This article is about the specific polity Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
Was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 that established the duality of Austria and Hungary in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War. It was dissolved shortly after its defeat in the First World War.
Summary
In 1867, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise (Ausgleich) was reached, which established the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary. This arrangement recognized the Kingdom of Hungary as a semi-autonomous partner within the empire, with a common monarch and shared responsibility for defense, finance, and foreign affairs.
The Compromise was an attempt to preserve the Habsburg Empire in the face of growing nationalist movements among its various ethnic groups. While it provided a temporary solution, the empire remained fragile and faced increasing demands for national autonomy, particularly from the Czechs, Romanians, Poles, and South Slavs.
During the reign of Emperor Francis Joseph I (1848-1916), the empire experienced some attempts at reform and concessions to nationalism, but these were largely ineffective. The outbreak of World War I in 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, further exposed the empire's vulnerability.
The collapse of the Central Powers in 1918 ultimately led to the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The empire's various territories broke away to form new nation-states, leaving a "German residue" that would become the modern Republic of Austria.
Establishment
June 1867: After Austria was defeated in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 was adopted, joining together the Kingdom of Hungary and the Empire of Austria to form Austria-Hungary.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Was a conflict between the Ottoman Empire and a coalition led by the Russian Empire, and including Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro.
1.1.Treaty of San Stefano
Was a treaty between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire that ended the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878). The Ottoman Empire recognized the independence of Montenegro, Romania and Serbia.
March 1878: The advancement of Russian forces toward the Ottomans forced them to sign a peace treaty on 3 March 1878, recognising the independence of Montenegro. They also increased Montenegro's territory from 4,405 km² to 9,475 km². Montenegro gained the towns of Nikšić, Kolašin, Spuž, Podgorica, Žabljak, Bar, as well as access to the sea.
1.2.Treaty of Berlin
The Congress of Berlin (13 June - 13 July 1878) was a meeting of the representatives of the era's six great powers in Europe (Russia, Great Britain, France, Austria-Hungary, Italy and Germany), the Ottoman Empire and four Balkan states (Greece, Serbia, Romania and Montenegro). It aimed at determining the territories of the states in the Balkan Peninsula after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 and came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Berlin, which replaced the preliminary Treaty of San Stefano. The treaty formally recognized the independence of the de facto sovereign principalities of Romania, Serbia and Montenegro.
July 1878: Territorial change based on available maps.
Were two wars fought in southeastern Europe in 1912-1913 during which the states of the Balkan League (Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro and Serbia) first conquered Macedonia and much of Thrace from the Ottomans and then clashed with each other over the division of the conquered lands.
2.1.First Balkan War
Was a war fought in southeastern Europe where the states of the Balkan League (Kingdom of Bulgaria, Kingdom of Greece, Kingdom of Montenegro and Kingdom of Serbia) conquered Macedonia and much of Thrace (virtually all remaining territories of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans) from the Ottomans.
.
2.1.1.Treaty of London (1913)
The Treaty of London (1913) was signed on 30 May following the London Conference of 1912-13. It ended the First Balkan War and dealt with the territorial adjustments arising out of the conclusion of the First Balkan War.
May 1913: The Treaty of London was signed on 30 May following the London Conference of 1912-13. It dealt with the territorial adjustments arising out of the conclusion of the First Balkan War. Albania was declared independent.
2.2.Second Balkan War
Was a war fought by Bulgary against a coalition of Balkan states. During the First Balkan War the Balkan League had conquered most of the Ottoman Balkan territories. Bulgaria was dissatisfied by the territorial partition and invaded its former allies.
2.2.1.Treaty of Bucarest
Was the treaty that ended the Second Balkan War.
August 1913: The eastern frontier of Serbia was drawn from the top of Patarika and followed the watershed between the Vardar and Struma rivers to the Greek-Bulgarian border, except for the Strumica valley which remained in Bulgaria.
Was a global conflict between two coalitions, the Allies (primarily France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States) and the Central Powers (led by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire). It was mainly caused by the competition of the western countries over domain in Europe and in the rest of the world with their colonial empires. The war ended with the defeat of the Central Powers. The war also caused the Russian Revolution and the ensuing Russian Civil War.
3.1.World War I eastern Front
Was the theatre of war in eastern Europe during World War I.
February 1915: Russian advancement on the Eastern front by 7th February.
3.1.1.Battle of Galicia
Was a major battle between Russia and Austria-Hungary during the early stages of World War I. The Austro-Hungarian armies were severely defeated and forced out of Galicia.
August 1914: Battle of Komarow.
August 1914: Battle of Gnila Lipa won by Russia.
September 1914: Battle of Rawa won by Russia.
September 1914: Avancement into Galica by Russia.
