Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 facts for kids

The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (also known as the Ausgleich in German or Kiegyezés in Hungarian) was a very important agreement. It created a special partnership called the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. This meant that Austria and Hungary would share one ruler, but each would have its own government and laws.

This agreement was signed by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and a group of Hungarian leaders. The main Hungarian leader was Ferenc Deák. The Compromise happened after the Habsburg Empire had tried and failed many times to change its government.

What Was the Austro-Hungarian Compromise?

The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 was a deal that changed the Austrian Empire into Austria-Hungary. It made the empire a "dual monarchy." This meant there were two separate states: the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. They were equal partners.

How Did the Dual Monarchy Work?

Even though they were separate, Austria and Hungary shared some important things:

• They had the same ruler, Emperor Franz Joseph I. He was the Emperor of Austria and the King of Hungary.
• They shared a common army and navy.
• They had a shared foreign policy, meaning they acted as one country in dealings with other nations.
• They also had a shared finance ministry to pay for these common areas.

Everything else, like laws about education, justice, and local government, was handled separately by each part.

Why Was the Compromise Made?

The Austrian Empire had faced many problems before 1867.

• It had lost wars, especially the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. This showed that the old system was not working well.
• There were many different ethnic groups in the empire. The Hungarians were a large and powerful group who wanted more control over their own affairs.
• The Hungarian nobles, or important families, wanted their historic rights recognized. They wanted their own parliament and for the Emperor to be crowned King of Hungary.

The Compromise was a way to solve these problems. It aimed to keep the empire strong by giving Hungary more independence.

What Changed for Hungary?

The Compromise brought big changes for Hungary:

• The Emperor, Franz Joseph I, was officially crowned as the King of Hungary. This was a very important ceremony that showed Hungary's special place.
• A separate parliament was created in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
• This Hungarian parliament could make its own laws for the lands of the Hungarian crown. This included areas like Transylvania and Croatia.
• Hungary gained much more control over its own internal affairs, like its economy and education system.

This agreement helped to stabilize the empire for several decades. It allowed both Austria and Hungary to develop and grow, even though tensions between different groups still existed.

Images for kids

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  The division between lands to be administered from Vienna (deep pink) and lands to be administered from Budapest (blue) under the 1867 dual monarchy Ausgleich agreement. From 1878, Bosnia-Herzegovina (green) was jointly administered.

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  Photo of the coronation oath in Pest in front of the Inner City Parish Church (Budapest)

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  Coronation of Francis Joseph I and Elisabeth Amalie at Matthias Church, Buda, 8 June 1867.

See also

In Spanish: Compromiso austrohúngaro para niños