Austria became involved in the conflict between Sweden and Poland. It was a triumph for Austria when Queen Christina of Sweden abdicated her throne in 1654 and converted to
Catholicism in a ceremony performed at the Court Chapel in Innsbruck. Then in 1655 Christina’s protestant successor Charles X Gustav invaded Poland, who throne the Habsburg’s desired for themselves, this was the start of the Second Northern War which Austria entered in 1658 and prevented the collapse of Poland. Austria won the war but due to French diplomacy at the Treaty of Oliva in 1660 the Swedes won the peace. Austria was granted no territory but the advance of the Swedes into Germany was halted.
In 1663 a conflict with the Turks broke out over the control of Transylvania (today in Romania), in 1664 Leopold sent an army which won a decisive victory against the Turks at Saint
Gotthard in Styria (today in south east Austria) and maintained control of the Romanian principality of Transylvania. However, Austria agreed to a very disadvantageous peace, in order not to provoke the French. This greatly angered the Hungarian leadership.
Map Of Slovenia And Austria Photo Gallery
Map of Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Czech
Catholic Austria again sided with Protestants in the Franco-Dutch War, this time the Dutch Republic and Brandenburg (today in Germany), to prevent Louis XIV of France, Leopold’s
Catholic cousin from dominating the Low Countries.
In order to ease Hungarian discontent over the disadvantageous settle that resulted from the Austro-Turkish War of 1663-1664 the Austrians granted them restored their right to
practice the Protestant religion in 1681. This was not enough to satisfy the Hungarians who longed for libration from the Habsburgs and again sought the help of the Turks who initiated a Second Siege of Vienna in 1683 which was again unsuccessful. Legend has it that two great culinary development took emerged to celebrate this victory, the first was the coffeehouse which is an institution in Vienna and the second is the croissant (a crescent-shaped breakfast pastry) first baked in Vienna and later brought to France. The Peace of Carlowitz of 1699 settled this war which brought new territory to Austria including Hungary, Transylvania (today in Romania) and large parts of Slavonia.
Slovenia Map and Satellite Image
In 1688 The Nine Years’ War (1688-1697) began Catholic Austria again sided with Protestant allies to stop the advances of Catholic France. In 1697 the Treaty of Ryswick settles the
conflict and Louis XIV of France recognizes the Protestant William III of Orange as King of England, Scotland and Ireland.
The War of Spanish Sucession (1701-1714) would start under Leopold’s reign and ender under his successor’s reign – Joseph I.
Joseph I: 1705-1711 (1 minute)
Joseph I reorganized Austria’s finances and transformed the Viennese city bank into Austria’s state bank. When Pope Clement XI recognized Philip as King of Spain while the Spanish War
of Succession was still being fought it widened the existing conflict between emperor and pope. Joseph’s sudden death in 1711 deprived the Habsburgs of the Spanish succession as the European powers would not recognize Charles who succeeded his father as Holy Roman Emperor as this would have regained the Habsburgs both their Spanish and German holdings.
