AUSTRIA; PRESTIGE TO EMBARRASSMENT 1515-1624
Maximilian was very ambitious with his advisor Gerd, they convinced the leading Bohemian nobility and royalty to become a part of Habsburg controlled Austria. Though they maintained traditional titles, the Bohemian government was centralized with Vienna. This caused a tremendous upheaval among many nobles of Bohemia. The Bohemian war of succession began in 1515. It would intensify in 1520 when the protestant church took the side of separatist nobles. The Habsburg army crushed rebels relentlessly. At first Ferdinand and Emperor Karl would try to have some mercy for the rebels, but by 1530, rebels were executed ruthlessly, injured on the battlefield even slaughtered often times. The war was a tremendous drain on the Habsburg economy and military. By the end of the war in 1540, about 190,000 Bohemian rebels were dead. 23,000 Hapsburg soldiers also had died in the war. This was one war that proved how lethal the Habsburg professional army had become even though it was against poorly equipped and trained peasants. By 1540 Bohemia was firmly in place as a territory of the Habsburgs.
Emperor Karl with the help of his brother Ferdinand drew up a plan to more centralize the Habsburg Empire. The Central Advisory Council or Hofrat was created. This council was rejected in Spain and Germany but it had a big impact in bringing Austrian lands together under one Government. This council, though it was dissolved after Karl abdicated, was responsible for completely changing governing policies. The Aristocracy of the Habsburgs began to dissolve in favor of bringing nobles from the many holdings to help in governing. This also helped to centralize government and states. With these changes that would last for the next hundred years, the peasantry class was also given many more rights despite many nobles disapproval. Serfdom gave way to free subjects and this also led to more Innovative practices. Though the reforms were very successful for Austria, it caused other monarchies to fear how this could affect their power and control. Habsburg influence quickly became very unpopular in most other nations.
In 1524, two wars began that involved Austria. Modena went to war against Genoa, the end result being Genoa paid Modena indemnities. The second war, between Hungary and Turkey, resulted in the death of the Hungarian King Lajos II in a battle for Moldavia. This made Ferdinand King of Hungary, though it was disputed for a while. The Turks had amassed a large army and to avoid further war, Ferdinand gave Moldavia to the Turks for peace. The nobles in Wallachia were also given greater independence to avoid revolts there. The biggest event of the war against the Turks was Austria lost several Galleys in naval battles. It was a great embarrassment for the navy to be relegated to transport only duties. After the war, the navy was greatly expanded.
The old trade post in Damman was finally expanded also in 1527. After almost 100 years of being a small post, settlers began to colonize small villages along the Arabian coast. It became the only European Christian center of activity in the region. Over the next two hundred years it would field its own Governor, small navy and army. Fighting off pirates in the Persian Gulf, the Austrian Colony faired well despite friction with Muslim neighbors. For the most part, Austria had so much prestige that no country was willing to risk expelling the Christians for fear of the repercussions.
Another big colonization effort for the Austrian Habsburgs was in 1528 to 1531. Albrecht Herman gave his services to Ferdinand in Vienna. He was with Spanish voyages to the new world in years past. Ferdinand agreed to fund his exploration with four ships and 2000 men. With Portuguese help with enroute port stops, Herman sailed to New Found land and explored land there for Austria. Officially the land was claimed under the Spanish flag, however it was governed by Austrians. Austria had become a colonial nation in the new world.
In 1533 Emperor Karl signed the Bucharest Treaty with the Turks. It allowed the Turks to take Wallachia so long as the Turks ended its European conquest from that point and not attack into Habsburg territory. It also served as a trade agreement for Austrians to use the Thracian market. This was a time when the Venetian market was expelling Austrian merchants. Austrian merchants would thrive in Thrace, the first time their merchants would have a big effect on the Austrian economy.
By 1535, Ak Koyunlu was dissolved between the Turks, Mameluks and Persians. The once mighty empire had become no more. 1538 the Principality of Muscovy became known as Russia or the Russian Empire. With a massive army, they began to take all surrounding lands.
With the Protestant movement growing in the North, the Pope began calls for Catholic nations to begin Inquisitions to stem the tide of the heretics. Ferdinand funded conversions in Bohemia and Hungary, they had mixed results and led to a bloody religious war. From 1542 to 1546 over 40,000 people died in violence, the Protestants brutally crushed by Habsburg army forces. In 1547 there began a meeting in Augsburg to try and resolve the religious troubles of the Empire. Emperor Karl took a middle ground in the affair and it cost him the favor of Germans and the Pope. Karl became frustrated with the failure of the Augsburg meetings so he withdrew to Madrid and let Ferdinand continue the meetings. Ferdinand also became Archduke of Austria at Karl’s request. Nobles became more upset when Ferdinand continued the policy of centralization. He then broke with the Papacy when he gave the Germans religious freedom rights to end the meetings at Augsburg in 1555.
