I’m starting to read up about the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its history since I know far too little about it and one of the things that struck me was what a complete pain in the arse Hungary could sometimes be for the Habsburgs. It was fairly underdeveloped, complicated things with the HRE by having a large part of their territories not within it and pulled their attention away from Germany.
So was the benefit they received from being King of Hungary worth all the hassle that it sometimes brought? Part of this is just general curiosity but the idea has got me considering doing a timeline where the Habsburgs gain the Kingdom of Croatia and Kingdom of Slavonia, which later becomes the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia as in our timeline, and the Kingdom of Dalmatia but not be elected Kings of Hungary so was wondering what a Hungary-less Austrian Empire might be like? Without Hungary I can't see them picking up Galicia or Bukovina, Hungary itself under another dynasty I would expect to see chomping at the bit to try and obtain a port. And depending on how relations with Russia play out the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia might decide to make a play for Transylvania if they got an excuse.
So was the benefit they received from being King of Hungary worth all the hassle that it sometimes brought? Part of this is just general curiosity but the idea has got me considering doing a timeline where the Habsburgs gain the Kingdom of Croatia and Kingdom of Slavonia, which later becomes the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia as in our timeline, and the Kingdom of Dalmatia but not be elected Kings of Hungary so was wondering what a Hungary-less Austrian Empire might be like? Without Hungary I can't see them picking up Galicia or Bukovina, Hungary itself under another dynasty I would expect to see chomping at the bit to try and obtain a port. And depending on how relations with Russia play out the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia might decide to make a play for Transylvania if they got an excuse.