Regenten#

Rulers: Up to the High Middle Ages the provinces of modern Austria were ruled by various dynasties; after that the Habsburg rulers gradually joined together the various areas they were to rule until 1918. From the time before the 10th century only a few names of rulers are known. The creation of territories in the High Middle Ages led to the rise of dynasties that existed over several generations. In Austria (areas of Lower Austria and Upper Austria) 9 generations of the Babenberg family ruled for more than 240 years. In Styria the Wels-Lambach dynasty was followed by the Otakare (also called Traungau); they provided 6 sovereigns (5 generations) who ruled the March. Carinthia saw a rapid succession of sovereigns until the Eppenstein dynasty provided 3 rulers (1073-1122), followed by the Sponheim dynasty, which brought forth 8 rulers. The last dynasty to rule Carinthia before the Habsburgs was the Meinhardiner dynasty. They were also the counts of the Tirol, where they ruled for several generations. Swabian counts were the sovereigns of Vorarlberg throughout several decades, starting with the Udalrichinger, followed by Hugo von Tuebingen, whose son called himself Count Montfort. His descendants gradually sold their estates to the Habsburgs. The situation in Salzburg was completely different. Here the list of rulers was identical with that of the archbishops until 1803 (see table of rulers).