December 1914: After the battle of Lodz in 1914, the Eastern Front of World War I stabilized between the cities of Lodz and Warsaw.
3.1.2.Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive
The Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive during World War I was initially conceived as a minor German offensive to relieve Russian pressure on the Austro-Hungarians to their south on the Eastern Front, but resulted in the Central Powers' chief offensive effort of 1915, causing the total collapse of the Russian lines and their retreat far into Russia.
May 1915: The Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive during World War I was initially conceived as a minor German offensive to relieve Russian pressure on the Austro-Hungarians to their south on the Eastern Front, but resulted in the Central Powers' chief offensive effort of 1915, causing the total collapse of the Russian lines and their retreat far into Russia.
June 1915: Border changes during the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive.
June 1915: The Russians abandoned Galicia.
September 1915: Border changes during the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive.
3.1.3.Brusilov Offensive
Was a major Russian offensive against the Central Powers during World War I.
June 1916: Russian conquests of the Brusilov Offensive.
July 1916: Russian conquests of the Brusilov Offensive.
September 1916: Russian conquests of the Brusilov Offensive.
3.1.4.Romania during World War I
Romanian theatre of World War I.
May 1918: Romania signed a formal peace treaty with the Central Powers, the Treaty of Bucharest of 1918. Romania ceded the Carpathian mountain passes to Austria-Hungary. The central powers evacuated the remnant territories of Romania.
3.1.4.1.Battle of Transylvania
Was the first major operation of Romania against Austria-Hungary during World War I.
3.1.5.Kerensky Offensive
Was the last Russian offensive of World War I. Starting on July 1, 1917 the Russian troops attacked the Austro-Germans in Galicia, pushing toward Lviv.
July 1917: In the last Russian offensive of World War I, the Russian troops attacked the Austro-Germans in Galicia, pushing toward Lviv.
July 1917: The Russian line collapsed altogether by July 16. On the 18th the Austro-Germans counterattacked, meeting little resistance and advancing through Galicia and Ukraine until the Zbruch River.
July 1917: The Russians retreated about 240 kilometers in the territory of modern-day Ukraine.
3.2.World War I Italian Theatre
Involved a series of battles at the border between Austria-Hungary and Italy, fought between 1915 and 1918 in the course of World War I.
June 1916: In 1916, during World War I, the Austrians voluntarily withdrew to the defensive line in Tyrol, known as the "Line of Demarcation."
October 1917: Line after the last six italian attacks.
3.2.1.Italian initial gains (Italian Front of WWI)
Were the early military operations against Austria-Hungary in the Italian front of World War I.
June 1915: Areas occupied by italy up to the first battle with Austria Hungary.
3.2.2.Battles of Isonzo (I-V)
Were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I mostly on the territory of present-day Slovenia.
March 1916: The Italians launched the Fifth Battle of the Isonzo on 9 March 1916, and captured the strategic Mount Sabatino.
3.2.3.Battles of Isonzo (VI)
Were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I mostly on the territory of present-day Slovenia.
March 1916: Line after the first five italian attacks (Isonzo front).
August 1916: An Italian offensive gained nothing of strategic value but did take Gorizia.
3.2.4.Battle of Caporetto
The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo) was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central Powers. It was the most serious defeat in the history of the Italian army, leading to the retreat of the entire Italian army as far as the Piave river.
October 1917: Conquests by Austrian and German forces following the Battle of Caporetto, or the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo. The battle was fought on the Italian front of World War I, between the combined forces of the Austro-Hungarian and German armies against the Italian Royal Army. The attack, which began on October 24, 1917, led to the most severe defeat in the history of the Italian army, the collapse of entire army corps, and the retreat of the entire Italian army to the Piave River.
November 1917: Conquests by Austrian and German forces following the Battle of Caporetto, or the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo. The battle was fought on the Italian front of World War I, between the combined forces of the Austro-Hungarian and German armies against the Italian Royal Army. The attack, which began on October 24, 1917, led to the most severe defeat in the history of the Italian army, the collapse of entire army corps, and the retreat of the entire Italian army to the Piave River.
3.2.5.Battle of Vittorio Veneto
It was the last armed clash between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the First World War.
October 1918: Conquests by the Italian Kingdom after the battle of Vittorio Veneto.
November 1918: An Italian naval Expedition seized Trieste on 3 November. Also Trento is taken the same day.
November 1918: Conquests by the Italian Kingdom after the battle of Vittorio Veneto.
3.2.6.Occupation of northern Dalmatia and Tyrol
Was the Italian occupation of Austro-Hungarian territories in Dalmatia and Tyrol at the end of World War I.
November 1918: From 5-6 November 1918, Italian forces were reported to have reached Lissa, Lagosta, Sebenico, and other localities on the Dalmatian coast.
