When it comes to Austria, we usually associate it with the famous Habsburgs. Indeed, it was precisely because of the habsburg rule in Austria that it "made a fortune" and became an important force that later influenced the direction of modern And contemporary European history. The Austrian Habsburg dynasty was established in 1556, but as early as 1278, the Habsburgs began to rule Austria, and the founder of this rule is the protagonist of our current issue - Rudolf I!
For example, frederick II's name is used for the king of Prussia, also for a Holy Roman Emperor, but also for the Duke of Swabia, there are also Counts of the Frontier in Ansbach, and there are also Austrian Dukes...
So we are going to talk about Rudolf I specifically to the Holy Roman Emperor from 1273 to 1291, that is, Rudolf of Habsburg
Holy Roman Empire
During the reign of Rudolf I, although he was Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, he also took over Austria after defeating his rival Ottoka II of Bohemia in 1278
This began the history of Austria's rule by the Habsburgs, which lasted for more than five hundred years! The rule of the Habsburgs continued even until the beginning of the 19th century, which shows the influence and role of Rudolf I in Austria's international development
Later powerful Habsburg Empire (red)
In this issue, we will focus on the founder of the Habsburg family's rule in Austria, take a look at the tough life of Rudolf I, and talk about the energy that Rudolf I generated on the Austrian state
Dynastic period (1246-1556)
In the last issue, we talked about the dynastic period of the Austrian Principality, and the process of the Transformation of the Austrian Principality into the Grand Duchy of Austria. During this period, the supreme austrian rule could not be said to be empty, but there was no continuous and stable dynasty to govern
Location of the Principality of Austria
What does that mean? Let's take the earliest Babenberg dynasty in Austria: the Babenberg dynasty is basically a father and son or a brother and a brother, and the worst is to choose one of the royal descendants
This is similar to our ancient Chinese dynasty, which means that the throne cannot fall into the hands of foreign surnames. Therefore, one dynasty in ancient China is a family, such as the Liu Han Dynasty, the Li Tang Dynasty, the Zhao Song Dynasty, etc. (of course, there are exceptions, such as the Wuzhou Dynasty in the early Tang Dynasty, the Later Zhou Guo Wei of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and chai Rong, who passed on to his nephew and righteous son, etc.)
Babenberg Dynasty
And the dynastic period is said to be that after the extinction of the Babenberg Dynasty in Austria, everyone wants to mix a foot, today it is the rule of the Baden Domain, tomorrow it will be replaced by the Prince of Bohemia. And so on for centuries (later, of course, it became the Habsburgs who ruled without a dynasty)
In the early days of the Dynastyless Period, it was gradually stabilized by Hermann VI and Przemisel Ottoka II until Rudolf I, ending the vacancy period in Austria (for details, see Austria from the Duchy of Austria to the Grand Duchy, A Brief History of Austria in the Dynastyless Period 5)
And before the power finally fell to Rudolf I, Rudolf himself experienced a lot of twists and turns...
Rudolph's early years
Originally a minor lord of southern Alsace and northern Switzerland, Rudolf I was the son of Albrecht IV, Then Count of Habsburg. Therefore, he is also known as Rudolf of the Habsburgs
Rudolf I
Rudolf's ancestors, the ancestors of the Habsburg family, first built a magnificent residence castle on the Velborough Hill in the southern mountainous mountain of Switzerland at the mouth of the Royce and Aar rivers in 1020 AD, called "Habsburg", meaning "Fort of Wealth", from which Rudolf's family got its name.
Rudolf's grandfather, Rudolf II, Count of Habsburg, was a favorite of Emperor Frederick II. Thus, in the generation of his father, Albrecht IV, he obtained many treasures and privileges by various means.
