The
Austrian Empire was formed in 1804 to anticipate the dissolution in 1806 of the ancient and maligned
Holy Roman Empire by
Napoleon.
Austria, home of the
Habsburg dynasty, had been the central part of the Holy Roman Empire. In the aftermath of
Waterloo, Austria was one of the strongest nations in Europe and its foreign minister
Metternich became the architect of the
Concert of Europe which was able to maintain peace in a divided continent for several decades.
Hungary, the land of the
Magyars that lies to the east of Austria, was part of the Austrian Empire at that time but it constantly sought control of its own affairs. Austria faced a crisis after its defeat by
Prussia in the
Seven Weeks War of 1866. To consolidate his power, the
Emperor Franz Josef negotiated in March 1867 the
Ausgleich (Compromise) with the Magyar ruling classes. As a result, Hungary gained control of its internal affairs and the two states of Austria and Hungary were federated into what became commonly known as the
Dual Monarchy. The words
Kaiserliche und Königliche on Austrian stamps refer to the Empire of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary, both titles being held by Franz Josef. The Dual Monarchy endured until the end of WWI. Austria and Hungary had separate postal administration from the time of the
Ausgleich although it was not until May 1871 that Hungary could issue its first stamps. In the meantime, a set of "neutral" stamps were issued that showed a profile of Franz Josef and a value. The fact of the Dual Monarchy was emphasised in stamps issued abroad by Austro-Hungarian post offices or military forces. Hence, reference should be made to Austria and Hungary separately re home issues and to the various Austro-Hungarian entries for overseas issues. ;Refer :
Austria; :
Austro-Hungarian Military Post; :
Austro-Hungarian Occupation of Bosnia & Herzegovina; :
Austro-Hungarian Post Offices in the Turkish Empire; :
Hungary ==Austrian Italy==