the result, but on this occasion victory
rested with Ottakar, and by a treaty made with Bela, in March 1261, he was
recognized as duke of Styria. In 1269 Ottakar inherited the duchy of
Carinthia on the death of Duke Ulrich III., and, his power having now
become very great, he began to aspire to the German throne. He did
something to improve the condition of the duchies by restoring order,
introducing German colonists into the eastern districts, and seeking to
benefit the inhabitants of the towns.

[Sidenote: Rudolph of Habsburg.]

In 1273 Rudolph, count of Habsburg, became German king, and his attention
soon turned to Ottakar, whose power menaced the occupant of the German
throne. Finding some support in Austria, Rudolph questioned the title of
the Bohemian king to the three duchies, and sought to recover the imperial
lands which had been in the possession of the emperor Frederick II. Ottakar
was summoned twice before the diet, the imperial court declared against
him, and in July 1275 he was placed under the ban. War was the result, and
in November 1276 Ottakar submitted to Rudolph, and renounced the duchies of
Austria, Styria and Carinthia. For some time the three duchies were
administered by Rudolph in his capacity as head of the Empire, of which
they formed part. Not content with this tie, however, which was personal to
himself alone, the king planned to make them hereditary possessions of his
family, and to transfer the headquarters of the Habsburgs from the Rhine to
the Danube. [Sidenote: The Habsburgs established in Austria, 1282.] Some
opposition was offered to this scheme; but the perseverance of the king
overcame all difficulties, and one of the most important events in European
history took place on the 27th of December 1282, when Rudolph invested his
sons, Rudolph and Albert, with the duchies of Austria and Styria. He
retained Carinthia in his own hands until 1286, when, in return for
valuable services, he bestowed it upon Meinhard IV., count of Tirol. The
younger Rudolph took no part in the government of Austria and Styria, which
was undertaken by Albert, until his election as German king in 1298. Albert
appears to have been rather an arbitrary ruler. In 1288 he suppressed a
rising of the people of Vienna, and he made the fullest use of the ducal
power in asserting his real or supposed rights. At this time the principle
of primogeniture was unknown in the house of Habsburg, and for many years
the duchies wer