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55-716: The Lithaha River in the Carolingian Avar March was first mentioned in an 833 deed issued by Louis the German , son of the Carolingian emperor Louis the Pious and ruler over the stem duchy of Bavaria . The Old High German name lît probably referred to a Pannonian ( Illyrian ) denotation for "mud", as maintained in the former Hungarian name Sár (compare mocsár , ' swamp '). The Leitha rises in Lower Austria at

110-467: A bad end." "One evening a man was overcome by the desire to tempt the Leitha witches. When he heard them in the water, he put both hands around his mouth and shouted: 'Hoo hoo!' ” "Then he hurried away laughing. But he didn't get far, because suddenly countless bony hands wrapped around him and pulled him to the ground! No amount of struggling and struggling helped; he couldn't even call for help. He only felt

165-806: A deed issued by Conrad III to the Klosterneuburg Monastery in 1147. On the Privilegium Minus of 1156, the name of the country is given as marchiam Austriae ( March of Austria ) and as Austriae ducatum ( Duchy of Austria ). In English usage, "Austria" is attested since the early 17th century. All Germanic languages other than English have a name for Austria corresponding to Österreich : Afrikaans Oostenryk , Danish Østrig , Dutch Oostenrijk , West Frisian Eastenryk , Icelandic Austurríki , Faroese Eysturríki , Norwegian Østerrike ( Bokmål ) or Austerrike ( Nynorsk ) and Swedish Österrike . Finnish Itävalta

220-551: A major offensive into central Pannonia. Frankish army allied with local Pannonian Slavs , reached the river Drava , crossed the river Danube to the east and destroyed the main Avarian fortress called the Ring of the Avars . Avarian might was decisively crushed and their khagan became a Frankish vassal, while the remaining Avars retreated behind the river Tisza . Those victories were perpetuated by

275-604: A wet cloth being pressed over his mouth, then his senses faded." "When he came to again, he was lying on the banks of the Leitha, on the border with Katzelsdorf. But the Leitha witches were nowhere to be seen or heard." After the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in the late 9th century, the Magyar horsemen dared further invasions into the adjacent West Frankish lands, until they were finally defeated by King Otto I in

330-453: Is also derived from the German name: itä means " east " and valta "state". "Austria" or a phonetic derivative (such as Ausztria ) was adopted in most other languages, including Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Maltese, Ukrainian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Polish, Slovene, Greek, Estonian, Turkish, and Albanian. French is one of the exceptions within the Romance group in adapting

385-477: Is known from a single usage dated 996. Later Medieval documents record the word as either Osterrîche (official) or as Osterlant (folk and poetic usage). The variation Osterrîche is first recorded in 998. Marcha Osterriche appears on a deed granted by Emperor Henry IV and dated 1058. Friedrich Heer , a 20th-century Austrian historian, stated in his book Der Kampf um die österreichische Identität ( The Struggle Over Austrian Identity ), that

440-662: Is named in Slovenian Koroška (or in the old version Korotan ), in Slovak Korutánsko , in German Kärnten and in English Carinthia . The Old High German name of Austria ( Ostarrîchi ) appeared in written document more than three hundred years later than the name Carantania , while the shorter Latin name Austria was first mentioned only in 12th century. Therefore is it reasonably to assume that

495-468: Is not accepted by linguists. An alternative theory, proposed by the Austrian Slavistics professor Otto Kronsteiner, suggests that the term Ostarrîchi is taken from a Slavic toponym Ostravica meaning 'pointed hill', taking its popular meaning of 'Eastern realm' at a much later time. This theory was rejected as untenable by Austrian linguist Heinz-Dieter Pohl. Another remoter possibility

550-623: Is related to Old High German ōstan (eastern), but its exact derivation is unclear. Old High German rihhi had the meaning of "realm, domain". The Marchia orientalis , also called the Bavarian Eastern March ( Ostmark ) and the March of Austria ( Marchiam Austriae ), was a prefecture of the Duchy of Bavaria . It was assigned to the Babenberg family in 976. The variant Ostarrîchi

605-535: Is still used for the states of Upper and Lower Austria ( Horní, Dolní Rakousy ), originates in the name of the Austrian castle and town of Raabs an der Thaya near the Czech-Austrian border, formerly also known as Ratgoz or Ratgos . It is worth noting that in his Geography the ancient writer Ptolemy mentions two tribes (of unknown ethnic affiliation) named Racatae and Racatriae which inhabit

