Margraviate of Austria
Southeastern frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, c. 970–1156 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Margraviate of Austria (German: Markgrafschaft Österreich) was a medieval frontier march, centered along the river Danube, between the river Enns and the Vienna Woods (Wienerwald), within the territory of modern Austrian provinces of Upper Austria and Lower Austria. It existed from c. 970 to 1156.[1][2]
Margraviate of Austria Eastern March | |||||||||||
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c. 970–1156 | |||||||||||
Status | Margraviate, within the Duchy of Bavaria and the Holy Roman Empire | ||||||||||
Capital | Melk | ||||||||||
Common languages | Austro-Bavarian German, Old High German | ||||||||||
Religion | Chalcedonian Christianity (since 739 under the Diocese of Freising) Roman Catholicism (following the Schism of 1054) | ||||||||||
Demonym(s) | Austrian | ||||||||||
Government | Feudal monarchy | ||||||||||
Margrave of Austria | |||||||||||
• c. 970–976 | Burkhard (first known margrave) | ||||||||||
• 1141–1156 | Henry II (last margrave, and first duke) | ||||||||||
Historical era | Middle Age | ||||||||||
• Established | c. 970 | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1156 | ||||||||||
ISO 3166 code | AT | ||||||||||
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It stemmed from the previous frontier structures, initially created for the defense of eastern Bavarian borders against the Avars, who were defeated and conquered during the reign of Charlemagne (d. 814). Throughout the Frankish period, the region was under jurisdiction of Eastern Frankish rulers, who held Bavaria and appointed frontier commanders (counts) in eastern regions.[3][4]
At the beginning of the 10th century, the region was raided by Magyars. They were defeated in the Battle of Lechfeld (955) and gradual German reconquest of the region began. By about 970, newly retaken frontier regions along the river Danube were reorganized into a frontier county (margraviate) that became known as the Bavarian Eastern March (Latin: Marcha orientalis) or Ostarrichi (German: Österreich). The first known margrave was Burkhard, who is mentioned in sources since 970 several times as Margrave of Marcha orientalis.[5]
Since 976, it was governed by margraves from the Franconian noble House of Babenberg. The margraviate was protecting the eastern borders of the Holy Roman Empire, towards neighbouring Hungary. It became an Imperial State in its own right, when the Austrian margraves were elevated to Dukes of Austria in 1156.[6]