Frederick II
When Rudolf's father died in 1239, The 21-year-old Rudolf inherited the family's inheritance, and thanks to his management and efforts (Rudolf himself gained a lot of wealth due to his loyalty to the emperor), the Habsburgs grew a little stronger
In addition, Rudolf himself loved to learn martial arts, often led troops to conquest, conquered many territories, not only expanded the family wealth, but also accumulated statements and experience
In 1245, at the age of 27, Rudolf married Groude, the daughter of Count Buchhard III of Hohenberg, and successfully seized the territory of the Principality of Hornburg. Together with the earldom of Kiburg, which had previously succeeded his mother, Rudolf once connected the territories of Alsace, the Rhine Valley and Switzerland, becoming the largest prince of the Swabian-former Al-Aleman tribal principality
Compete for the throne
In 1257 the German princes elected Richard of Cornwall in England and King Alfonso X of Castile in Spain as the new Holy Roman Emperor. But these two men did not care about the affairs of the Empire. One emperor returned to England after his coronation, and another emperor never even set foot on German territory, making the German throne virtual.
Alfonso X
In fact, there are many reasons for this, not that the two of them are high-minded and do not pursue power. Rather, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire at that time had no real power at all, and not only did he listen to the German princes, but even the heirs to the throne were decided by several general elections
Therefore, the period between 1254 and 1273 of the Holy Roman Empire is called the "period of the imperial throne", or the "period of the great vacancy". During this period, the Holy Roman Empire continued to split into more independent feudal principalities. The lords of the land were keen to expand themselves and kill their opponents, including Rudolph
The Holy Roman Empire was internally divided in the Middle Ages
In short, during the "imperial period of the Holy Roman Empire", the whole of Germany was very chaotic and the people were not happy. In the chaos, Rudolf skillfully used various connections to greatly enhance his own strength, and eventually he became the largest prince in southwest Germany.
In the autumn of 1273, after the death of Richard of Cornwall, England, Rudolf Schwarzko was elected king by various means. Of course, among the competitors he defeated was King Ottoka II of Bohemia, the ruler of Austria at that time
Richard of Cornwall
Rudolf I, who became Holy Roman Emperor (or German King) as a result of power conciliation, was naturally not recognized and accepted by the ambitious Ottoka II, and eventually the two sides became irreconcilable.
On the other hand, Rudolf I's ascension to the throne also ended the "period of imperial suspense" in German history. And at this time, Rudolf was more than half a hundred years old, a political veteran who had experienced hundreds of battles and was proficient in sophistication and sophistication. From the beginning of his rise to power, he concentrated on German affairs and the expansion of the royal territory.
Inside the Holy Roman Empire
He also issued a "peace within the country" decree. The main thing is to prohibit private fighting at home, otherwise the Imperial Court will sanction it. This move has undoubtedly stabilized the domestic situation to a large extent
On the other hand, Rudolf I also brutally suppressed the revolt of the overwhelmed peasants, sided with the nobles and lords, and was supported by the princes, nobles and knights
As a result, Rudolf I regained control of much of the Holy Roman Empire after the "vacant throne". To a certain extent, it has maintained the tranquility and order in the country and contributed to the development of urban handicrafts and the citizen class.
Rudolph vs Ottoka
Despite rudolf I's ambitions, the Holy Roman Empire had limited imperial power, commanding only the only army with only territory, and was not at all an opponent of any of the great princes.
Rudolf I coin
Therefore, Rudolf soberly realized that only by expanding the royal territory could he strengthen himself and sit on an equal footing with the German princes. Thus Rudolf began a war with King Ottoka II of Bohemia for Austria.
Ottoka II
Since King Ottoka II of Bohemia seized Austria, Sederia, Klendia and Klein in 1251, the entire Austrian region has become almost Bohemian territory.
The move caused resentment among the Pope and the German princes for the simple reason that everyone wanted to divide the cake, and Bohemia took a large piece of it first, not only to the detriment of the princes, but also to the more difficulty of eating Bohemia
The shrewd Rudolf I took advantage of this sentiment by demanding that the lands not be granted to Ottoka II as a cess, demanding that he withdraw from Austria and other places and spit out the land he had eaten and return it to the Empire. Of course there is no doubt that Ottoka II refused
So in 1274, Rudolf I decided at the Nuremberg Imperial Council that the imperial territories occupied by King Frederick II of the Babenberg family must be returned. Ottoka still does not admit it, even if the two are tied up because of the struggle for the throne, it is Ottoka II's confidence in the strength of the country.
Bohemian territory during the reign of Ortoca II
The Bohemian state at that time was in the midst of a period of his power, especially under the rule of Ottoka II, whose territorial territory had reached some kind of peak, so Ottoka used it as capital and refused to appear in court and to return the invading Austria, Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola.
