BOME

A Synopsis on the Political History of pre-Modern Vienna The area that would become Vienna had pre-historic occupants and was subsequently inhabited by the Illyrians and the Celts. In 15 BC, the Romans established a militarily strategic garrison town known as Vindobona (Celtic for "White Field") on the foothills of the Alps, providing the etymological origins for Vienna. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century AD, invading Germanic tribes took over and Christianized the city. It was not until the late ninth century when the Magyars, a people from Hungary, took over, that the city became known as it is today: Vienna. From 1156-1278, the city went through a tumultuous period where various Frankish and Bohemian Dukes fought for control until Otakar II finally fell to Rudolf I of the Hapsburg Dynasty. With his victory, Rudolf became Holy Roman Emperor and made Vienna the EmpireÕs capital city. Vienna remained the capital city of the Holy Roman Empire for nearly 600 years, until 1806 when Francis II resigned his crown and assumed the title "Emperor of Austria." However, from the thirteenth to nineteenth centuries, ViennaÕs role as an imperial city defined its culture and much of the cityÕs present identity can be attributed to its tenure as the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. (see attached link?) Vienna grew during the early Renaissance to become a leader in the sciences, arts and humanism, when Charles V became the Holy Roman Emperor in the 16th century. He entrusted the Austrian territories to his brother, Ferdinand I, and the Lower Diet resisted and rebelled against their foreign regent in an attempt to increase political and economic freedom. The leaders of this insurrection were put to death, and in 1526, Ferdinand passed an ordinance that temporarily stripped the city of much of its rights and status in the Holy Roman Empire. It was not until 1558, when Ferdinand was crowned Holy Roman Emperor that Vienna regained its status as administrative seat of the Empire. The Reformation (link?) was a religious movement that significantly effected the course of ViennaÕs political history. In response to the controversy between the Roman Catholic Church and various Protestant sects, the Peace of Augsburg was signed in 1555, which provided that the regional princes were to determine what form of Christianity would be practiced by their subjects. Because the Hapsburgs were a Catholic dynasty, Vienna became a Catholic city and many Protestants, especially Lutherans, were forced to leave the city. It was at this time that new fortifications were built to replace the medieval city walls and the Hofburg (link?) was enlarged to add new Courts. In 1683, Vienna suffered a Turkish siege that devastated much of Vienna, especially the Viennese suburbs. The Turks were repelled and eventually driven out of Austria and Hungary by the combined forces of the Imperial troops, Prince Eugene of Savoy and John III Sobieski of Poland. A surge of building took place between 1700 and 1730, especially in the devastated suburbs. A second line of fortification the Linienwall was built to give the suburbs more protection and new city palaces and stately homes were constructed in the Baroque tradition in the Inner Stadt. The male line of the Hapsburgs died out with Charles V in 1740, but his daughter, Maria Theresa, gained the right of succession and ruled until 1780. She was a reformer who established compulsory primary school attendance and separated the Church form the University, a significant step in the increasing secularism of education, and society, in general. Her son, Joseph II continued reforming by issuing an Edict of Toleration guaranteeing religious freedom to Protestants and Jews. Joseph died in 1790 and Francis II declared himself emperor in 1804, however his rule was short lived. NapoleonÕs armies stormed Vienna in 1805 and again in 1809. Inflation and state bankruptcy followed the Napoleonic Wars (link?) and crippled the Viennese economy. Nevertheless, Austria held a central position in the Congress of Vienna (link?) in 1814, under the leadership of powerful statesman Prince Metternich and had a large say in the political restructuring of Europe. The city flourished after EuropeÕs re-organization as AustriaÕs (and later the Austro-Hungarian) imperial capital.