Editing History of Tyrol (section)

== Habsburg rule ==
The acquisition of Tyrol was strategically important to the Habsburg dynasty, since it allowed it to connect their Austrian territories with their territorial possessions in the area of today's Switzerland. From that time, Tyrol was ruled by various lines of the Habsburg family, who bore the title [[List of rulers of Austria|Count]]. Tyrol repeatedly became involved in the political and military conflicts of the Habsburgs with Milan, [[Venice]], Switzerland and the [[County of Görz|County of Gorizia]], as well as [[Bavaria]] and [[Swabia]].

The [[Battle of Sempach]] in 1386, in which Duke [[Leopold III, Duke of Austria|Leopold III]] of [[Duchy of Austria|Austria]] was defeated by the [[Old Swiss Confederacy]] had important repercussions on Tyrol, and was the first of a series of military conflicts between the county and its neighbours. The [[Appenzell Wars|1405-1408 war]] against the Swiss [[Appenzell]]er, 1413 the conflict with Venice and 1410 the invasion of the lower Inn valley by the Bavarians. In 1423, during the rule of [[Frederick IV, Duke of Austria|Frederick IV "Empty Pockets"]], the first meeting that could be called a Tyrolean Parliament met. It consisted of aristocrats, bourgeois and even peasant representatives.<ref>Chizzali. Tyrol: Impressions of Tyrol. (Innsbruck: Alpina Printers and Publishers) p.2</ref> During Frederick IV's tenure internal conflicts between the powerful local aristocracy and the duke arose, which eventually led to the decline of the nobles and of their traditional system of values, and strengthened the duke's rule over the country. This enabled [[Sigismund, Archduke of Austria|Sigismund "Rich in Coin"]] to continue his father's rule to the end of the 15th century and lead the county into the modern era.

Sigismund's opulent lifestyle and the misfortunes of war with [[Venice]] bled the treasury, leading to his decision to mortgage the Tyrolean silver mines. By 1490, Sigismund became so unpopular that he was forced to abdicate in favor of his more prosperous cousin, [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian]], King of the [[Kingdom of the Germans|Germans]]. Three years after the succession, Maximilian became Holy Roman Emperor, making his preferred residence, [[Innsbruck]], the imperial capitol. Maximilian added [[Kufstein]], [[Rattenberg]] and [[Kitzbühel]] to Tyrol, and when he inherited the [[Puster Valley]] and [[East Tyrol]] the borders of Tyrol were set, with the exception of the 1817 addition of the Ziller Valley<ref>Chizzali. Tyrol: Impressions of Tyrol. (Innsbruck: Alpina Printers and Publishers) p. 2</ref>