The area of today's Austria has been inhabited since at least thePaleolithic period. Around 400 BC, it was inhabited by theCelts and then annexed by theRomans in the late 1st century BC.Christianization in the region began in the 4th and 5th centuries, during the lateRoman period, followed by the arrival of numerousGermanic tribes during theMigration Period.
Austria, as a unified state, emerged from the remnants of theEastern andHungarian March at the end of thefirst millennium, first as afrontier march of theHoly Roman Empire, it then developed into aDuchy in 1156, and was made anArchduchy in 1453. Being the heartland of theHabsburg monarchy since the late 13th century, Austria was a major imperial power in Central Europe for centuries and from the 16th century, Vienna also served as the Holy Roman Empire's administrative capital. The Holy Roman Empire wasdissolved in 1806, two years after Austria had establishedits own empire, which became agreat power and one of the largest states in Europe. The empire's defeat in wars and the loss of territories in the 1860s paved the way for theestablishment ofAustria-Hungary in 1867.
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The Central European borders of Brandenburg–Prussia (blue-green) and the Habsburg monarchy (red) in 1756, after Prussia's seizure of Silesia in theFirst Silesian War
No particular event triggered the wars. Prussia cited its centuries-old dynastic claims on parts of Silesia as acasus belli, butRealpolitik andgeostrategic factors also played a role in provoking the conflict. Maria Theresa's contested succession to the Habsburg monarchy under thePragmatic Sanction of 1713 provided an opportunity for Prussia to strengthen itself relative to regional rivals such asSaxony andBavaria. (Full article...)
The terrain complicated battle tactics for both sides, but the Russians and the Austrians, having arrived in the area first, were able to overcome many of its difficulties by strengthening a causeway between two small ponds. They had also devised a solution to Frederick's deadlymodus operandi, theoblique order. Although Frederick's troops initially gained the upper hand in the battle, his limited scouting, combined with the strong defensive preparations of the Allied troops, gave the Russians and Austrians an advantage. By afternoon, when the combatants were exhausted, fresh Austrian troops thrown into the fray secured the Allied victory. (Full article...)
The "vertical/horizontal" (VH)platform, which the Rapide uses, extensively incorporates aluminium throughout the body, reducing weight. In 2012, Aston Martin ended its partnership with Magna Steyr and shifted production toGaydon, aWarwickshire village where the other VH platformed cars—including theDB9, theDBS, theVantage and thesecond-generation Vanquish—were produced. In 2015, Aston Martin debuted an electricconcept version, the RapideE. The production-ready model debuted in 2019 but was never series-produced. (Full article...)
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Topographic map of Switzerland highlighting the location of the battle
TheBattle of Winterthur (27 May 1799) was an important action between elements of theArmy of the Danube and elements of theHabsburg army, commanded byFriedrich Freiherr von Hotze, during theWar of the Second Coalition, part of theFrench Revolutionary Wars. The small town ofWinterthur lies 18 kilometers (11 mi) northeast ofZürich, in Switzerland. Because of its position at the junction of seven roads, the army that held the town controlled access to most of Switzerland and points crossing the Rhine into southern Germany. Although the forces involved were small, the ability of the Austrians to sustain their 11-hour assault on the French line resulted in the consolidation of three Austrian forces on the plateau north of Zürich, leading to the Frenchdefeat a few days later.
Meyszner began his career as an officer in the Gendarmerie, served on theItalian Front duringWorld War I and reached the rank ofMajor der Polizei by 1921. He joined theAustrian Nazi Party in September 1925 and became a right-wing parliamentarydeputy and provincial minister in the Austrian province ofStyria in 1930. Due to his involvement with the Nazis, Meyszner was forcibly retired in 1933 and arrested in February 1934, but released after three months at theWöllersdorf concentration camp. That July, he was rearrested following an attemptedcoup, but escaped police custody and fled toNazi Germany, where he joined theOrdnungspolizei (Orpo) and then theAllgemeine SS. After police postings in Austria, Germany andoccupied Norway, Himmler appointed Meyszner as Higher SS and Police Leader in Serbia in early 1942. He was one of few Orpo officers to be appointed to such a role. (Full article...)
No particular triggering event started the war. Prussia cited its centuries-old dynastic claims on parts of Silesia as acasus belli, butRealpolitik andgeostrategic factors also played a role in provoking the conflict. Maria Theresa's contested succession to theHabsburg monarchy provided an opportunity for Prussia to strengthen itself relative to regional rivals such asSaxony andBavaria. (Full article...)
