Georgenberg Pact

The George Handfeste is one of two documents that were (now Castle Park Ennsegg ) issued on August 17, 1186 at the George Berg, Enns.

The larger of the two documents, which is called George Handfeste, reports on a deal between the Duke of Styria, Ottokar IV of the race of Traungau, and the Duke of Austria, Leopold V of the family of Babenberg. The childless and terminally ill Ottokar bequeathed his duchy to Leopold and his son Frederick with the determination that Austria and Styria forever should remain undivided. The Little George Berger certificate also mentioned the decision Ottokar, and Leopold Friedrich use to his heirs, and shall determine that the rights set out in writing the ministry officials and fellow citizens to remain untouched. The rights of the urban bourgeoisie were first set down in writing; among other things, the law of succession, and various issues of jurisdiction. The George Handfeste was therefore also referred to as the first approach of " the Civil Code".

The territory of the Duchy of Styria far beyond the present-day province of Styria addition, not only to present-day Slovenia ( Lower Styria ), but also to Upper Austria ( the Traungau, the area around Wels and Steyr) and Lower Austria ( the county Pitten, today's districts Wiener Neustadt and Neunkirchen ).

The inheritance came 1192 a, since the Styria is connected with Austria ( except for the years 1194 to 1196, the period from 1379 to 1457 and from 1564 to 1619 as each Habsburg side lines Inner Austria ruled, and from 1254 to 1260, when she by following the peace oven largely belonged to Hungary and was from 1477 to 1485, in which, although already mastered the Steiermark, Austria but not by Matthias Corvinus ). The George Handfeste was the first step in the formation of the complex countries Austria, as he then took place mainly under the Habsburgs in the late Middle Ages.

Until 1848, the George Handfeste kept formally constitutional status. The original George Handfeste is one of the treasures of the Styrian Provincial Archives in Graz. The small Gueorguenberguer Security is held on Vorau.