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 14th and 15th centuries, the whole of the territory under Habsburg rule was designated "dominion of Austria". From the 15th century the term predominantly used was "House of Austria", which related to the ruling family and was, in the 16th 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 17th century, the Austrian line of the Habsburgs was frequently designated "German House of Austria", after 1740 "House of Habsburg" was mostly used.
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 18th 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.