Ferdinand continued to reform policy for his Empire by creating the Hufkriegsrat. This like the Hofrat would become a council to further centralize the government.
Karl abdicated in 1556 and so Ferdinand became Emperor and took full control of the Austrian Habsburg territory. Philip became King of Spain and Karl took the Low Countries and Alsace from Ferdinand and gave them to Philip.
In 1558 Aragon attacked the Papacy. This worked in Ferdinand’s favor in a couple ways. He would gain favor for protecting Rome and this also allowed him to take land from Aragon in a war. The years Elizabeth became Queen of England; Spain and Venice attacked Aragon hoping to gain the land for themselves. Austria attacked also and thus began the final breakup of Aragon that would end in 1569 leaving Aragon a mere puppet to Spain and later a dependant state. Austria gained by far the most in the wars. Naples, Sicily, Malta, Baleares and Sardinia.
During the 1570s Austria enjoyed prestige in Europe that practically made it untouchable. With full control of Italia, the Mediterranean, Hungary, much of Germany and some colonies; The Austrian Habsburg Empire enjoyed great prosperity. Despite isolated revolts and a plague in 1572, the military, defenses, infrastructure and trade was much improved during this time. One of the men who made all of this possible, Franz Josef, who was orchestrater of the successful army and military policy, died in 1580. This left the Military in the hands of several men who all disagreed on what policy to follow next. The confusion in the military and navy would cost Austria greatly in the future.
After demands from other nations and local nobles, Archduke Rudolf II gave independence to Sardinia and Sicily making them Vassals around 1585. This however caused an upheaval among Protestants in the Balkans for independence from the Empire. When their demands were refused revolts began to spring up. From 1592 to 1604 there were over 142,000 rebel casualties and about 50,000 Austrian soldiers lost. The rebellions became so bad that Rudolf agreed to let go of the Balkan states Bosnia, Ragusa and Serbia as Vassals.
In 1612, Archduke Mathias inherited an Empire that was very stable and rich. His Austrian Empire was the most prestigious and influential in Europe yet his leadership skills were among the worst. That same year the Turks attacked his vassal Serbia. He wanted to avoid war and so he ignored the Bucharest Treaty and left Serbia for the Turks. A wave obscurism plagued the Empire because of his failure to lead.
In 1616 the Turks gambled on Mathias’ weakness and attacked Ragusa. This time there was so much pressure on the Archduke he reluctantly mobilized the army and declared war on the Ottoman Turks in 1617. The Austrian-Ottoman War of 1617-23 would be a disaster for Austria.
In the first two years Austria’s army made considerable gains into Turk territory taking Serbia and marching to Macedonia and Heles. The Austrians had superior ability to quickly overcome Turk defenses. By 1618 the Turks found a weakness, the Austrian soldiers were poorly trained and equipped for melee combat. The Ottomans quickly took advantage of this and used massive armies to meet Austrians in the field. To the shock of Europe, the Turks began to push Austrian forces back. The first blow came when General Von Mercy was killed along with most his army in Heles. The Turk navy then intercepted an Austrian amphibious fleet and sank it completely, killing Austrian General Pappenheim. Finding out that two Generals had died in one year, General Wallenstein took his army out of Albania and returned to Bohemia, refusing to fight on claiming the Archduke was not supporting the war. With all of Austria’s generals now out of the theatre, the Turks pushed the Austrian lines back to the border.
Ferdinand II became Archduke in 1619, he would inherit a war near disaster. Trying to turn the tide Ferdinand called up over 200,000 men to the army and brought out the rest of the Austrian fleet to meet the Turks. In 1620 the two fleets met in the Ionian Sea. The Turks had twice as many Galleys and surrounded Austrian warships. Every Austrian ship was sunk, the entire Austrian Med fleet destroyed. The blow was so great that European powers sent Insults to Vienna and the Admiral committed suicide in Istria.
The war became so unpopular in the Habsburg realms, the people being so use to stability and wealth, they were quick to rebel against higher taxes and losing so many sons to war. Rebellions and unrest became more numerous with each year. The massive army Ferdinand hoped would destroy the Turks was split in order to fight against his own people. While Austria struggled against internal revolts the Turks began to push into Habsburg territory. By 1623 Ferdinand was forced to concede to the Ottomans and lost Kosovo and Dalmatia plus 700ducats.
Along with the humiliating defeat against the Turks, Austria was suffering a great depression. Plagues spread through the country with the rebellions. By the end of 1624 the rebellions ended. The cost of the war was tremendous for all sides involved. The Turks lost 370,000 men, Austria lost 80 ships and 260,000 Soldiers and over 200,000 peasants. Ferdinand II in an effort to avoid such an embarrassment again began to rebuild a new Navy and Army, putting more emphasis on new tactics to compete in the field of battle.