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660-622: Is that the name comes from the Ostrogoths , who had a kingdom in what is now Austria and northern Italy. The document was issued by Emperor Otto III on November 1, 996 in Bruchsal to Gottschalk von Hagenau, Bishop of Freising . It is today kept in the Bayrisches Hauptstaatsarchiv in Munich . The historical significance of the document lies in the fact that it is the first time that

715-509: The Frankish Empire , established after successful Frankish campaigns and conquests of Avarian territories along the river Danube , to the east from the river Enns , in what is today Lower Austria and northwestern Hungary . Since the Frankish conquest in the late 8th century, there were several administrative changes in those regions. Territory along the river Danube, from the river Enns to

770-420: The March of Friuli . When prince Louis finally became of age in 825–826, those regions were still under administration of his older brother Lothar I (d. 855), ruler of Italy, and his frontier commander, duke Baldric of Friuli . Upon receiving Bavarian royal crown in 826, young king Louis also wanted to take charge (as soon as possible) of all other regions that were promised to him in 817. Very soon, he got

825-526: The Vienna Woods , was ruled directly, as a frontier extension (march) of the Frankish Bavaria , while regions further to the east, up to the river Rába , were initially designated to remaining Avarian princes, under the Frankish supreme rule. During the 820s and 830s, additional administrative changes were made in the wider region of Frankish Pannonia , inhabited mainly by Pannonian Slavs . Territories of

880-455: The early middle age term for the "eastern lands" of Francia , as known from the written records. The Old High German name parallels the Middle Latin name Marchia Orientalis ("eastern borderland "), alternatively called Marchia austriaca . The shorter Latinized name Austria is first recorded in the 12th century. It has occasionally led to confusion, because, while it renders

935-631: The 955 Battle of Lechfeld . Thereafter the forces of the Bavarian duke Henry the Wrangler gradually re-conquered the lands beyond the Vienna Woods up to the Leitha River, where about 976 the March of Austria ( Ostarrîchi ) was established under the Babenberg margrave Leopold I . Around the turn to the 2nd millennium, the Hungarian frontier ( Gyepű ) ran along the Leitha shore, from 1156 onwards it formed

990-510: The Charlrmagne, thus reaffirming their submission to the supreme Frankish rule. In 817, new emperor Louis I (d. 840) decided to regulate (in advance) various issues related to succession, including the question of governance over dependent peoples on Frankish eastern frontiers. Announcing the future division of Frankish provinces among his three sons, the emperor decided to bestow his young son Louis (d. 876) with prospect of Bavaria, including

1045-622: The Crusades and was borrowed from the Slavic name for "Germans", němьci whence Russian немцы ( nemcy ), Polish Niemcy , Croatian and Bosnian Njemačka , Serbian Немачка ( Nemačka ), Slovene Nemčija , Czech has Německo , Slovak Nemecko , etc.. In Persian , Austria was called an-Namsā ( النمسا ) (the same name as Arabic) and when the Turks came to settle in Anatolia later in

1100-525: The Frankish supreme rule, in the regions of Upper Pannonia, between Carnuntum and Savaria (modern Szombathely, in Hungary). In 811, another Frankish expedition was sent to the east, this time in order to settle ongoing disputes between Avars and Slavs in Danubian regions of Pannonia. In the autumn of the same year, several Avarian and Slavic lords came to Aachen , in order to resolve mutual disputes in front of

1155-701: The German name, Autriche . Catalan also did the same, though the forms are no longer in use. Apart from the modern-day form of Austria, antiquated forms used in Catalan were Hostalric and Hostalrich , and Estarlich , which are the forms derived in that language to correspond to German Österreich . The Czech and Slovak languages have a peculiar name for Austria. Czech Rakousko and Slovak Rakúsko neither derived from German Österreich nor from Latin Austria . The Czech name of Rakousko , previously also Rakúsy and later Rakousy , which

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1210-613: The Germanic form Ostarrîchi was not a translation of the Latin word, but both resulted from a much older term originating in the Celtic languages of ancient Austria: more than 2,500 years ago, the major part of the actual country was called Norig by the Celtic Hallstatt culture of the land; according to Heer, no- or nor- meant "east" or "easterns", whereas -rig is related to

