An Austrophile is somebody who is fond of

Austrian culture Austrian culture has been influenced by its past and present neighbours: Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, and Bohemia. Music Vienna, the capital city of the 2nd Republic of Austria had long been an important centre of musical innov ...

and

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in general but not born there. Historically it could be applied to the wider

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 ...

, but since 1918, it has applied to the more limited boundaries of the modern nation-state of

. It was later sometimes taken as part of a wider

Germanophile A Germanophile, Teutonophile, or Teutophile is a person who is fond of German culture, German people and Germany in general, or who exhibits German patriotism in spite of not being either an ethnic German or a German citizen. The love of the ''Ge ...

attitude and generally linked to the admiration of the Germanic culture of the German-speaking world or countries, mainly

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Switzerland and

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...

History

The term "austrophile" carried different meanings throughout history. The term was used to refer to 19th Century Austrian nationalist societies that were trying to resist the strong cultural influence that the German Empire carried in the Habsburg monarchy. Additionally, the term was also used to describe citizens of the Austrian Empire who were not ethnically Austrian, but were strong supporters of the Austrian control over their native region. Similarly, during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, supporters of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

and its pretender to the throne,

Archduke Charles Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...

, were known as Austrophiles. In Britain, during the 18th century, there were a number of prominent Austrophiles, including Prime Minister

Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne and 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, (21 July 169317 November 1768) was a British Whig statesman who served as the 4th and 6th Prime Minister of Great Britain, his official life extended ...

. Austrophiles sought an alliance with Austria against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Opposed to the Francophiles, who saw French dominance in Europe as inevitable both culturally and militarily, they obtained the

Anglo-Austrian Alliance The Anglo-Austrian Alliance connected the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Habsburg monarchy during the first half of the 18th century. It was largely the work of the British whig statesman Duke of Newcastle, who considered an alliance with Austri ...

. The movement led to British support for the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa during the

Austrian War of Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

. They were opposed by the Austrophobes, who tried to draw attention to Austria's perceived autocracy and suppression of Protestant minorities.

References

Admiration of foreign cultures Austrian culture Austrian nationalism {{cultural-studies-stub