The House of Austria
The House of Austria is one of the names under which the Habsburg royal line is known. The House of Habsburg is one of most powerful and influential royal houses in Europe. The family became among the elected rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire, Austria, Bohemia, Hungary, Portugal, Castile, Aragon, Croatia, and Dalmatia.
The royal house was established by Otto II, Count of Habsburg in the 12th century. The family was originally from Switzerland. The family is name after the Habsburg Castle that is now situated in Habsburg, Switzerland. The family quickly grew thanks to prudent marriages, winning political privileges and taking high positions in the clergy.
In the 13th century present day Austria was added to the territories ruled by the house which they managed to keep for the next 600 years. The Habsburgs managed to take the imperial throne of the Holy Roman Empire in 1440 when Frederick III ascended as Emperor. They managed to keep the title till 1806. A series of dynastic marriages and political moves allowed spreading over Hungary, Bohemia, Spain and Burgundy.
In 1521 the family split in to the superior Spanish Habsburg line and the inferior Austrian Habsburg line. The Austrian branch kept the title of Holy Roman Emperors, Austria, Bohemia, Hungary where the Spanish branch took the Spanish kingdoms, the Netherlands, the Italian possessions and Portugal.
The Habsburg’s successful policy of marriages was also the cause of their downfall and extinction. Frequent intermarriages were a common practice in the family where cousins, uncles and nieces. Research suggests that such inbreeding was the cause for the exhaustion of the gene pool.
The last representative of the Spanish side of the family was Charles II who was severely handicapped due to genetic disorders. The Car Hire Austrian side lost their imperial title under Napoleon and their hold of Austria in 1918.
Austria – a country with incredible culture & spectacular scenery