The conflict has been viewed as a continuation of theFirst Silesian War, which had concluded only two years before. After theTreaty of Berlin ended hostilities between Austria and Prussia in 1742, theHabsburg monarchy's fortunes improved greatly in the continuing War of the Austrian Succession. As Austria expanded its alliances with the 1743Treaty of Worms, Prussia entered a renewed alliance with Austria's enemies in the League of Frankfurt and rejoined the war, hoping to prevent a resurgent Austria from taking back Silesia. (Full article...)
During theFrench Revolutionary Wars, Schliengen was a strategically important location for the armies of bothRepublican France andHabsburg Austria. Control of the area gave either combatant access to southwestern German states and importantRhine crossings. On 20 October Moreau retreated fromFreiburg im Breisgau and established his army along a ridge of hills. The severe condition of the roads prevented Archduke Charles from flanking the French right wing. The French left wing lay too close to the Rhine to outflank, and the French center, positioned in a 7-mile (11 km) semi-circle on heights that commanded the terrain below, was unassailable. Instead, he attacked the French flanks directly, and in force, which increased casualties for both sides. (Full article...)
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Friedrich der Grosse und der Feldscher,Bernhard Rode
TheWar of the Bavarian Succession (German:Bayerischer Erbfolgekrieg; 3 July 1778 – 13 May 1779) was a dispute between the AustrianHabsburg monarchy and an alliance ofSaxony andPrussia over succession to theElectorate of Bavaria after the extinction of the Bavarian branch of theHouse of Wittelsbach. The Habsburgs sought to acquire Bavaria, and the alliance opposed them, favoring another branch of the Wittelsbachs. Both sides mobilized large armies, but the only fighting in the war was a few minor battles. However, thousands of soldiers died from disease and starvation, earning the conflict the nameKartoffelkrieg (Potato War) in Prussia and Saxony; in Habsburg Austria, it was sometimes called theZwetschgenrummel (Plum Fuss).
On 30 December 1777,Maximilian III Joseph, the last of thejunior Wittelsbach line, died ofsmallpox, leaving no children.Charles Theodore, a scion of a senior branch of the House of Wittelsbach, held the closest claim of kinship, but he also had no legitimate children to succeed him. His cousin,Charles II August, Duke of Zweibrücken, therefore had a legitimate legal claim as Charles Theodore'sheir presumptive. Across Bavaria's southern border,Emperor Joseph II coveted the Bavarian territory and had married Maximilian Joseph's sisterMaria Josepha in 1765 to strengthen any claim he could extend. His agreement with the heir, Charles Theodore, to partition the territory neglected any claims of the heir presumptive, Charles August. (Full article...)
Matilda was the only daughter and eldest child of Henry I, king of England and ruler ofNormandy, by his first wifeMatilda of Scotland, to survive to adulthood. As a child, she went to Germany where she was married to the future Henry V. She travelled with the emperor to Italy in 1116, was controversially crowned empress inSt Peter's Basilica, and acted as the imperialregent in Italy. Matilda and Henry V had no children, and when he died in 1125, the imperial crown was claimed by his rivalLothair of Supplinburg. (Full article...)
In the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars, Klenau distinguished himself at theWissembourg lines, and led a battle-winning charge atHandschuhsheim in 1795. As commander of theCoalition's left flank in theAdige campaign in northern Italy in 1799, he was instrumental in isolating the French-held fortresses on thePo River by organizing and supporting a peasant uprising in the countryside. Afterward, Klenau became the youngestlieutenant field marshal in the history of the Habsburg military. (Full article...)
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Kafka in 1923
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-languageJewish Czech writer and novelist born inPrague, in theAustro-Hungarian Empire. Widely regarded as a major figure of20th-century literature, his works fuse elements ofrealism and thefantastique, and typically feature isolated protagonists facing bizarre or surreal predicaments and incomprehensible socio-bureaucratic powers. The termKafkaesque has entered the lexicon to describe situations like those depicted in his writings. His best-known works include the novellaThe Metamorphosis (1915) and the novelsThe Trial (1924) andThe Castle (1926). He is also celebrated for his brief fables and aphorisms, which frequently incorporated comedic elements alongside the darker themes of his longer works. His work has widely influenced artists, philosophers, composers, filmmakers, literary historians, religious scholars, and cultural theorists, and his writings have been seen as prophetic or premonitory of atotalitarian future.
