Austria was ruled by the House of Habsburg.
Austria . The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty , when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire . After the collapse of the Habsburg ( Austro-Hungarian ) Empire in 1918 at the end of World War I , Austria adopted and used the name the Republic of German-Austria ( Deutschösterreich ) , later changed to Österreich , in an attempt at union with Germany , but this was forbidden under the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye ( 1919 ) . The House of Habsburg ( [ ˈhæps.bɜrɡ ] [ ˈhaːps.bʊʁk ] ) , also called House of Hapsburg , or House of Austria , was one of the most influential royal houses of Europe . Rudolph had become King of Germany in 1273 , and the dynasty of the House of Habsburg was truly entrenched in 1276 when Rudolph became ruler of Austria , which the Habsburgs ruled until 1918 .