View source for Further Austria

{{Short description|Historical provinces of the House of Habsburg}}
{{More footnotes|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
| native_name            = {{lang|la|Austria anterior}}<br>{{lang|de|Vorderösterreich}}<br>{{lang|de|Österreichische Vorlande}}
| common_name            = Further Austria
| conventional_long_name = Further Austria
| subdivision            = Territory
| nation                 = [[Habsburg monarchy]] and the [[Austrian Empire]]
| capital                = [[Ensisheim]]<br>[[Freiburg im Breisgau]]
| today                  = {{ubl|[[Austria]]|[[France]]|[[Germany]]|[[Switzerland]]}}
| year_start             = 1278
| year_end               = 1805
| event_start            = 
| date_start             = 
| event_end              = [[Peace of Pressburg (1805)|Peace of Pressburg]]
| date_end               = 
| life_span              = 
| era                    = [[Middle Ages]]<br>[[Napoleonic Wars]]
| image_flag             = Flag of Austria (1230–1934).svg
| image_border           = 
| flag_type              = 
| flag                   = 
| image_coat             = Bindenschild Privilegium maius 1512.svg
| symbol_type            = 
| symbol                 = 
| image_map              = Autriche antérieure.png
| image_map_caption      = Further Austrian territories, after the loss of the Sundgau in 1648
| p1                     = Duchy of Swabia
| flag_p1                = Arms of Swabia.svg
| border_p1              = no
| s1                     = Electorate of Baden
| flag_s1                = Banner of Baden (3^2).svg
| s2                     = Kingdom of Bavaria
| flag_s2                = Flag of Bavaria (striped).svg
| s3                     = Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt
| flag_s3                = Flag of Hesse-Darmstadt Regiment during the Seven Years War (1756-1763).svg
| s4                     = Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
| flag_s4                = Flag of Hohenzollern (1576–1850).svg
| s5                     = Kingdom of Württemberg
| flag_s5                = Flagge Königreich Württemberg.svg
| stat_year1             = 
| stat_area1             = 
| stat_pop1              = 
}}
[[File:Vorderösterreich 1788.jpg|thumb|Further Austria shown on a 1788 map]]
[[Image:Grenzstein01.JPG|thumb|upright|Border stone of 1768 with the [[Austrian Empire|Austrian]] coat of arms and "V.O." ("Vorderösterreich"), [[Salhöhe]], [[Switzerland]]]]
'''Further Austria''',<ref>Although ''Further Austria'' is a customary term in English-language historiography and is phonologically similar to the German term ''Vorder-Österreich'', it is a mistranslation if taken literally. While English ''further'' (or ''farther'') denotes something more distant, German ''Vorder-'' and Latin ''anterior'' denote something closer, more advanced, situated in front. Compare the historical regions ''[[Western Pomerania|Vorpommern]]'' (in older sources also ''Vorderpommern'') and ''[[Farther Pomerania|Hinterpommern]]'' whose German names are traditionally translated as ''Hither Pomerania'' and ''Farther Pomerania'' respectively in English.</ref> '''Outer Austria''' or '''Anterior Austria''' ({{Langx|la|Austria anterior}}; {{langx|de|Vorderösterreich}}, formerly ''die Vorlande'' (pl.)) was the collective name for the early (and later) possessions of the [[House of Habsburg]] in the former [[Duchy of Swabia|Swabian]] [[stem duchy]] of south-western [[Kingdom of Germany|Germany]], including territories in the [[Alsace]] region west of the [[Rhine]] and in [[Vorarlberg]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vorderösterreich – Historisches Lexikon Bayerns |url=https://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/Lexikon/Vorder%C3%B6sterreich |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de}}</ref>

While the territories of Further Austria west of the Rhine and south of [[Lake Constance]] (except Konstanz itself) were gradually lost to France and the Swiss Confederacy, those in Swabia remained under Habsburg control until the Napoleonic Era, with Vorarlberg still forming a part of modern Austria.

==Geography==
Further Austria mainly comprised the Alsatian [[County of Ferrette]] in the [[Sundgau]], including the town of [[Belfort]], and the adjacent [[Breisgau]] region east of the [[Rhine]], including [[Freiburg im Breisgau]] after 1368. Also ruled from the Habsburg residence in [[Ensisheim]] near [[Mulhouse|Mühlhausen]] were numerous scattered territories stretching from [[Upper Swabia]] to the [[Allgäu]] region in the east, the largest being the [[Margrave|margravate]] of [[Burgau]] between the cities of [[Augsburg]] and [[Ulm]]. During the [[Habsburg monarchy]] they were humorously called "tail feathers of the [[Reichsadler|Imperial Eagle]]". Some estates in [[Vorarlberg]] possessed by the Habsburgs were also considered part of Further Austria, though they were temporarily directly administered from [[County of Tyrol|Tyrol]].