3.3.Aftermath of World War I
Were a series of treaties and military events that can be considered a direct consequence of World War I.
October 1918: The Czechoslovak declaration of independence, created in Washington, was published by the Czechoslovak National Council, signed by Masaryk, Štefánik and Beneš on October 18, 1918 in Paris, and proclaimed on October 28 in Prague.
November 1918: The Banat Republic was proclaimed on November 1, 1918 in Timisoara in the area of the historical Banat.
November 1918: All territories of Cislethania that were not de facto controlled by other states (for example Czechoslovakia) became the Republic of German Austria.
3.3.1.Aftermath of World War I in Poland
Events that happened shortly after the end of World War I in Poland.
3.3.1.Aftermath of World War I in Yugoslavia
Events that happened shortly after the end of World War I in Yugoslavia.
October 1918: The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs was a political entity that was constituted at the end of World War I, by Slovenes, Croats and Serbs resident in what were the southernmost parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
3.3.2.Aster Revolution
Was a revolution in Hungary led by Count Mihály Károlyi in the aftermath of World War I which led to the foundation of the short-lived First Hungarian People's Republic.
October 1918: A revolution in Hungary led by Count Mihály Károlyi, in the aftermath of World War I, led to the foundation of the short-lived First Hungarian People's Republic.
Was a Civil War in Russia that involved varios factions but mainly the Bolsheviks and the conservative White Army in the core Russian territories, as well as a multitude of local secessionist states. At the end of war the Bolsheviks were victorious and established the Soviet Union.
4.1.Ukrainian-Soviet War
Was a conflict between Ukrainian nationalist forces and the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War. It also included a multitude of ethnical and local factions.
November 1918: The West Ukrainian People's Republic was proclaimed.
October 1908: Bosnia is annexed by Austria-Hungary.
September 1914: Siege of Przemyśl.
Disestablishment
May 1918: Romania signed a formal peace treaty with the Central Powers, the Treaty of Bucharest of 1918. Romania ceded the Carpathian mountain passes to Austria-Hungary. The central powers evacuated the remnant territories of Romania.
October 1918: The Czechoslovak declaration of independence, created in Washington, was published by the Czechoslovak National Council, signed by Masaryk, Štefánik and Beneš on October 18, 1918 in Paris, and proclaimed on October 28 in Prague.
October 1918: The Polish Liquidation Committee was created on 28 October 1918, with its seat in Kraków. The Committee aimed primarily to maintain order in the territories of the former Austrian part of partitioned Poland during the re-establishment of an independent Poland.
October 1918: Conquests by the Italian Kingdom after the battle of Vittorio Veneto.
October 1918: The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs was a political entity that was constituted at the end of World War I, by Slovenes, Croats and Serbs resident in what were the southernmost parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
October 1918: The Republic of Zakopane officially declared its independence from Austria-Hungary and, two days later, made itself a "National Council".
October 1918: A revolution in Hungary led by Count Mihály Károlyi, in the aftermath of World War I, led to the foundation of the short-lived First Hungarian People's Republic.
November 1918: The Banat Republic was proclaimed on November 1, 1918 in Timisoara in the area of the historical Banat.
November 1918: The West Ukrainian People's Republic was proclaimed.
November 1918: An Italian naval Expedition seized Trieste on 3 November. Also Trento is taken the same day.
November 1918: Conquests by the Italian Kingdom after the battle of Vittorio Veneto.
November 1918: From 5-6 November 1918, Italian forces were reported to have reached Lissa, Lagosta, Sebenico, and other localities on the Dalmatian coast.
November 1918: All territories of Cislethania that were not de facto controlled by other states (for example Czechoslovakia) became the Republic of German Austria.
Selected Sources
Isnenghi, M./ Rochat, G. (2014): La grande guerra, Bologna(Italy), p. 389
Northeastern Italy, 1915 - 1917 - The Battle of Caporetto, 24 October - 12 November 1917. United States Military Academy West Point. Retrieved on March, 26th, 2024 on https://www.westpoint.edu/sites/default/files/inline-images/academics/academic_departments/history/WWI/WWOne15.gif
The Battle of Vittorio Veneto, Situation 24 October- 4 November 1918. United States Military Academy West Point. Retrieved on March, 26th, 2024 on https://www.westpoint.edu/sites/default/files/inline-images/academics/academic_departments/history/WWI/WWOne20.jpg
The Brusilov Offensive, 1 May - 20 September 1916. United States Military Academy West Point. Retrieved on March, 26th, 2024 on https://www.westpoint.edu/sites/default/files/inline-images/academics/academic_departments/history/WWI/WWOne35.jpg
Treaty of Bucharest (1918), https://web.archive.org/web/20130223024635/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/routreat.html
.png.webp)
Austro-Hungarian Monarchy
