Austria

Austria

*Erzherzogtum Österreich* (German: Arch Duchy of Austria)

Austria is a major power in Central Europe, and the preeminent military power in Europe as of the early 17th century.

* Population: Estimated between 8 and 10 million in 1600.
* Territorial extent in Europe: Austria, Bavaria, Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, Transylvannia, Northeastern Italy, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia,

* Area: ~800.000 km²
* Capital: Vienna
* Largest cities: Vienna, Sopron, Prag, Venice
* Dynasty: Von Sternberg
* Official religion: Lutheran
* Official court languages: German, Latin, Occitan
* Primary languages: German
* Ethnic groups: German, Czech, Magyar, south Slavs, Transylvanians, Venetians, Veneto-Occitans.
* Currency: Taler
* Founding: Founded in the 14th century from the collapse of the Wilhelmiden-led Kingdom of Bavaria.
* History:

The history of modern Austria starts with the last of the prestigious Hildemar Line: Sieghard Hildemar. He sought to reclaim not only the Moravian Kingship that his ancestry held, but also to reform the great Bavarian Empire of old that stretched from Bavaria into the eastern plains of Hungary. However, with a small and inexperienced army, Sieghard knew that he lacked men and allies for large-scale conquests. When the neighboring Hungarians were attacked on all sides he sensed his opportunity. The Royal Hungarian Army was badly bloodied and virtually non-existant when Austrian troops crossed the border. Sieghard knew however, that the unstable region was no smart conquest so he used the war to transform his army consisting mostly of ineffectual peasant levy and mounted men at arms into an effective and disciplined fighting force. In small scale skirmishes against the Hungarian Army he tested his men time and again but Sieghard took care to only take battles that were not too costly. During the war Austrian troops were able to occupy and plunder the capital city of pest, plundering its riches and returning to Austria with unheard wealth.

Now Sieghard had access to a trained army and a substantial war chest. Part of the rich plunder was invested into a major rehaul of the Austrian road system, both to improve taxation and quick mobilization. The first real test of the Austrian army came to be in the Bohemian War. With the assistance of Ekkelis Premyslid, a dubios claimant to the duchy of Bohemia he sought to expand the Austrian domain into Bohemia. He was supported by the Moravian Premyslids, eager to help the Premyslid cause and the Duchy of Landshut, led by the small von Sternberg Dynasty. The Bohemian army was hopelessly outclassed in both quality and quantity and Prague fell within 2 months of the war. Sieghard installed Ekkelis as "Count of Bohemia", a mere puppet ruler directed by Vienna. The aging Sieghard however still had no heir and was not one to forget friends in need. In his final years as Duke of Austria he arranged a marriage between his bastard son, Landolf and the third daughter of Benvenuto of Landshut: Dorothea von Sternberg. The strong bond between Austria and Landshut was not something that Sieghard wished to destroy so Dorothea was not forced to abbandon her family name. As his new daughter in law Hildemar taught Dorothea everything he knew about ruling. While his son Landolf was a competent general, he was bored by most matters of state. So when Hildemar, meanwhile 67 years of age, was on deaths door, he made Dorothea promise that she would take care of his emerging duchy. With his dying breath the new Austrian dynasty von Sternberg-Hildemar came to be.

Landolf became the Duke of Austria in 1464. As the puppet master behind her husband Dorothea knew that their combined hold over the Duchy was weak, so a successful war to gain new territories for the upstart nobility was her best option. After the Austrian attack on Hungary the region continued its downward spiral into chaos. The Kingdom of Croatia, strengthened by the weakened Kingdom, advanced deep into Transdanubia. This recently conquered territory was the perfect opportunity for Austria to interfere and strengthen its hold over the region. The alliance of Croatia and Bosnia was no match for the battle hardened Austrian troops who were supported by their new ally: The Kingdom of Poland. The conquered regions were united under the newly formed duchy of Transdanubia. The conquered Hungarian smallfolk welcomed the Austrians who treated their new subjects kindly and with dignity.

10 years after the conquest of Transdanubia Dorotheas father, Benvenuto, died. Having no male heirs himself his son in law usurped the Duchy of Landshut. However his bad reputation and cruel and devious nature soon led to rebellions. Dorothea used the lessons of her own father in law, to divide and conquer her enemies, to intervene in the Landshuter succession conflict and add half of the duchy to her own posessions. To secure her holdings Dorothea forced the leading rebel leader at knife point to recognize Dorotheas claim.

By 1490 everyone in the Duchy of Austria knew that Dorothea held all the strings in the duchy. Her husband Landolf was long gone, the ducal title however did not pass to their child until Dorotheas death. In the last years of her life she wanted to secure Austrias hold on the northern Balkan region once and for all and conquered and subdued the Kingdom of Croatia, once again with the help of the Polish army. At the end of her reign, the lands controlled by the Duchess of Austria was a diverse conglomerate of titles. The Dukes of Austria held, in addition to their own titles, the duchy of Bohemia, Transdanubia, the Counties of Straubing and Landshut, and they were the liege of the newly formed Duchy of Dalmatia. In her final days Dorothea, in accordance with the Holy Roman Emperor, her good and loyal friend Edouard III., secured the Title of Arch duchy for Austria, to elevate its status over the minor duchies in the Holy Roman Empire.