1265-495: The Germanic word for "east" it is reminiscent of the native Latin term for "south", auster (see Name of Australia ). In the 12th century, the Margraviate was elevated to the status of duchy , in 1453 to archduchy and from 1804 claiming imperial status, all the time retaining both the name Österreich and the Latin name Austria . Ostmark , a translation of Marchia Orientalis into Standard German ,

1320-680: The Leitha River. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 , which created the Dual Monarchy , Transleithanien ("beyond the Leitha") was the Viennese colloquial word for the region beyond the Leitha (meaning Hungary or the Kingdom of Hungary ), while Cisleithanien ("on this side of the Leitha") denoted the Austrian lands. These names reflected the Viennese and Austrian perspectives towards

1375-450: The March of Friuli, placing Carantania and adjacent regions under the charge of Louis of Bavaria (828). At that point, king Louis of Bavaria became direct ruler of entire Frankish southeast, that included Bavaria and Carantania with all eastern marches and dependent Avarian and Slavic regions throughout Pannonia. Unified under Louis of Bavaria (828), entire Frankish southeast became linked to

1430-711: The Moson arm of the Danube west of Szigetköz Island near Mosonmagyaróvár . Important towns on its course are Wiener Neustadt , Bruck and Mosonmagyaróvár. Large amounts of the Schwarza headstream waters are diverted to supply the Wiener Neustadt Canal and the drinking water supply of Vienna . Furthermore, several canals diverge from the Leitha, feeding spinning companies in the past, today small hydroelectric power plants. Between Seibersdorf and Hof am Leithaberge , most of

1485-508: The Vienna Woods, were reconquered by Germans, and new march was established (c. 972) thus creating the nucleus of the Margraviate of Austria . During the 8th century, Avarian rule in the regions along the river Danube stretched towards the west up to the river Enns , bordering Bavaria . In 788, Franks had established direct rule over Bavaria, thus provoking neighbouring Avars. During

1540-405: The abbey of Freising as a fief . The lands and some other communities in the vicinity, which the abbey acquired later, were held until 1803, when they were incorporated into Austria. The first written mention of the name Austria is found in the work Historia Langobardorum by Paolo Diacono and dates back to 796. The name Austria is a latinization of German Österreich (that is,

1595-631: The administration of their conqueror, king Pepin of Italy. Those regions were governed as frontier territories and dependencies of the March of Friuli . Thus, at the beginning of the 9th century, Frankish possessions in Pannonia were governed from two centers: Frankish administration in Bavaria was in charge of the northwestern regions of Pannonia (Avarian March in Upper Pannonia), while Frankish administration in Italy

1650-458: The areas around the Danube River "up to his bend", roughly corresponding to the region north of Vienna and southwestern Slovakia. Another possible explanation of Czech Rakousko and Slovak Rakúsko : The predecessor of Austria and Slovenia was Slovene principality Carantania . The central part of Carantania (the territory of present-day southern Austria and north-eastern Slovenia)

1705-466: The autumn of the same year (788). He held a council in Regensburg and regulated several issues regarding Bavarian frontier regions ( marches ), thus preparing the basis for future actions towards the east. In 790, Avars tried to negotiate a peace settlement with Franks, but no agreement was reached. In 791, large Frankish army, led by Charlemagne , crossed from Bavaria in to the Avarian territory beyond

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1760-418: The chance to achieve that goal, and concentrate in his hands governance over Bavaria and Carantania, including all eastern and southeastern marches and dependent Avarian and Slavic territories. In 827–828, king Lothar of Italy and duke Baldric of Friuli failed to secure southeastern frontiers from Bulgarian intrusions, and because of that emperor Louis decided to detach those regions from the jurisdiction of

1815-657: The confluence of its two headstreams, the Schwarza , discharging the Schneeberg , Rax and Schneealpe ranges of the Northern Limestone Alps , and the Pitten . Between Ebenfurth and Leithaprodersdorf , and between Bruck an der Leitha and Gattendorf , the Leitha forms part of the border between the Austrian states of Lower Austria and Burgenland . East of Nickelsdorf , the river passes into Hungary , where it flows into

