December 2. In the jieaoe of Preshur;:. December
2G, Francis had to give up his Venetian domin-
ions and to cede TjToI to Bavaria. On tlie es-
tablishment of the Confederation of the Rhine,
at the behest of Napoleon, Francis laid down the
dignity of Roman Emperor, which his family had
heUi for nearly 500 years. In 1809 Austria once
more defied the might of Napoleon, but the bat-
tle of Wagram broke her power, and, in the peace
of Sohdnbrunn (Vienna), she had to part with a
large portion of the old hereditary dominions of
the llapsburgs.
The humiliating peace of Vienna was followed (1810) by the marriage of Napoleon with the Archduchess JIaria Louisa, daughter of the Em- ]ieror Francis; and in March, 1812, Napoleon and Francis entered into an alliance against Russia. This unnatural alliance ceased abruptly, when the Russian campaign of 1812 had broken the power of the French Emperor. In August, 1813, Austria joined the anti-Napoleonic coalition of England, Russia, Prussia, and Sweden. Francis I. took an active part, and Austria obtained full indenuiity for her losses at the close of the war. In the remodeling of the map of Europe that took place at the Congress of Vienna (1815), Austria was reinstated in the possession of Lombardy, the Venetian territories, Tyrol, and the territories wrested from her by Napoleon in 1809. Belgium w'as constituted part of the Kingdom of the Neth- erlands. The Italian possessions of Austria were now constituted into the so-called Lombardo- Venetian kingdom. Ferdinand, the Emperor's uncle, was restored to the Granch Duchy of Tus- cany, of which he had been dispossessed by Napo- leon.
During the period of the Restoration, and until the Revolution of 1848, Austria, her course guid- ed hv the subtle and reactionary statesmanship of Prince Jletternich, exercised a powerful in- fluence in European affairs. The Holy Roman Empire had ceased to be even a name, but the presidency of the reorganized German Confed- eration had fallen to Austria, and her policy toward the Germanic States was that of 'divide and rule.' Austria, Russia, and Prussia were drawn closely together in the Holy Alliance, skillfully used by Metternich to further his schemes. F^very constitutional movement was stilled, and every aspiration toward nationality by the peoples composing the heterogeneous Aus- trian domains was rigidly repressed. But under this superficial calm, the internal condition of the Empire was approaching a crisis. The bu- reaucratic system of Government and police su- pervision produced only irritation and discontent. The strife of nationalities Ijecame keener, but the policy of ])hiying tliese nationalities off against one another no longer succeeded. The Polish insurrection, which led to the incorpora- tion of Cracow with the monarchy (November, 1840), had turned into a frightful rising of the peasantry in Galicia against the nobles. This enabled the Government to overpower the politi- cal rising, but its success only hastened the crisis. In the meantime, the opposition to Aus- trian rule in Italy and Hungary was becoming uncontrollable, while discontent was rife among the Slavs of Bohemia, and even the States of Lower Austria insisted on some share in the management of the realm. Francis I. had been succeeded in 1835 by his son, Ferdinand I., but there was no change of policy. The revolution- ary movement was already in full swing in Italy, wlicn the fall of Louis Philippe shook Europe tO' its foundation (February, 1848). A host of peti- tions and addresses was followed, March 13, by a, popular movement in Vienna, to which the Gov- ernment and military, after a feeble resistance, succumbed. Metternich resigned; the right of citizens to bear .irms, and the freedom of the press were granted; and the Emperor promised to convoke a consultative assembly from all parts of the Empire. At the same time, the opposition in Hungary had carried their demand for an independent and responsible ministry, and the Emperor was not in a position to withstand it. On March 18 the insurrection broke out at Milan, and Radetzk}-, the military commander, was forced to retire on Verona. Venice rose and drove out the Austrians. At the same time, in Vienna, the power passed into the hands of the National Guards and the Students' Legion, the court finding it necessary to take refuge at Innsbruck. An insurrection broke out in Prague, which was repressed with bloody severity by Prince Windi.schgriitz (June).
The power of Austria began to recover first in Italy. Radetzky had been reduced to maintain- ing a defensive position at Verona, against Charles Albert of Sardinia, who had declared war on Austria at the outbreak of the revolu- tion, and was aided by forces from Tuscany, Rome, and Naples. Negotiations had been en- tered into, under the mediation of Great Britain, ottering the Lombards independence on moder- ate conditions. But In June, Radetzky took up the offensive, reduced in succession Vicenza, Padua, and other cities, and then turning against the chief Sardinian force, defeated it at Cus- tozza (July 25) and drove it from the field. The fruits of the victory were the dissolution of Charles Albert's army, and a truce which again delivered Lombard}' to Austria.
In the meantime, the Government at Vienna was more powerless than ever. The Emperor remained at Innsbriick, and the Constituent Diet was opened, .July 22, by the Archduke John as his representative. But a new crisis was impending in Hungary. The opposition carried on by the Croats under their Ban, Jellachich (q.v.); to Magyar domination, produced a conflict of nationalities which the Imperial Government was able to use in the traditional Hapsburg way. On September 28 the Imperial Commissioner, Count Lamberg, who was sent by the Emperor to dissolve the Hungarian National Assembly, was murdered at Budapest. The Assembly continued its sittings, and appointed Kossuth president of the committee of defense. The advance of Jellachich, who had been made Imperial commander in Hungary, upon Budapest, was successfully met by the Hungarians. On October 6 a bloody insurrection broke out in Vienna. The arsenal was stormed and the war minister, Latour, murdered; the court fled to Olmiitz, a committee of safety was appointed, the armed populace organized, While the Diet wavered between loyalty and revolution. In the meantime, the military forces had withdrawn from the capital, and joined Jellachich, in order to meet the Hungarians, who were advancing to the aid of the Viennese. Windischgriitz now approached with an army, and declared Vienna in a state of siege. The attack began on October 23, and after a resistance of eight days, the city was taken by storm. A number
