AT7STBIA-HUNGABY 353 AXJSTBIA-HUNGARY ens, etc.)- Originally a margravate, Aus- tria was erected into a duchy in 1156, and the title of archduke (borne solely by members of the Hapsburg family) was first formally conferred by imperial letters patent in 1453, though it had pre- viously been assumed by some of the Dukes of Austria. See also Austria- Hungary. AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, a former em- pire of Europe, composed of a Cisleithan portion officially known as Austria, and a Transleithan portion known as Hun- gary, each having its own constitution, a limited monarchy and each formerly possessing a separate Parliament, but uniting under a common sovereign in the establishment of a common army, navy, financial, diplomatic, postal, and tele- graphic services. Supreme Legislature. — Legislation in regard to common affairs was accom- plished by a supreme body known as the Delegations. Of these there were two, each composed of 60 members, rep- resenting the legislative bodies of Aus- tria and Hungary, the upper houses re- turning 20 and the lower houses 40 delegates. The members of the Delega- tions were appointed for one year, sum- moned annually by the Emperor, alter- nately at Vienna and at Budapest. Sub- ject to the Delegations were the four executive departments for Common Af- fairs, Foreign Affairs, War, and Finance. The agreement between the two coun- tries, termed the Ausgleich, embraced the regulation of their fiscal and commer- cial affairs, of the quota paid by them to the common expenses of the empire, and the privileges of the Austro-Hungarian Bank. Empire of Austria, — Austria (capital Vienna) had an area of 115,903 square miles; pop. before the World War 28,571,934; was governed by an Em- peror and by the Reichsrath, or Council of the Empire, consisting of an Upper House (Herrenhaus), and a Lower House (Abgeordnetenhaus). The Reichs- rath had its own ministers and govern- ment, and exercised full parliamentary functions on all matters within its com- petence — from which, however, foreign affairs and war were excluded. The Upper House was composed of the princes of the imperial family who were of age, hereditary nobles, of archbishops and bishops, and of life members nom- inated by the Emperor for distinguished services in science or art, or to the Church or State. The Lower House con- tained about 350 members, who were the popular representatives of the 16 prov- inces which comprised the empire. They were elected for six years by four groups: thelarge landed proprietors; the chambers of commerce; the inhabitants of towns, who paid 50 florins in direct taxation, or who had a vote for the Provincial Diet; and the inhabitants of country districts similai'ly qualified. In these four gi'oups there were comprised about 2,000.000 vot- ers. Purely provincial matters were ad- ministered by 16 Provincial Diets, while local matters were dealt with by com- munal councils. Religion and Education. — The chief re- ligious bodies in Austria, where religious liberty is the ruling principle, are Roman Catholics, Old Catholics, Lutheran and Reformed Evangelicals, Armenians and Jews. In Hungary much the same divi- sions exist. See Hungary, Jugoslavia, Czecho-Slovakia, Bohemia, Bosnia, World War, etc. At the close of the Balkan wars, in 1913, Serbia was left in a far stronger condition than she had ever been in before. She had demonstrated her mar- tial valor and had, in consequence, re- ceived large accessions of territory. Her growth was extremely displeasing to Austria, which did not relish the idea of having so strong a neighbor, capable perhaps of barring her way across the Balkans to Saloniki. Before and dur- ing the warj she had attempted to thwart Serbia's legitimate national aspirations, and after the conflict had ended in Serbia's favor, she had done all she could through diplomacy to rob her of the fruits of victory. Later she had tried to make a secret arrangement with Italy to attack Serbia on the ground that her Adriatic interests were threatened by the latter, but Italy had rejected the overture. Austria's seizure a few years previ- ously of Bosnia and Herzegovina was an- other source of the friction between the two nations. The two provinces were largely Serbian in population and almost wholly so in sympathy. Their national aspirations sought to assert themselves against the alien domination of Austria, and the repressive measures adopted by the latter fostered plots and conspir- acies. Austria, in casting about for a pretext for aggression against Serbia, accused the latter of fostering this spirit of revolt, secretly if not openly. This Serbia denied. The bad blood between the two nations was patent to the world, and it was assumed that it was only a matter of time before some act would be seized upon as a pretext for open hostilities. The occasion was furnished on June 28, 1914, when the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austx'ian throne, was assassinated, together with