1870-534: The dissolution of Austria-Hungary after World War I , the 1920 Treaty of Trianon adjudicated the West Hungarian territory of the proclaimed Lajtabánság (Leitha Banat ) to the Republic of Austria (as Burgenland), whereby the course of the river became an inner Austrian border. Avar March The Avar March ( Latin : Provincia Avarorum ; German : Awarenmark ) was a southeastern frontier province of

1925-548: The eastern border of the Duchy of Austria with fortresses erected at Wiener Neustadt, Bruck and Hainburg . The last Babenberg duke Frederick II of Austria was killed in the 1246 Battle of the Leitha River against King Béla IV of Hungary . The course of the border was confirmed in a 1411 deed issued by King Sigismund , when his daughter Elizabeth married the Habsburg duke Albert II of Austria . The placenames Cisleithania , Transleithania and Lajtabánság are all derived from

1980-416: The emerging Eastern Frankish Kingdom , and was subsequently reorganized as the March of Pannonia . During the 830s and 840s, further administrative changes were made in the wider region of Frankish Pannonia, that was by then inhabited mainly by Slavs. By that time, territories of the remaining Avarian princes were fully incorporated into regular administrative structure, and Avars eventually disappeared from

2035-589: The epic poem De Pippini regis Victoria Avarica . Frankish campaigns against Avars were also described in the Vita Karoli Magni . Successful Frankish conquests and acquisition of new territories, particularly those between the river Enns and the Vienna Woods , and further towards the river Rába , represented a significant gain for the security of the Frankish state, and particularly for Bavaria. At first, new territories in Upper Pannonia were placed under

2090-517: The jurisdiction of Bavarian prefect Gerold (d. 799), and subsequently organized as a frontier unit, that became known as the (Bavarian) Eastern March ( Latin : marcha orientalis ) or Avarian Province ( Latin : Provincia Avarorum ). It provided safety for Bavarian eastern borders, also securing main communication between Frankish Bavaria and Pannonia. In the same time, further to the south, neighbouring Carantania , Carniola and southeastern Pannonian regions ( Lower Pannonia ) were left under

2145-401: The legendary Leitha Hexen (witches). According to the sign next to the three wooden women, "Once upon a time, real witches lived in the waters of the Leitha. They were small, like children, skinny and hunchbacked, with tangled hair that reached down to their knees and webbed fingers and toes." "The witches mostly splashed around under the bridges, but anyone who teased them or watched them met

2200-452: The modern German Reich , meaning "realm". Accordingly, Norig would essentially mean the same as Ostarrîchi and Österreich , thus Austria . The Celtic name was eventually Latinised to Noricum after the Romans conquered the area that encloses most of modern-day Austria, in around 15 BC. Noricum later became a Roman province in the mid 1st century AD. Heer's hypothesis

2255-495: The name Ostarrîchi , the linguistic ancestor of Österreich , the German name for Austria , is mentioned, even though it applied only to a relatively small territory. The document concerns a donation of the "territory which is known in the vernacular as Ostarrîchi " ( regione vulgari vocabulo Ostarrichi ), specified as the region of Neuhofen an der Ybbs ( in loco Niuuanhova dicto ). The emperor donated this land to

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2310-494: The nucleus of the Margraviate of Austria . Name of Austria Timeline The German name of Austria , Österreich , derives from the Old High German word Ostarrîchi " eastern realm ", recorded in the so-called Ostarrîchi Document of 996, applied to the Margraviate of Austria , a march , or borderland, of the Duchy of Bavaria created in 976. The name is seemingly comparable to Austrasia ,

2365-420: The present-day Czech and Slovak name for Austria ( Rakousko , Rakúsko ) developed from the original Slavic name for Carantania since in early middle ages and also later the ancestor of the present-day Slovaks and Slovenes were not divided by the wedge of Germanic or Germanized population. The Arabic name for Austria is an-Nimsā ( النمسا ). The Arabic appellation of Austria was first used during

2420-511: The region was contested by the Slavic princes of Great Moravia . At the very beginning of the 10th century, the region was invaded and conquered by the Magyars . After the Battle of Lechfeld (955), territories along the river Danube, from the river Enns to the Vienna Woods, were reconquered by Germans, and new Bavarian Eastern March ( Latin : marcha orientalis ) was established (c. 972) thus creating

