The
Habsburg Monarchy (or
Habsburg Empire) covered the territories ruled by the junior
Austrian branch of the
House of Habsburg (1278–1780), and then by the successor House of
Habsburg-Lorraine (from 1780), between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was
Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to
Prague. From 1804 to 1867 the Habsburgs ruled the
"Austrian Empire" and from 1867 to 1918
"Austria-Hungary".
The head of the House of Habsburg was usually also the ruler of the
Holy Roman Empire from 1440 until
its dissolution in 1806. However, the two entities should not be considered
coterminous, as the Habsburg Empire covered many lands beyond the Holy Roman Empire, and not all of the Holy Roman Empire was
de facto under direct Habsburg control at any given time. In some contexts, the term "Habsburg Empire" might also refer to extended Habsburg family possessions once ruled solely by
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, or to the
Spanish Empire ruled by the senior
Spanish branch of the house.
The Habsburg family originated with the
Habsburg Castle in modern
Switzerland and after 1278 came to rule in
Austria (
the Habsburg Hereditary Lands). The Habsburg family grew to European prominence with the marriage and adoption treaty by Emperor
Maximilian I at the
First Congress of Vienna in 1515, and the subsequent death of adopted
Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia in 1526.
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