First day Rudolf I – deed of enfeoffment, 1282

The rise of the Habsburgs

The new series “The legacy of the Habsburgs“ offers an insight into the long and multifaceted history of our country. The series begins with Rudolf I, who laid the foundations for the rise of the Habsburg dynasty.

Following the death of the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor in 1250, Count Rudolf I of Germany (1218–1291), after many power struggles, was elected in 1273 by the prince-electors as the first King of the Romans from the House of Habsburg, although the imperial crown remained beyond his reach. The powerful King of Bohemia, Ottokar II of Bohemia, refused to recognise Rudolf’s rule. Ottokar had already brought the duchies of Austria and Styria, formerly held by the extinct Babenberg dynasty, as well as Carinthia and Carniola, under his control. Rudolf sought not only to stabilise the empire but also to strengthen his own dynastic power. After defeating Ottokar at the Battle of Marchfeld in 1278, Rudolf I enfeoffed his two sons, Albrecht and Rudolf, with the duchies of Austria and Styria in 1282, thereby laying the foundations for what would later become the Habsburg Empire.
Rudolf I was regarded as a pragmatic and down-to-earth ruler, although later depictions often glorified his person. Under his rule, the Habsburgs – originally from the regions around the Rhine – became an imperial princely dynasty with the centre of their power in the Danube region. The stamp miniature sheet features the 1282 enfeoffment charter from the Austrian State Archives as well as a 19th-century portrait of Rudolf I by Josef Kiss and Friedrich Mayrhofer.

When: 28 January 2026, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., presentation at 11 a.m.

Where: Federation of Austrian Philately Associations, Getreidemarkt 1, 1060 Vienna
Picture of presentation: © Ö. Post AG