Austrian Minister of Defence (Austria-Hungary)
Encyclopedia
The Austrian Minister of Defence was head of the (Ministry for National Defence) or . It was set up in 1868 with responsibility for the armed forces and militia in the Cisleithania
n half of the Dual Monarchy
of Austria-Hungary
, effectively what is now Austria
. It was succeeded in 1918 by the Ministry of Defence
of the First Austrian Republic
.
After the defeat in the Austro-Prussian War
, Emperor Franz Joseph I
was forced in 1866/1867 to concede partial sovereignty to Hungary, which had been engaged in passive resistance since the failed secession attempt in 1849, with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, and to reorganize the monarchy, which had until then been administered on a unitary basis, into the Dual-Monarchy. The new position of Hungary as a part of the monarchy equal with Austria comprised the right of the Hungarian part to establish their own territorial armed forces after 1867, the "k.u. Landwehr" (Hungarian:Király Honvédség). In consequence, the Cisleithanian government also began to set up a Landwehr after 1868. Thus, there co-existed in Austria-Hungary three armies de jure independent of each other, of which however the "joint army
" (Gemeinsame Armee) was the most important, as it was the largest by far. Apart from the Austrian Ministry for National Defence, there were also:
Cisleithania
Cisleithania was a name of the Austrian part of Austria-Hungary, the Dual Monarchy created in 1867 and dissolved in 1918. The name was used by politicians and bureaucrats, but it had no official status...
n half of the Dual Monarchy
Dual monarchy
Dual monarchy occurs when two separate kingdoms are ruled by the same monarch, follow the same foreign policy, exist in a customs union with each other and have a combined military but are otherwise self-governing...
of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, effectively what is now Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. It was succeeded in 1918 by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of National Defence and Sport (Austria)
The Ministry of Defence and Sports is the government ministry of Austria for all matters relating to the military affairs or to sport...
of the First Austrian Republic
First Austrian Republic
The Republic of Austria encompasses the period of Austrian history following the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye of September 1919, the settlement after the end of World War I which put an end to the Republic of German Austria, continuing up to World War II...
.
After the defeat in the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
, Emperor Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
was forced in 1866/1867 to concede partial sovereignty to Hungary, which had been engaged in passive resistance since the failed secession attempt in 1849, with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, and to reorganize the monarchy, which had until then been administered on a unitary basis, into the Dual-Monarchy. The new position of Hungary as a part of the monarchy equal with Austria comprised the right of the Hungarian part to establish their own territorial armed forces after 1867, the "k.u. Landwehr" (Hungarian:Király Honvédség). In consequence, the Cisleithanian government also began to set up a Landwehr after 1868. Thus, there co-existed in Austria-Hungary three armies de jure independent of each other, of which however the "joint army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
" (Gemeinsame Armee) was the most important, as it was the largest by far. Apart from the Austrian Ministry for National Defence, there were also:
- the Imperial and Royal Ministry of War (Austria-Hungary)Minister of War (Austria-Hungary)The Imperial and Royal Minister of War , until the year 1911 Minister of War of the Empire , was the head of one of the three common ministries shared by the two states which made up the Dual Monarchy from its creation in 1867 until the empire's collapse in 1918, Imperial Austria and Royal Hungary...
, responsible for the "joint armyAustro-Hungarian ArmyThe Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
" (Gemeinsame Armee) and the Imperial and Royal War NavyAustro-Hungarian NavyThe Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine.... - the Royal Hungarian Honvéd Ministry, responsible for the Royal Hungarian Defence Force, with the attached "Croatian-Slavonic Defence Force"