Although most of the nations of Europe contain members of many different religions and sects, some of them are dominated by one sort of religious practice. In many instances, the religion of the country has been a central element in the development of that country, and in the unfolding of its history.
In the case of Austria, that has clearly been the situation. Austria is now, and was during the time of the Habsburgs, a Roman Catholic country. Roman Catholicism has influenced its development until the modern era, and even beyond.
While Austria had an early history of exposure to Christianity through the Roman Empire, it was largely abandoned by the Romans during the late 400s. After that time, various Germanic and Slavic tribes tried to gain control of the entire region, but this was not truly accomplished until the rule of the Franks under Emperor Charlemagne, starting in the late 700s.
At that point, the Christianization of Austria became more intense. Charlemagne chose to encourage the Christian influence by bringing in Irish monks and developing Christian monasteries. During the 900s, the territory which included Austria became part of the Holy Roman Empire, with its separation as the Margravate of Austria occurring in 1156. The Habsburgs, under the new emperor, Rudolf von Habsburg, became possessors of this Margravate in 1278.
The first real challenge to the religious authority of the Roman Catholic Church occurred during the Protestant Reformation era, beginning in the 1520s and extending throughout Europe. Interestingly enough, while the Habsburgs themselves remained Catholic, most of the inhabitants of the region of the Habsburg Empire, which included Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia became Protestants during this initial surge of Protestantism. The Habsburgs instituted measures of tolerance during this period, with Ferdinand asking Rome for concessions that would allow for peacefu...