Kafka was born into a middle-class German- andYiddish-speaking Czech Jewish family in Prague, the capital of theKingdom of Bohemia, which belonged to theAustro-Hungarian Empire (later the capital ofCzechoslovakia and theCzech Republic). He trained as a lawyer, and after completing his legal education was employed full-time in various legal and insurance jobs. His professional obligations led to internal conflict as he felt that his true vocation was writing. Only a minority of his works were published during his life; the story collectionsContemplation (1912) andA Country Doctor (1919), and individual stories, such as his novellaThe Metamorphosis, were published in literary magazines, but they received little attention. He wrote hundreds of letters to family and close friends, including his father, with whom he had a strained and formal relationship. He became engaged to several women but never married. He died relatively unknown in 1924 oftuberculosis, aged 40. Hisliterary executor and friendMax Brod ignored Kafka's wishes to destroy his remaining works, publishing them to eventual acclaim. (Full article...)
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A painting of SMSKörös bombarding Belgrade in 1914
During theWorld War II German-led Axisinvasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941,Morava was the flagship of the 2nd Mine Barrage Division, and operated on the RiverTisza. She fought off attacks by theLuftwaffe, and shot down one enemy aircraft, but was forced to withdraw to Belgrade. Due to high river levels and low bridges, navigating monitors was difficult, and she wasscuttled by her crew on 11 April. Some of her crew tried to escape cross-country towards the southernAdriatic coast, but most surrendered on 14 April. The remainder made their way to theBay of Kotor, which was captured by the ItalianXVII Corps on 17 April. She was later raised by theNavy of the Independent State of Croatia, an Axis puppet state, and continued in service asBosna until June 1944, when she struck a mine and sank. (Full article...)
TheThird Silesian War (German:Dritter Schlesischer Krieg) was a war betweenPrussia andAustria (together with its allies) that lasted from 1756 to 1763 and confirmed Prussia's control of the region ofSilesia (now in south-western Poland). The war was fought mainly in Silesia,Bohemia andUpper Saxony and formed onetheatre of theSeven Years' War. It was the last of threeSilesian Wars fought betweenFrederick the Great's Prussia andMaria Theresa's Austria in the mid-18th century, all three of which ended in Prussian control of Silesia.
This conflict can be viewed as a continuation of theFirst andSecond Silesian Wars of the previous decade. After theTreaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended theWar of the Austrian Succession, Austria enacted broad reforms andupended its traditional diplomatic policy to prepare for renewed war with Prussia. As with the previous Silesian Wars, no particular triggering event initiated the conflict; rather, Prussia struck opportunistically to disrupt its enemies' plans. The war's cost in blood and treasure was high on both sides, and it ended inconclusively when neither of the main belligerents could sustain the conflict any longer. (Full article...)
TheBattle of Blenheim (German:Zweite Schlacht bei Höchstädt; French:Bataille de Höchstädt; Dutch:Slag bij Blenheim) fought on 13 August [O.S. 2 August] 1704, was a major battle of theWar of the Spanish Succession. The overwhelming Allied victory ensured the safety ofVienna from the Franco-Bavarian army, thus preventing the collapse of thereconstituted Grand Alliance.
Along with nearbyBratislava, Vienna forms a metropolitan region of 3 million inhabitants, referred to as Twin City. In 2001, the city centre was designated aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.
Vienna was ranked #1 as the world's most livable city by theMercer Survey in 2009 and 2010. Analytically, the city was ranked 1st globally for a culture of innovation in 2007 and 2008, and 2nd globally afterBoston in 2009 from 256 cities on an analysis of 162 indicators in theInnovation Cities Index on a 3 factor score covering culture, infrastructure and markets.
Lamarr also co-invented – with composerGeorge Antheil – an early technique forspread spectrum communications andfrequency hopping, necessary to wireless communication from the pre-computer age to the present day.
... that a priest refused to perform the wedding ceremony for Austrian socialistJosef Peskoller and his fiancée Maria Griel on political grounds in 1928?
... that thecommunist trade unionistDitto Pölzl was a member of all three provisional state governments ofStyria in 1945?
... that during his tenure as the manager of Austria'sBurgtheater from 1971 to 1976,Gerhard Klingenberg often directed plays with analogies of a divided Europe?
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