Samo, a French arms dealer, became king after leading a Slavic federation to victory against the Turks. He established the first Slavic state, which dissolved after his death in 658.
Tag: Austria
Austria is somewhere between Italy and Germany – spiritually, as well as geographically. Home of the former mighty Hapsburg empire, I have to confess that I have explored more of the capital than any other region. This is something I should fix soon enough.
When you start to look around, you realise it is perhaps one of central Europe’s most understated countries. I will put together more stories and tips for travellers who wish to cross this magnificent place off their travel lists as well.
Articles about Austria, by region
All articles about Austria
The way a communist state handles border control is key to handling internal dissidents. It’s always about tracking who goes out, as well as who goes in. Operation Border Stone in Czechoslovakia took this policy to another level.
I’ve written lots about how Germany and German influences affected Bohemia and Czechia. This is what led to a backlash after World War II.
This article explores the little-known story of how Czechoslovakia expelled Germans after the war.
The Holy Roman Empire has a lot to answer for. Before it defined modern international relations, the Empire was going through the Reformation. This led to the tongue-twisting Schmalkaldic war.
Thomas McGill’s 19th century tourist guide to Malta is fascinating for the way he describes Malta with a foreigner’s eyes. I’ve used him as a reference before and many anecdotes are verifiable using other sources. This article examines his claims about people from the Maltese village of Żurrieq.
I often bookmark interesting articles and ✨ tips for places I want to visit. I organise these into an itinerary to make sure I don’t miss anything. This article is my guide to spending a weekend in Graz, Austria.
Before living in Prague I thought I knew about the Sudetenland and how Hitler annexed it before World War II. There’s a lot I’ve learnt about the nuances of history in the region/s that carry this name. This article is my attempt at straightening out the facts from the commonly-held myths.
The small town of Olomouc in Moravia is the place were the issue of German unity became a sore point in the 19th century between expansionist Prussia and dominant Austria. This article examines the power-play between the two and how Olomouc bore witness to Russian meddling in Central European affairs.
I’ve written plenty of articles about the effects of the 30 Years’ war on Prague and Czechia in general. I knew bits and pieces of the story so I decided to put all my research into a larger article to put things into context.
I often discuss Maltese history with others and have written about unusual parts of it here. Often people claims that ‘the British illegally took control’ of the Maltese islands. This is not true, but few are aware of this part of our history.