Österreichs friedlicher Kreuzzug 1839–1917

This study is a source-based contribution to the history of ‘Catholic Austria’ with its cooperation between church and state. It transcended borders and was marked by both inter- and transnationality. Against the backdrop of the European competition for influence in the Holy Land – which was at the time part of the Ottoman Empire – this book traces a series of developments. These comprised an increasing commitment on the part of the Habsburg Monarchy, a major Catholic power, and a growing interest among broad sections of its population under the catchphrase of a ‘peaceful crusade’. A combination of foreign policy, society, and mindsets as analysis parameters utilizes recent historiographical approaches for the field of research. The study focuses on state-church actors (with the dynasty at the top) and institutions: the General Commissioner’s Office for the Holy Land in Vienna, the Franciscans’ printing house, the Consulate, and the Hospice in Jerusalem, the Maltese infirmary in Tantur, the hospital of the Order of St John of God in Nazareth, and the mission station in Gaza. Apart from presenting the legal basis for the European presence, thoughts are offered for example on the ‘monks’ squabble at the holy sites’ and on the development of pilgrimages and associations. For the decades from Metternich up to the First World War, cycles of striving for prestige as well as periods of restricted scope for action characterized Austrian activities in the Holy Land. But the ‘Jerusalem milieu’ always remained a constant. Therefore, this book adds new aspects to our image of the late Habsburg Empire on the international stage.