History of Austria

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Part of a series on the
History of Austria
Early history Hallstatt culture Celts (Kingdom of Noricum) Roman Era (Noricum - Pannonia - Raetia) Rugiland Odoacer's Kingdom of Italy Ostrogothic Kingdom
Early Middle Ages Marcomanni - Lombards - Baiuvarii - Suebi Avars Carantania Frankish Kingdom East Francia Margraviate of Austria House of Babenberg Privilegium Minus
Middle Ages House of Habsburg Holy Roman Empire Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg Duchy of Austria Duchy of Styria Duchy of Carinthia
Early modern period Archduchy of Austria Habsburg empire Austrian Empire German Confederation Austria-Hungary
World War I Assassination of Franz Ferdinand History of Austria-Hungary during World War I
Interwar years Republic of German-Austria First Austrian Republic Civil War Austrofascism Federal State of Austria Anschluss Ostmark (Austria)
World War II National Socialism
Post-war Austria Allied-occupied Austria Second Austrian Republic
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The history of Austria covers the history of Austria and its predecessor states. In the late Iron Age Austria was occupied by people of the Hallstatt Celtic culture (c. 800 BC), they first organized as a Celtic kingdom referred to by the Romans as Noricum, dating from c. 800 to 400 BC. At the end of the 1st century BC, the lands south of the Danube became part of the Roman Empire. In the Migration Period, the 6th century, the Bavarii, a Germanic people, occupied these lands until it fell to the Frankish Empire established by the Germanic Franks in the 9th century. The name Ostarrîchi (Austria) has been in use since 996 AD when it was a margravate of the Duchy of Bavaria and from 1156 an independent duchy (later archduchy) of the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806).

Austria was dominated by the House of Habsburg and House of Habsburg-Lorraine from 1273 to 1918. In 1806, when Emperor Francis II of Austria dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, Austria became the Austrian Empire, and was also part of the German Confederation until the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. In 1867, Austria formed a dual monarchy with Hungary: the Austro-Hungarian Empire. When this empire collapsed after the end of World War I in 1918, Austria was reduced to the main, mostly German-speaking areas of the empire (its current frontiers), and adopted the name, the Republic of German-Austria. However, union with Germany and the chosen country name were forbidden by the Allies at the Treaty of Versailles. This led to the creation of the First Austrian Republic (1919–1933).

Following the First Republic, Austrofascism tried to keep Austria independent from the German Reich. Engelbert Dollfuss accepted that most Austrians were German and Austrian, but wanted Austria to remain independent from Germany. In 1938, Austrian-born Adolf Hitler annexed Austria to Germany, which was supported by a large majority of Austrians.^[1] After the German defeat in World War II, the German identity in Austria was weakened. Ten years after the Second World War Austria again became an independent republic as the Second Austrian Republic in 1955. Austria joined the European Union in 1995.