After King Rudolf I defeated King Ottokar II of Bohemia (1232–1278) in 1278, the Habsburgs permanently assumed rule over Austria and Styria, along with the title of Duke of Austria. This marked the beginning of the Habsburg family’s 650‑year reign in Austria.

With the Rheinfelden House Ordinance, Rudolf’s son Albert (1255–1308) succeeded in consolidating sole dynastic control over the duchies of Austria, Styria, Carniola, and the Windic March, which led to internal family conflicts with his brother. Meinhard II of Tyrol was enfeoffed with Carinthia, which ultimately came into the possession of the Habsburg family in 1335. Duke Rudolf IV (1339–1365), known as the Founder, strove to strengthen Habsburg power as territorial lords and laid the foundations for major institutions that still exist today, such as the University of Vienna, while also promoting the construction of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Through a treaty with Countess Margaret of Tyrol-Gorizia (1318–1369), he also succeeded in integrating the County of Tyrol into the Habsburg territorial complex.

The Habsburg family’s rule, which lasted for several centuries, led to numerous cultural decisions that today constitute a large part of Austria’s cultural heritage. In addition to the construction of churches and the promotion of monasteries such as the Carthusian monasteries in Mauerbach and Gaming, the Augustinian Hermits in Vienna, the Salesian Sisters, and the Cistercian Abbey of Stams the building of castles and Baroque palaces with their gardens is also noteworthy, including Schönbrunn Palace, Schloss Hof, and the imperial residences in Vienna and Innsbruck. Not to be forgotten are the magnificent palaces and the Imperial Villa in Bad Ischl. Furthermore, internationally important art collections that still exist today and are housed in world-famous museums such as the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna or the Albertina can be traced back to the Habsburg rulers’ passion for collecting.