Vienna

Timeline

1. 1451–1453Vienna · AustriaIn March 1452, Frederick III (Friedrich III) was personally crowned by Pope Nicholas V in Rome, becoming the last Holy Roman Emperor to receive a papal coronation in Rome. After the coronation he returned to Vienna, strengthening the administrative system of the Habsburg court and attempting to integrate the nobility of the various Austrian territories; Vienna established its status as the empire's core residence during this period.
2. 1453–1456Vienna · AustriaThe fall of Constantinople in 1453 shocked Europe, and Vienna's strategic value came to the fore. During this period Frederick III participated through diplomatic means in anti-Ottoman consultations among European states, while also handling tense relations with Hungary's Hunyadi family. The successful defense of Belgrade in 1456 repelled an Ottoman attack, temporarily easing the direct military pressure on Vienna.
3. 1457–1460Vienna · AustriaIn 1457 Frederick III's nephew Ladislaus Posthumus died suddenly, and disputes over the crowns of Bohemia and Hungary flared up again. Frederick III maneuvered among the various factions in Vienna, gradually consolidating Habsburg control over the core Austrian lands. By this period the Vienna court had gathered clerical officials and craftsmen from across Central Europe, the city's size was steadily expanding, and construction work on St. Stephen's Cathedral continued.