The phrase Imperial and Royal (
German: ''kaiserlich und königlich'', ), typically abbreviated as ''k. u. k.'', ''k. und k.'', ''k. & k.'' in German (the "und" is always spoken unabbreviated), ''cs. és k. (császári és királyi)'' in Hungarian, ''c. a k. (císařský a královský)'' in Czech, ''C. i K. (Cesarski i Królewski)'' in Polish, ''c. in k. (cesarski in kraljevski)'' in Slovenian, ''c. i kr. (carski i kraljevski)'' in Croatian, ''ц. и кр. (царски и краљевски)'' in Serbian, and I.R. (''Imperiale Regio'') in Italian, refers to the court/government of the
Habsburgs in a broader historical perspective. Some modern authors restrict its use to the Dual Monarchy of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
from 1867 to 1918.
During that period, it indicated that the Habsburg monarch reigned simultaneously as the ''Kaiser'' (
Emperor of Austria
The Emperor of Austria (german: Kaiser von Österreich) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A hereditary imperial title and office proclaimed in 1804 by Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, a member of the ...
) and as the ''König'' (
King of Hungary
The King of Hungary ( hu, magyar király) was the ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Apostoli Magyar Király'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 17 ...
), while the two territories were joined in a
real union
Real union is a union of two or more states, which share some state institutions in contrast to personal unions; however, they are not as unified as states in a political union. It is a development from personal union and has historically be ...
(akin to a two-state federation in this instance). The acts of the common government, which was responsible only for the Imperial & Royal ("I&R") Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the I&R Ministry of War and the I&R Ministry of Finance (financing only the two other ministries), were carried out in the name of "His Imperial and Royal Majesty", and the central governmental bodies had their names prefixed with ''k. u. k.''
Symbolic employment of ''und'' or ''u.''
Before 1867, the territories under the control of the
Habsburg monarch in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
used ''kaiserlich und königlich'' or the hyphenated ''kaiserlich-königlich'' interchangeably. Neither of the spellings defined a hierarchy among the Habsburg dynastic kingdoms, principalities, duchies, and other bodies politic. The Habsburg monarchs ruled the kingdoms of
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
,
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
and
Bohemia as their Kings. The title ''Emperor'' applied to their role as heads of the conglomerate of the mostly German states called the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
until 1806. The same title, ''Emperor'', came to identify their role as rulers of the newly named
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...
that the Habsburgs attributed so from 11 August 1804.
The name "Imperial-Royal Army" was used from 1745, as "Royal" referred to the Apostolic Kingdom of Hungary, which was not part of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
, but under
Habsburg rule.
After the
Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, the Hungarians insisted on the ''und'' ("and"), not the hyphen, in all usage in line with the new autonomous status of the kingdom within the Habsburg lands. Use of the phrase "Kaiserlich ''und'' königlich" was decreed in a letter written by the Emperor on October 17, 1889 for the military, the navy and the institutions shared by both parts of the empire.
[From the Otto's encyclopedia (published during 1888-1909), subject 'King']
online in Czech
. Subsequently, the abbreviation ''k.k.'' only referred to the institutions of the "Austrian" part of Austria-Hungary (
Cisleithania). The abbreviation ''m.k.'' (Hungarian: ''magyar királyi''), or ''kgl. ung.'' (German: ''königlich ungarisch''), both meaning "Royal Hungarian", was applied in reference to the governmental bodies of the Kingdom of Hungary (
Transleithania).
In official documents, the abbreviation used provides information on the lands targeted:
* k.k. or k.-k., meaning "imperial (Austria) – royal (Bohemia)", pertains to the Austrian Empire before 1867 and to the Austrian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire 1867–1918
* k.u.k., meaning "imperial (Austria) and royal (Hungary)", pertains to the Austro-Hungarian Empire 1867–1918
Other uses
The ubiquity of this phrase in all administrative matters made it a synonym for the Habsburg administration, sometimes referred to as the "k. u. k. monarchy" in
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the ...
an publications through the present. Other languages of the Habsburg Monarchy retained the German abbreviation or used it interchangeably with their own − ''c. i kr.'' in
Croatian
Croatian may refer to:
* Croatia
*Croatian language
*Croatian people
*Croatians (demonym)
See also
*
*
* Croatan (disambiguation)
* Croatia (disambiguation)
* Croatoan (disambiguation)
* Hrvatski (disambiguation)
* Hrvatsko (disambiguation)
* S ...
, ''c. a k.'' or ''c.-k.'' in
Czech, ''cs. és kir.'' in
Hungarian, ''I.R.'' in
Italian, ''c. i k.'' or ''C.K.'' in
Polish, often hyphenated (''cezaro-crăiesc'') in
Romanian, ''c. a k.'' in
Slovak, ''c. kr.'' in
Slovenian.
The abbreviation ''k.k.'' gave rise to the noun ''Kakania'' (spelling out the letter ''K''
ahtwice as well as reminiscent of ''caca'' in the Central European languages). It was intended to describe the Habsburg Monarchy as a state of mind, bureaucratic and with a highly stratified formal society. A discussion of ''Kakania'' became a highlight of the first volume of
Robert Musil's novel ''
The Man Without Qualities'' (1930).
See also
*
Purveyors to the Imperial and Royal Court of Austria-Hungary; The term was also applied to companies supplying the Royal Austrian court.
*
Imperial-Royal (''kaiserlich-königlich'')
* ''
kaiserlich''
*
Hackle
*
King-Emperor
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiserlich und koniglich
Austria-Hungary
German words and phrases