2475-518: The region. Avarian designation for the march also disappeared, and by the 850s, the entire region to the east from Bavaria was already known as the Bavarian wasteland . In the aftermath, within the further internal subdivisions of the Frankish Empire , Bavaria and southeastern frontier regions remained linked to the Eastern Frankish Kingdom . By the middle of the 9th century, Frankish rule in

2530-414: The remaining Avarian princes were fully incorporated, and Avars eventually disappeared from the region. Later during the 9th century, the region was contested between Eastern Frankish Kingdom and Great Moravia , while at the very beginning of the 10th century it was invaded and conquered by the Magyars . After the Battle of Lechfeld (955), territories along the river Danube, from the river Enns to

2585-605: The rest of the Empire , because Vienna lay on 'this' side, and the other half, Hungary, lay on 'that' side. Nevertheless, the Leitha did not form the entire border between the two: for instance Galicia and Bukovina , which were part of Cisleithania, were north-east of Hungary . Likewise, the Morava River formed the border between Cisleithanian Moravia and the Transleithanian lands of present-day Slovakia ( Upper Hungary ). Upon

2640-512: The river Enns. Frankish army was advancing along the river Danube, divided in two columns, but neither of them found any active resistance, and soon both reached the region of Vienna Woods , at the gates of the Pannonian Plain . No decisive battles were fought, since Avars had retreated deeper into Pannonia, allowing Franks to advance up to the river Rába . In 796, Frankish forces under Charlemagne's son, king Pepin of Italy (d. 810) launched

2695-461: The rule over dependent Avars and Slavs ( Bohemians and Carantanians ). Since prince Louis was still underage, those provisions were not put into immediate effect, but they heralded an important change: from the time of late king Pepin (d. 810), dependent Slavic regions in Carantania and southern Pannonia were not governed from Frankish Bavaria, but from Frankish Italy, as territories dependent to

2750-495: The same year, Avars made an incursion into Bavaria, but Franko-Bavarian forces succeeded in repelling them, and then launched a counterattack towards neighbouring Avarian territories, situated along Danube, eastern from Enns. Two sides clashed near the river Ybbs , on the Ybbs Field ( German : Ybbsfeld ), where Avars suffered a major defeat (788). In order to secure eastern borders, Charlemagne came to Bavaria in person, during

2805-495: The spelling of the name Austria approximates, for the benefit of Latin speakers, the sound of the German name Österreich ). This has led to much confusion as German Ost is "east", but Latin auster is "south". That is why the name is similar to Australia , which is derived from the Latin Terra Australis ("southern land"). The name is first recorded as Austrie marchionibus (Margrave of Austria) on

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2860-471: The water in the Leitha is removed for this purpose. From there on, the Leitha usually runs dry, unless its flow further upstream is abnormally high. Downriver from Katzelsdorf the river bed is almost completely dry as well. At the Leitha Ursprung (or Source) in the small town of Lanzenkirchen , there is a hiking trail, a stone with a plaque to mark the origin point and three wooden figures that represent

2915-543: Was in charge of the southern and eastern regions (Lower Pannonia with Slavic dependencies). In 803, situation in Pannonian regions demanded another Frankish intervention. Charlemagne came to Bavaria and dispatched an army to the east, headed by new Bavarian prefect Audulf and frontier count Werner, commander of the eastern march, whose seat was in Lorch (ancient Roman Lauriacum , on the confluence of Enns and Danube). The campaign

2970-548: Was successful, and by the end of the same year several Avarian and Slavic lords from Pannonia came to Regensburg, to pay personal homage to Charlrmagne. During those years, territory along the river Danube, between Enns and Vienna Woods , was ruled directly, as a frontier extension (march) of the Frankish Bavaria , while regions further to the east, up to the river Rába , were designated to remaining Avarian princes, Theodor (d. 805) and Abraham . Avarian princes converted to Christianity and continued to govern their people under

3025-637: Was used officially from 1938, when the country was incorporated into the German Reich , until 1945. The contemporary state was created in 1955, with the Austrian State Treaty , and is officially called the Republic of Austria ( Republik Österreich ). Österreich is derived from Old High German Ostarrîchi . The term probably originates as a vernacular translation of the Latin name Marchia orientalis (eastern borderland). The ostar-

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