The Austrian Empire was a large empire which existed from 1804 to 1867 (although it was separated from Prussia in 1701). The empire was centered in present-day Austria in Central Europe, with Vienna serving as the capital. Austria ruled over Hungary, Croatia, Silesia, Bohemia, Moravia, and Transylvania, and it would fight against the Ottoman Empire to expand into the Balkans, against Poland to expand into Eastern Europe, against Prussia to reunite the German states under Catholic rule, and against France to expand west. The empire was glorious, having high prestige due to its patronage of the arts and its strong military and political power. In 1804, the Austrian Empire was declared after the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved, and the Austrian Empire would be the great power dominating Central Europe. From 1848 to 1860, Austria fought against France and Sardinia to maintain control over its Italian possessions, and Austria was defeated by Prussia in a seven-week war in 1866. On 30 March 1867, Austria decided to recognize Hungary as a country in union with Austria and not as a colony, and Austria-Hungary was formed, with Austria and Hungary having their own politicians and armies.
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