Because of Ottoka II's repeated disapprovals, on 24 June 1275 he was declared no longer protected by the law, that is, indirectly telling the German princes: "Brothers and sisters, join forces to do it!" ”。
The following year (1276) the war between Rudolf I and Ottoka II officially began. Rudolf I, with the support of German princes, nobles and even the Pope, led an army to the Austrian region.
Strategically, Rudolf divided his army into two lines with that led by King László IV of Hungary, forming a powerful pincer offensive from the left and right sides to the battlefield of the Machi River in eastern Vienna, where Ottoka II's army was stationed.
László IV
In addition, Rudolf, the shrewd emperor, succeeded in convincing Ottoka's ally, Henry I of Bavaria, to defect, leaving the Bohemian side isolated.
Under the pressure of the situation, Ottoka II confessed: not only returned the four provinces he had invaded, but also swore allegiance to the emperor. Rudolf's side as an old-fashioned politician is once again revealed: not only did he officially grant Bohemia to Otoka as an imperial fief, but he also married his daughter Yuta to Otoka's son, Václav II.
In the end, Rudolf's soldiers completed the crusade without bloodshed, and the prestige of the emperor was further highlighted. But on the other hand, Ottoka II's little life came to an end, and he became a "loner" completely.
Unwilling to accept defeat, Ottoka II was ready to gather strength to make a comeback again. With the support of the Princes of Silesia and Poland, Ottoka II rallied the armies of Thuringia, Brandenburg and Bavarian princes to wage war against Rudolf.
As we said earlier, the Holy Roman Emperor had limited territory and army, and only by relying on the unity of the German princes could there be a strong army. So Rudolf I, in order to fight against Ottoka II, received military assistance from the then King of Hungary, László IV and Count Mehad II of Tirol.
On August 26, 1278, the two armies fought a decisive battle on the battlefield of the Machi River. Historically known as the Battle of the Machi River, or the Battle of DeanKrut. The result of the battle was that Rudolf I's side defeated the Bohemian army and killed Ottoka II.
Battle of DeanKrut
This event became an important turning point in the establishment of the Habsburgs' rule in Austria. Since then, Moravian regions have been separated from Bohemia, and the Habsburgs have gained dominion over Austria under the aura of Rudolf I.
Rule Austria
After the Austrian regions were conquered, Rudolf could not take over them immediately, he needed to establish his authority here. And the status of Holy Roman Emperor also prevented him from ruling Austria personally, so he gave Austria and Styria to his two sons, Albrecht I and Rudolf II, respectively.
Rudolf Monument
So Austria under Rudolf was essentially the domain of the Habsburgs, not the emperors. Thus the Habsburgs began to rule Austria
Of course, many people set this point in time as the starting point of the Habsburg dynasty, but another theory is that the Habsburg dynasty was not fully established, and it was not established until 1556
Habsburg family lineage map
This is the wisdom of the wise, and we use the latter statement, that is, the Habsburg dynasty began in 1556, not 1278
In addition to Austria, other conquered lands were also divided between the Habsburgs or the Royal Family, that is, in their expansion of the Royal Territory, in which Austria's position in the Habsburg Family was self-evident, and Austria's primary position in the Holy Roman Empire was guaranteed.
Holy Roman Empire and Austria
Although Rudolf I laid the foundation for the development of Austria for the next few hundred years, as emperor, he failed to maintain internal peace, after all, the power and resources of the Holy Roman Emperor were really pitiful.
In his later years, Rudolf I struggled to maneuver among the princes, trying to get his eldest son, Albrecht, to succeed to the imperial throne. But the princes feared the growing power of the Habsburg monarchy, so they obstructed it
Window painting by Rudolf I
In the summer of 1291, at the age of 73, Rudolf I, feeling that the limit was coming, came from Mesheim to the city of Speyer. He died here on 15 July and was finally buried in the cemetery of kings and emperors of the Salian and Hohenstaufen dynasties in the city of Speyer.
Rudolf I has died, but the Habsburgs are still alive, and the austrian state and the Habsburgs are still moving forward...