History of Styria

The Roman history of Styria is as part of Noricum and Pannonia, with the romanized Celtic population of the Taurisci. During the great migrations, various Germanic tribes settled and/or traversed the region using the river valleys and low passes, but about 600 CE the Slavs took possession of the area and settled assimilating the remaining autochthonous romanized population.

When Styria came under the hegemony of Charlemagne as a part of Carantania (Carinthia), erected as a border territory against the Avars and Slavs, there was a large influx of Bavarii and other Christianized Germanic peoples, whom the bishops of Salzburg and the patriarchs of Aquileia kept faithful to Rome. Bishop Vergilius of Salzburg (745-84), was largely instrumental in establishing a church hierarchy in the Duchy and gained for himself the name of "Apostle of Carantania." In 811 Charlemagne made the Drave river the boundary between the Dioceses of Salzburg and Aquileia.

The March of Styria was created in the Duchy of Carinthia in the late 10th century as a defence against the Magyars. Long called the Carantanian or Carinthian March it was soon ruled by a margravial dynasty called the Otakars that originated from Steyr in Upper Austria thus giving the land its name: "Steiermark". This march was raised to become a duchy by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1180 after the fall of Henry the Lion of Bavaria.

With the death of Ottokar the first line of rulers of Styria became extinct; the region fell successively to the Babenberg family, rulers of Austria, as stipulated in the Georgenberg Pact; after their extinction to the control of Hungary (1254–60); to King Ottokar of Bohemia; in 1276 to the Habsburgs, who provided it with Habsburgs for Styrian dukes during the years 1379-1439 and 1564–1619.

At the time of the Ottoman invasions in the 16th and 17th centuries the land suffered severely and was depopulated. The Turks made incursions into Styria nearly twenty times; churches, monasteries, cities, and villages were destroyed and plundered, while the population was either killed or carried away into slavery.

Historical view of the border between Styria and Carinthia, 1830

The Semmering Railway, completed in 1854, was a triumph of engineering in its time, the oldest of the great European mountain railways. It was remarkable for its numerous and long tunnels and viaducts spanning mountain valleys, running from Gloggnitz in Lower Austria to Mürzzuschlag in Styria, and passing through the area's scenery. The railway brought tourists to alpine lake resorts and mineral springs at Rohitsch (today's Rogaška Slatina) and Bad Gleichenberg, the brine springs of Bad Aussee, and the thermal springs of Tuffer (today's Laško), Neuhaus am Klausenbach and Tobelbad.

Following World War I, Styria was divided by the Treaty of Saint Germain. Lower Styria with the cities of Celje and Maribor became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, while the rest remained with Austria as the State of Styria. Other than in Carinthia, no fighting resulted from this, in spite of a German minority in Slovenia (the larger cities of Lower Styria were largely German-speaking).

Lower Styria was reattached to the Reichsgau Steiermark from 1942 to 1945, whence it was returned to Germany. After World War II, Styria became part of the British occupation zone Austria. The lower third was granted to Yugoslavia and today, it makes up about the eastern third of Slovenia.