Medieval Austria Research Paper

1178 Words5 Pages
Unity is important to the growth of a political entity, because it allows its citizens to work together to make the country or kingdom’s political and military power stronger than it normally would be able to become. In medieval Austria, its independent rule brought together its citizens and united the nation. The fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity in Europe allowed France to unite through shared belief. Since Switzerland wasn’t officially an independent entity until 1648, opposition towards foreign conquerors helped it to fight for its independence for several centuries. Therefore, independent rule, the weakening of the Roman Empire & the rise of Christianity in Europe, and the rebellious attitudes towards foreign…show more content…
Austria began as a small region near the edge of the Roman Empire. Several groups of Germanic tribes passed through this region, heading towards Bavaria. The Slavs and the Avars settled in Austria during the fall of the Roman Empire. The Bavarians soon overtook them, but the Magyars eventually won the land over the Bavarians. The Germanic successor to Emperor Charlemagne, Otto I the Great, defeated the Magyars, and appointed Leopold of Babenberg as margrave of Austria in 976 CE. This year is generally considered the birth of Austria. This led Austria to strengthen its political and military power greatly and engage in near-constant warfare with the Poles, Czechs, and Magyars. They also were very successful in conquering other kingdoms and expanding their land past its traditional borders of a small region centered on the Danube River . After Leopold of Babenberg was appointed, Austria was given the name Ostarrichi, the medieval German word for ‘eastern kingdom.’ This led to Austria’s modern German name, Österreich. The Babenberg Family eventually died out in 1246, leaving Austria without a ruler. Presmyl Ottokar of Bohemia saw the opportunity and invaded Austria. Not long after his invasion, the Swiss Habsburg family defeated him. The Habsburgs began a ruling house that lasted from 1276 until the end of World War I.…show more content…
Since Switzerland is sandwiched between France, Italy, Austria, and Germany, it has always been a melting pot of cultures. In the 400s, the Germanic tribes of the Burgundians and the Alamanni controlled the area. The Franks conquered the Burgundians and the Alamanni by the mid 500s, bringing Switzerland into the Carolingian Empire. In the late 1100s, a southern German dynasty, the Zähringen Dynasty, took control of Zurich and the French-speaking parts of Switzerland. Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen was offered the German imperial crown in 1197, but refused. He died without an heir in 1218, abruptly ending the Zähringen Dynasty. The Austrian Habsburg Dynasty slowly took over most of Switzerland, but as Austrian rule in Switzerland strengthened, its opposition followed suit. The members of the Swiss forest districts (called the Waldstätte) sensed an impending war, and prepared by signing a pact to defend each other. Representatives of the Waldstätte, including Uri and Schwyz, proclaimed Swiss independence by invading local abbeys that were under Habsburg protection. Duke Leopold of Habsburg attempted to attack Switzerland, but was stopped in his tracks when the mountaineers massacred the Austrian Knights, preserving the independence of the Waldstätte . This was the first of many foreign invasions of Switzerland, occurring over the course of 300 years. However, Switzerland successfully
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