Editing History of Austria (section)

==== Frederick V (1453–1493): Elevation of the duchy ====
Frederick V (Duke 1424 Archduke 1453, died 1493) the Peaceful ([[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Frederick III]] 1452-–1493) confirmed the ''Privilegium Maius'' of Rudolph IV in 1453, and so Austria became an official [[archduchy]] of the Holy Roman Empire, the next step in its ascendancy within Europe, and [[Ladislaus the Posthumous]] (1440–1457) the first official archduke for a brief period, dying shortly after. The document was a forgery, purportedly written by the Emperor [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick I]] and "rediscovered". Frederick had a clear motive for this. He was a Habsburg, he was Duke of Inner Austria in addition to being Emperor, and, up till the previous year, had been guardian of the young Duke of Lower Austria, Ladislaus. He also stood to inherit Ladislaus's title, and did so when Ladislaus died four years later, becoming the second Archduke.

The Austrian Archdukes were now of equal status to the other [[Prince-elector|Prince Electors]] that selected the emperors. Austrian governance was now to be based on primogeniture and indivisibility. Later Austria was to become officially known as "''Erzherzogtum Österreich ob und unter der Enns''" (The Archduchy of Austria above and below the Enns). In 1861 it was again divided into [[Upper Austria|Upper]] and [[Lower Austria]].

The relative power of the emperor in the monarchy was not great, as many other aristocratic dynasties pursued their own political power inside and outside the monarchy. However Frederick, although lackluster, pursued a tough and effective rule. He pursued power through dynastic alliances. In 1477 [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian]] (Archduke and Emperor 1493–1519), [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick's]] only son, married [[Mary of Burgundy|Mary]], [[Duchy of Burgundy|Duchess of Burgundy]], thus acquiring most of the [[Low Countries]] for the family. The strategic importance of this alliance was that Burgundy, which lay on the western border of the empire, was demonstrating expansionist tendencies, and was at that time one of the richest and most powerful of the Western European nation states, with territories stretching from the south of France to the [[North Sea]].

The alliance was achieved at no small cost, since France, which also claimed Burgundy, contested this acquisition, and Maximilian had to defend his new wife's territories from [[Louis XI]], finally doing so upon Mary's death in 1482 at the [[Treaty of Arras (1482)|Peace of Arras]]. Relationships with France remained difficult, Louis XI being defeated at the [[Battle of Guinegate (1479)|Battle of Guinegate]] in 1479. Matters with France were only concluded in 1493 at the [[Treaty of Senlis]] after Maximilian had become emperor.

This and Maximilian's later dynastic alliances gave rise to the saying:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hare |first=Christopher |url=https://archive.org/details/highpuissantprin00hare |title=The high and puissant princess Marguerite of Austria, princess dowager of Spain, duchess dowager of Savoy, regent of the Netherlands |date=1907 |publisher=Harper & Brothers |page=[https://archive.org/details/highpuissantprin00hare/page/48 48]}}</ref>
<blockquote>''Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube'',<br/>
''Nam quae Mars aliis, dat tibi regna Venus''{{Efn|Let others wage war, but thou, O happy Austria, marry; for those kingdoms which Mars gives to others, Venus gives to thee}}</blockquote>

which became a motto of the dynasty. Frederick's reign was pivotal in Austrian history. He united the core lands by simply outliving the rest of his family. From 1439, when Albert V died and the responsibilities for both of the core territories lay with Frederick, he systematically consolidated his power base. The next year (1440) he marched on Rome as [[King of the Romans]] with his ward, Ladislaus the last Albertinian duke, and when he was crowned in Rome in 1452 he was not only the first Habsburg but also the last German king to be crowned in Rome by the Pope.{{Sfn|Beller|2006|p=37}}

The dynasty was now en route to become a world power. The concept of ''pietas austriacae'' (the divine duty to rule) had originated with Rudolph I, but was reformulated by Frederick as [[A.E.I.O.U.|AEIOU]], ''Alles Erdreich ist Österreich untertan'' or ''Austriae est imperare orbi universo'' (Austria's destiny is to rule the world), which came to symbolise Austrian power.{{Sfn|Beller|2006|p=37}} However, not all events proceeded smoothly for Frederick. The [[Austrian-Hungarian War (1477–1488)]] resulted in the Hungarian king, [[Matthias Corvinus]] setting himself up in [[Siege of Vienna (1485)|Vienna in 1485]] till his death in 1490. Hungary occupied the entire Eastern Austria. Frederick therefore found himself with an itinerant court, predominantly in the Upper Austrian capital of [[Linz]].