Duchy of Styria

The Duchy of Styria was the southeastern German duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, raised from an old march to a duchy of equal rank with neighbouring Carinthia and Bavaria in 1180 after Henry the Lion's fall. Margrave Ottokar IV thereby became the first duke of Styria and also the last of the ancient Otakar dynasty, signing the Georgenberg Pact in 1186 to join Styria forever with Babenberg Austria, rulers since 976, and on his death in 1192 Leopold took both. When the Babenbergs died out in 1246 with Frederick's fall against Bela of Hungary, Hungarians held the vacant Imperial fief in 1254, Ottokar of Bohemia took it at Kressenbrunn in 1260 by Margaret's right, and Rudolf won it back on the Marchfeld in 1278 for Albert and Rudolf, Habsburgs ever after. Part of the Empire till 1806 and Cisleithanian crown land till 1918, Styria outlived every master but geography.