==History==
The original home territories of the Habsburgs, the [[Aargau]] with Habsburg Castle and much of the other original possessions south of the [[High Rhine]] and [[Lake Constance]] were already lost in the 14th century to the expanding Swiss Confederacy after the battles of [[Battle of Morgarten|Morgarten]] (1315) and [[Battle of Sempach|Sempach]] (1386). These territories were never considered part of Further Austria &ndash; except for the [[Fricktal]] region around [[Rheinfelden (Aargau)|Rheinfelden]] and [[Laufenburg, Switzerland|Laufenburg]], which remained a Habsburg possession until 1797.

From 1406 until 1490, Further Austria together with the Habsburg County of Tyrol was included in the definition of "Upper Austria" (''Oberösterreich'', not to be confused with the modern [[States of Austria|Austrian state]] of [[Upper Austria]]). From 1469 to 1474 Archduke [[Sigismund, Archduke of Austria|Sigismund]] gave large parts in pawn to the [[Duchy of Burgundy|Burgundian]] duke [[Charles the Bold]]. In the reign of Emperor [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]], the influence of Further Austria increased, with its significance matching that of Burgundy, as the proportion of courtiers from Further Austria greatly increased.

At the [[Treaty of Westphalia]] in 1648, the Sundgau became part of France. After the [[Ottoman wars in Europe|Ottoman wars]], many inhabitants of Further Austria were encouraged to emigrate and settle in the newly acquired [[Transylvania]] region, people that later were referred as [[Danube Swabians]]. In the 18th century, the Habsburgs acquired a few minor new Swabian territories, such as [[Tettnang]] in 1780.

In the reorganization of the Holy Roman Empire in the course of the [[French Revolutionary Wars]], much of Further Austria, including the Breisgau, was by the 1801 [[Treaty of Lunéville]] granted as compensation to [[Ercole III d'Este, Duke of Modena|Ercole III d'Este]], former duke of [[Duchy of Modena and Reggio|Modena and Reggio]], who however died two years later. His heir as his son-in-law was Archduke [[Ferdinand, Duke of Breisgau|Ferdinand of Austria-Este]], the uncle of Emperor [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis II]].

After the Austrian defeat at the [[Battle of Austerlitz]] and the [[Peace of Pressburg (1805)|Peace of Pressburg]] in 1805, Further Austria was entirely dissolved and the former Habsburg territories were assigned to the [[Grand Duchy of Baden]] (Breisgau), the [[Kingdom of Württemberg]] ([[Rottenburg am Neckar|Rottenburg]] and [[Horb am Neckar|Horb]]) and the [[Kingdom of Bavaria]] ([[Weitnau]], [[Günzburg]], [[Weißenhorn]]), as rewards for their alliance with [[First French Empire|Napoleonic France]]. Minor estates passed to [[Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen]] and the [[Grand Duchy of Hesse]]. Fricktal had already become a French [[protectorate]] in 1799 and part of the [[Helvetic Republic]] in 1802, incorporated into the [[Switzerland in the Napoleonic era|Swiss]] canton of Aargau the next year.

After the defeat of Napoleon, there was some discussion at the [[Congress of Vienna]] of returning part or all of the ''Vorlande'' to Austria, but in the end only [[Vorarlberg]] returned to Austrian control, as Foreign Minister [[Klemens von Metternich]] did not want to offend the rulers of the South German states and hoped that removing Austria from its advanced position on the Rhine would reduce tensions with France.

==Administrative division==
As of 1790 Further Austria was subdivided into ten districts (''Oberämter''):
*[[Breisgau]] (with [[Fricktal]]) at [[Freiburg im Breisgau|Freiburg]]
*[[Offenburg]]: several localities in the present [[Ortenaukreis]], the [[free imperial city|Imperial city]] of Offenburg not included
*Hohenberg, present [[Ostalbkreis]], former [[Counts of Hohenberg (Swabia)|county]], at [[Rottenburg am Neckar]]
*Nellenburg, former landgraviate, at [[Stockach]]
*Altdorf (former [[Vogt]]ei Swabia), today [[Weingarten, Württemberg|Weingarten]]
*[[Tettnang]], former [[Counts of Montfort (Swabia)|County of Montfort]]
*[[Günzburg]], former Margraviate of [[Burgau]]
*[[Winnweiler]] in the [[Palatinate (region)|Palatinate]], former [[Counts of Falkenstein (Rhineland-Palatinate)|County of Falkenstein]]
*the former [[Free imperial city|Imperial city]] of [[Prince-Bishopric of Constance|Konstanz]]
*[[Bregenz]], present-day [[Vorarlberg]], then administered from Tyrol.

