Province of Austria

The Province of Austria (: Provinz Österreich) is a province of the Duchy of Brunswick. The province is made up of the former. It is bordered by the provinces of Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Province of Italy, and Switzerland.

History
Austria was settled in prehistoric times but populated by various tribes in the pre-Roman period. The Bavarians and Avars invaded after the fall of Rome but Austria was later conquered by Charlemagne in 788. King Ottokar of Bohemia gained control of the territories in 1252 but Rudolf of Hapsburg took them from Ottokar in 1278. Rudolf of Hapsburg’s dynasty ruled until the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his morganatic wife in Sarajevo which triggered World War I. Austria emerged from World War I a republic and dissolved the monarchy in 1919. A year later, Austria became a democracy but was conquered by the Germans in 1938. Austria was liberated by the United States and the United Kingdom after World War II in 1945 but remained occupied by the Russians until a treaty was signed in 1955.

Austria became a province of the Duchy in 2009.