User blog:JonathanMarkoff/Ruler of Austria

Austria has had several forms of government throughout its history. It was a margraviate from 976 to 1156, a duchy from 1156 to 1457, and an archduchy from 1457 to 1804. Throughout this period, Austria was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire. During the archduchy period, most of the Holy Roman Emperors also held the title of Archduke of Austria. In 1804, the Emperor Francis II proclaimed Austria an empire itself, and two years later, dissolved the Holy Roman Empire. The ruler of Austria was the Emperor of Austria until 1918. In 1867, the Empire of Austria was united with the Kingdom of Hungary, and this union was commonly known as Austria-Hungary. That union dissolved in 1918 at the close of World War I, and Austria became a republic.

The Austrian constitution of 1920 established a President as head of state and a Chancellor as head of government. This system was abolished when Austria was annexed as a part of Germany in 1938, but reinstated in 1945 and persists to this day.

Harry Turtledove has had numerous Austrian heads of state and government play background roles in his alternate history fiction.

Southern Victory
Under the rule of the Hapsburg dynasty, Austria-Hungary emerged victorious, if not particularly strong, from the Great War and the Second Great War in the 20th century.