!!!Österreichbegriff

Oesterreich (Austria), Concept of: Around 996, ( Ostarrîchi) 
Austria encompassed the Alpine Foreland east of the river Enns (region 
of Neuhofen an der Ybbs) and possibly the whole of the march ruled by 
the  Babenbergs. The Babenberg march had several Latin names (Oriens, 
orientalis provincia, orientalis pars) which corresponded to the 
German "Osterlant", the name frequently used in literature. 
The name "Austria" is mentioned in a document issued by 
Konrad III for the town of Klosterneuburg (1147), and there is no 
doubt that it referred to the Babenberg march. In the 14%%sup th/%  
and 15%%sup th/%  centuries, the whole of the territory under Habsburg 
rule was designated "dominion of Austria". From the 
15%%sup th/%  century the term predominantly used was "House of 
Austria", which related to the ruling family and was, in the 
16%%sup th/%  century, extended to all branches of the Habsburg family 
and used in the territories under their rule in the west and south of 
Europe in the respective language (Casa de Austria, Casa 
d´Austria, Maison d´Autriche). In the 17%%sup th/%  
century, the Austrian line of the Habsburgs was frequently designated 
"German House of Austria", after 1740 "House of 
Habsburg" was mostly used.

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Around 1500, the 2 geographical units ruled by the Austrian Line were 
given the names "Lower Austria" (including today's Lower Austria, 
Upper Austria, Styria, Carinthia and Carniola) and "Upper 
Austria" (South Tirol, possessions in Vorarlberg, Swabia and 
Alsatia), later on "Inner Austria" (Inneroesterreich) was 
used for Styria, Carinthia and Carniola, "Austrian 
Forelands" (Vorderoesterreich) for the holdings west of the 
Arlberg pass. The term "Austria" meaning both units was employed to 
describe the "Austrian" college of the Diet of Cologne (1512) and 
the Diet of Worms (1521), while in the 18%%sup th/%  century, during 
the reign of Maria Theresia, the name "monarchia Austriaca" 
or "Austrian Monarchy" was customary. In 1804, the name 
"Austrian Empire" was made official, yet it was not stated 
whether it referred to Hungary as well, whereas in the Pillersdorf 
Constitution of 1848 the term "Kaiserstaat Oesterreich" 
(Imperial state of Austria) did not include Hungary, during the period 
of  Neo-absolutism, the term "Austrian Hereditary Monarchy" 
meant both countries taken together, and the Constitution of 1867 
still mentions the "common affairs of the Austrian 
Monarchy". The Name "Austria", however, was only used in the name 
of the monarchy (Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary) and not, until 
1915, for the western half of the empire, which was described as 
"the kingdoms and lands represented in the Reichsrat". The 
Provisional State Council of 21 October, 1918, named the new state 
"Deutsch-Oesterreich" (i.e. German-Austria), the name under 
which the republic was proclaimed on 12 November, 1918, but which was 
forbidden in the Treaty of Saint Germain (1919). The Constitution of 
1920 thus used the name "Republic of Austria", Upper Austria 
and Lower Austria being 2 of the 9 federal provinces. In the 1934 
Constitution Austria is named "Federal State of Austria". 
Following the Anschluss with Germany, the name "land 
Austria" was only used in administrative documents up to the year 
1939, and "Lower Austria" and "Upper Austria" were 
replaced by "Lower Danube" and "Upper Danube", respectively, as early 
as 1938. The name "Republic of Austria" was taken over again 
when the state was re-established in April 1945 and has been the 
official name since.

!Literature
E. Zoellner, Formen und Wandlungen des 
Oesterreich-Begriffes, in Historica, Festschrift fuer F. Engel-Janosi, 
1965; idem in: Probleme und Aufgaben der oesterreichischen 
Geschichtsforschung, H. Dienst and G. Heiss (eds.), 1984.


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