When was the Austrian Empire at its Zenith?

[Axeman]

Throughout its History, Austria was seen as a large unstable empire in Europe, existing only for the sake of either keeping the status-quo, holding back the Ottomans, or keeping the plethora of German States together under the Holy Roman Empire.

From the Polish, Hungarian, Italian, and "Illyrian"*that is what the Slavs called their revolutions* that plagued the empire from 1848, allowed a Prussian victory in 1866*or at least contributed alot* and showed itself unable to stop the formation of the German Empire in 1871, and was relegated to a back seat in European affairs, and in World War I showed itself to be dying just as quickly as the Ottomans.

Even before this, it was humiliated by Napoleon *even if Metternich did redeem Austria and acquired alot of new power for it* and managed to lose land and only barely held the Ottomans back.

So my question is, having considered all of that...

Empires are not born and do not live eternally on decline and mediocrity, they are however not always in crisis and every great empire, *Roman, British, French, ect...* has a zenith for itself, whether that Zenith be manifested as political hemogony or internal prosperity.

So, when was Austria's Zenith.

For me, while Metternich was deffinately a good force for Austria from the Congress of Vienna until about 1848, it seems far too short and comparatively late in Austria's lifespan as an empire to be its Zenith, so what are your opinions?

[Londinium]

Probably the early 18th century when it was throwing the Ottomans out of Hungary and perfoming handily during the War of the Spanish Successsion. By the middle of the 18th century it began it's long decline when Prussia took Silesia in the war of the Austrian Succession. While it was hardly a rapid decline, from the middle of the 18th until 1918 the Austrian Empire was on a prolonged downward spiral. Prussia began to challenge it within the German lands and France and Britain far outstripped it due to their colonial activities, trade and manufacturing.

Of course you could include the early period of the Habsburg HRE's aswell when the Holy Roman Empire had much more power but Austria as a nation didn't really exist then, it was just the Habsburg family lands.

[Lysimachus]

Probably the early 18th century when it was throwing the Ottomans out of Hungary and perfoming handily during the War of the Spanish Successsion. By the middle of the 18th century it began it's long decline when Prussia took Silesia in the war of the Austrian Succession. While it was hardly a rapid decline, from the middle of the 18th until 1918 the Austrian Empire was on a prolonged downward spiral. Prussia began to challenge it within the German lands and France and Britain far outstripped it due to their colonial activities, trade and manufacturing.

Of course you could include the early period of the Habsburg HRE's aswell when the Holy Roman Empire had much more power but Austria as a nation didn't really exist then, it was just the Habsburg family lands.

Yeah, I was going to mention Charles I as ruler of Austria and of Spain (+ colonies). That was a pretty massive empire.

[clandestino]

Late 17. and first half of 18. century.

[Xerrop]

Well I have to agree with both, Londinium and Lysimachus.

Either in the early 18th century - having defeated the Ottomans in the great war 1683-1699 and again in 1719. And even when loosing the spanish crown to the Bourbons during the War of the Spanish Succession they hold the former Spanish Netherlands and vast territories in Italy. Anything after 1740 or 1762 would be too late, cause the rivaling Prussians grew stronger and stronger, reducing austrian influence on the german territories.

Or when counting the Habsburg dynasty (don´t know if they would count as Austrian?) then in the 16th century. Ruling the HRE, acquiring the Bohemian and Hungarian crown and additional the first global empire - the vast spanish possessions all over the world.