==Habsburg rulers==
Politically, the Further Austrian territories were held by the Habsburg [[List of rulers of Austria|(Arch-)Dukes of Austria]] from 1278 onwards. Upon the 1379 [[Treaty of Neuberg]], they together with [[Duchy of Carinthia|Carinthia]], [[Duchy of Styria|Styria]], [[Duchy of Carniola|Carniola]] and Tyrol fell to the [[Leopoldian line]]:
*[[Leopold III, Duke of Austria|Leopold III]], until 1386
*[[William, Duke of Austria|William]], son, 1386–1406
Further divided into [[Inner Austria]] proper (Styria, Carinthia and Carniola) and Upper Austria (Tyrol and Further Austria), ruled by:
*[[Frederick IV, Duke of Austria|Frederick IV]], younger brother of William, 1406-1439 ([[regent]] in Further Austria since 1402)
*[[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick V]], nephew of William, ruler of Inner Austria, 1439-1446 (regent)
*[[Sigismund, Archduke of Austria|Sigismund]], son of Frederick IV, 1446–1490
In 1490 all Habsburg possessions were re-unified under the rule of Frederick V, [[Holy Roman Emperor]] since 1452. Upon the death of Emperor [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand I of Habsburg]] in 1564, Further Austria and Tyrol was inherited by his second son:
*[[Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria]], 1564–1595
*[[Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor|Matthias]], 1595–1619, nephew, Holy Roman Emperor from 1612, with his younger brother
**[[Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria|Maximilian III]] as regent, 1612–1618
In 1619 the Habsburg hereditary lands were re-unified under the rule of Emperor [[Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand II]]. He gave Further Austria to his younger brother:
*[[Leopold V, Archduke of Austria|Leopold V]], 1623–1632
*[[Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria|Ferdinand Charles]], son, 1632–1662
**under the tutelage of his mother [[Claudia de' Medici]], 1632–1646
*[[Sigismund Francis, Archduke of Austria|Sigismund Francis]], brother 1662-1665
In 1665 the Habsburg lands were finally re-unified under the rule of Emperor [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]].

==See also==
* [[Inner Austria]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*  Becker, Irmgard Christa, ed. ''Vorderösterreich, Nur die Schwanzfeder des Kaiseradlers? Die Habsburger im deutschen Südwesten''. Süddeutsche Verlagsgesellschaft. Ulm 1999, {{ISBN|3-88294-277-0}} (Katalog der Landesausstellung).
* Döbeli, Christoph. ''Die Habsburger zwischen Rhein und Donau''. 2. Auflage, Erziehungsdepartement des Kantons Aargau, Aarau 1996, {{ISBN|3-9520690-1-9}}.
* Maier, Hans and [[Volker Press]], eds. ''Vorderösterreich in der frühen Neuzeit''. Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1989, {{ISBN|3-7995-7058-6}}.
* Metz, Friedrich, ed. ''Vorderösterreich. Eine geschichtliche Landeskunde''. 4. überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage. Rombach, Freiburg i. Br. 2000, {{ISBN|3-7930-9237-2}}.
* Rommel, Klaus, ed. ''Das große goldene Medaillon von 1716''. (Donativ des Breisgaus, Schwäbisch-Österreich und Vorarlberg zur Geburt Leopolds). Rommel: Lingen 1996, {{ISBN|3-9807091-0-8}}.
* Zekorn, Andreas, Bernhard Rüth, Hans-Joachim Schuster and Edwin Ernst Weber, eds. ''Vorderösterreich an oberem Neckar und oberer Donau''. UVK Verlagsges., Konstanz 2002, {{ISBN|3-89669-966-0}} (hrsg. im Auftrag der Landkreise Rottweil, Sigmaringen, Tuttlingen und Zollernalbkreis).

==External links==
* [http://www.hoeckmann.de/germany/bwsouth.htm Map of South-Western Germany in 1789]

{{Commons category}}
{{Austrian Circle}}
{{Alsace topics}}
{{Coats of arms of Baden-Württemberg}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Further Austria| ]]
[[Category:Historical regions in Austria]]
[[Category:History of Alsace]]
[[Category:Austrian Circle]]
[[Category:History of Vorarlberg]]
[[Category:History of Swabia]]
[[Category:Former states and territories of Baden-Württemberg]]
[[Category:Former states and territories of Bavaria]]
[[Category:Former states and territories of Rhineland-Palatinate]]