margraviate · Germany and Central Europe

Margraviate of Austria

976 CE – 1156 CE · capital Melk; later Vienna

The Babenberg march on the Danube, first named Ostarrîchi in 996, from which the Duchy of Austria and the Habsburg state grew.

Origins

After Otto I's victory over the Magyars at the Lechfeld in 955, a march was established on the Danube east of Bavaria. In 976 Otto II gave it to Leopold of Babenberg. A document of Otto III in 996 names the area 'Ostarrîchi', the earliest form of the name Austria.

Rule and society

The Babenberg margraves pushed the frontier east to the March and the Leitha, encouraging settlement and founding monasteries. Their seat moved from Melk to Tulln, Klosterneuburg and finally Vienna around 1145. Leopold III, founder of Klosterneuburg and Heiligenkreuz, was later canonised and became Austria's patron saint.

Decline and legacy

In 1156 Frederick Barbarossa raised the margraviate to the Duchy of Austria by the Privilegium Minus, compensating Henry II Jasomirgott for giving up Bavaria. The new duchy, with special rights of inheritance, formed the nucleus of Habsburg power.

Lineage

Margraviate of AustriaDuchy of Austria 1156 CE – 1453 CE

Connections (2)

More states of Germany and Central Europe →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Margraviate of Austria. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/margraviate-of-austria
MLA
“Margraviate of Austria.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/margraviate-of-austria. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Margraviate of Austria.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/margraviate-of-austria.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Margraviate of Austria’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/margraviate-of-austria (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