AH Challenge: Austria never becomes a Great power?

Is it possible for the Austrian Hapsburgs to remain a power, and not become the massive european near super power it bacame in OTL?

Best thing I can thinkof is to butterfly Austria-Hungary; perhaps you can get rid of the Compromise of 1867. Without that, Austria would likely never be a Great Power; even worse for them, they might even have been swallowed up by Germany.
 
But Poland had been intact by the time of the point in question, so that would be redundant. Though...a Polish Emperor would be interesting...
I am talking about the loss of Silesia here, if the Meinharders and the Piasts allied Bohemia would not have a claim on Poland.
 
Having the line of Ladislaus the Posthumous (Albertine Habsburgs) continue would be interesting indeed. However that would mean, that Ladislaus and his descendants still rule the archduchy of Austria*, Bohemia and Hungary, basically replacing the house of Luxembourg.
IIRC weren't Bohemia and Hungary still elective monarchies at this time? I know that later Bohemia switched to being a hereditary monarchy and Hungary became only nominally elective since they always elected the Habsburgs but what if they chose to go with someone else? Perhaps find a way to split Austria and Inner Austria between different branches of the family and get Bohemia and Hungary to somehow pick alternative international or domestic candidates. At this point the Austrian Habsburgs whilst still Archdukes won't be Electors and have much less power, I could see them ranging from equals of/just below the Electors to in between them and the next rung of states down in terms of influence in the Empire.
 
Nominally both Bohemia and Hungary were elective at this point. IOTL Bohemia became formally hereditary for the hosue of Habsburg in 1627, Hungary became hereditary for the house of Habsburg in 1687. However there's one difference though, Bohemia had rebelled and lost; whereas in Hungary the king and the estates had fought together to regain the kingdom from the Ottomans and the king had to do concessions for the hereditary succession.

Nonetheless in general in both countries a capable king could have had his son as successor; the role of the estates was larger, when the previous dynasty had gone extinct. Nonetheless both Hungary and Bohemia elected a domestic noble as the successor of the childless Ladislaus.

Besides if the line of Albert and Ladislaus rule long enough in those countries, then they will become 'domestic', if they do, then by virtue of being the king of Bohemia, they will be a prince-elector too (IIRC Bohemia was the least active member of the electoral college though).
 
Top