Eugene of Savoy
1519–56 Reign of Charles V. Height becomes the chief commander
of Habsburg territorial power of the imperial army
Maximilian I

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