- History of Styria
The history of Styria concerns the region roughly corresponding to the modern state of
Styria from its settlement bySlavs in theDark Ages until the present. This mountainous and scenic region, which became a centre for mountaineering in the 19th century, is often called the "Green March", because half of the area is covered with forests and one quarter with meadows, grasslands, vineyards and orchards. Styria is also rich in minerals, soft coal and iron, which has been mined atErzberg since the time of the Romans. The Windisch Bueheln (Slovenske gorice) is a famous wine-producing district, stretching between Slovenia and Austria. Styria was for long the most densely-populated and productive mountain region in Europe.Styria's population before
World War I was 68% German-speaking, 32% Slovene, bordered on (clockwise)Lower Austria ,Hungary ,Croatia ,Carniola , Carinthia,Salzburg , andUpper Austria . In 1918 afterWorld War I the southern, Slovene-speaking third south of the river Mur was incorporated intoSlovenia in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The remaining two thirds became theAustria n federal state of Styria, while the Slovenian third (Lower Styria ) is an informal province in Slovenia. The capital of the duchy has always beenGraz as well as the residence of the governor and the seat of the administration of the province.Political history
Dark Ages
The Roman history of Styria is as part of
Noricum andPannonia , with aCelt ic population of theTaurisci . During the great migrations, various Germanic tribes traversed the region using the river valleys and low passes, but about600 CE theSlavs took possession and settled.When Styria came under the hegemony of
Charlemagne as a part ofCarantania (Carinthia), erected as a border territory against the Avars and Slavs, there was a large influx ofBavarii and otherChristianized Germanic peoples, whom the bishops ofSalzburg and the patriarchs ofAquileia kept faithful toRome . BishopVergilius of Salzburg (745 -84), was largely instrumental in establishing a church hierarchy in the Duchy and gained for himself the name of "Apostle of Carantania". In811 Charlemagne made theDrave river the boundary between theDiocese s of Salzburg and Aquileia.Middle Ages
The
March of Styria was created in theDuchy of Carinthia in the late 10th century as a defence against theMagyars . It was ruled by a margravial dynasty called theOtakars . The march of Styria was raised to become aduchy by the EmperorFrederick Barbarossa in1180 after the fall of Henry the Lion of Bavaria.With the death of Ottokar the first line of rulers of Styria became extinct; the region fell successively to the
Babenberg family,rulers of Austria , as stipulated in theGeorgenberg Pact ; after their extinction to the control of Hungary (1254 -60); to King Ottokar of Bohemia; in1276 to theHabsburgs , who provided it with Habsburgs for Styrian dukes during the years1379 -1439 and1564 -1619 .At the time of the Ottoman invasions in the 16th and 17th centuries the land suffered severely and was depopulated. The Turks made incursions into Styria nearly twenty times; churches, monasteries, cities, and villages were destroyed and plundered, while the population was either killed or carried away into slavery.
Modern era
The
Semmering Railway , completed in1854 , was a triumph of engineering in its time, the oldest of the great European mountain railways; it was remarkable for its numerous and long tunnels and viaducts spanning mountain valleys, running from Gloggnitz in Lower Austria to Mürzzuschlag in Styria, and passing through some exceedingly beautiful scenery. The railway brought tourists to alpine lake resorts and mineral springs atRohitsch andGleichenberg , the brine springs ofAussee , and the thermal springs ofTuffer ,Neuhaus andTobelbad .Following
World War I , Styria was divided by theTreaty of Saint Germain .Lower Styria with the cities ofCelje andMaribor became part of theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes , while the rest remained with Austria as the State of Styria. Other than in Carinthia, no fighting resulted from this, in spite of a German minority in Slovenia (the larger cities of Lower Styria were largely German-speaking).Lower Styria was reattached to the
Reichsgau Steiermark from1942 to1945 , whence it was returned toGermany . AfterWorld War II , the lower third was granted toYugoslavia . Today, it makes up about the eastern third ofSlovenia .Religious history
The
Protestant Reformation made its way into the country about1530 . Duke Karl (ruling1564 -90), whose wife was the Catholic Duchess Maria of Bavaria, introduced theCounter-Reformation into the country; in1573 he invited theJesuits into Styria and in 1586 he founded the CatholicUniversity of Graz . In1598 his son and successor Ferdinand suppressed all Protestant schools and expelled the teachers and preachers: Protestant doctrines were maintained only in a few isolated mountain valleys, as in the valley of the Inn and the valley of the Mur. On a narrow reading of thePeace of Augsburg ,1555 , with its principle of "cuius regio, eius religio ", only the nobility were not forced to return to the Roman Church; each could have Protestant services privately in his own house.After Ferdinand had become Holy Roman Emperor in
1619 and had defeated his Protestant opponents in theBattle of White Mountain nearPrague in1620 , he forbade all Protestant church services whatsoever (1625 ). In1628 he commanded the nobility also to return to the Catholic faith. A large number of noble families, consequently, emigrated from the country; but most of them either returned, or their descendants did so, becoming Catholics and recovering their possessions.In the second half of the 17th century renewed action against the Protestants in the isolated mountain valleys resulted in the expulsion of Protestant ministers with the peasants who would not give up Protestantism; about 30,000 chose compulsory emigration to
Transylvania over conversion. Only an Edict of Toleration issued by Emperor Joseph II as late as1781 put an end to religious repression. The Protestants then received the right to found parish communities and to exercise their religion in those enclaves undisturbed.In
1848 , all the provinces of theHabsburg Monarchy received complete liberty of religion and of conscience, parity of religions, and the right to the public exercise of religion.Ecclesiastically the province was historically divided into two Catholic prince-bishoprics, Seckau and Lavant. Ever since the time of their foundation both have been suffragans of the
Archdiocese of Salzburg . ThePrince-Bishopric of Sekau was established in1218 ; since1786 the see of the prince-bishop has been Graz. ThePrince-Bishopric of Lavant was founded as a bishopric in1228 , and raised to a prince-bishopric in1446 ; since1847 "Marburg an der Drau" (Maribor ) has been the see of the prince-bishop.ources
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14318a.htm Styria in the "Catholic Encyclopedia"]
* [http://www.bad-mitterndorf.com Salzkammergut]
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