Leopold I

Leopold I of Babenberg became margrave of Austria in 976. The Babenbergs’ power was modest, however, until the 12th century, when they came to dominate the Austrian nobility. With the death of Duke Frederick II in 1246, the male line of the Babenbergs ended, and…

In 976 his successor, Leopold I of the house of Babenberg, was installed in office. Under Leopold’s rule the eastern frontier was extended to the Vienna Woods after a war with the Magyars. Under his successor, Henry I, the country around Vienna itself must have come into German hands.…