Europa Universalis IV announced

[Syt]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Austria

Austria is unique among Western European countries insofar as it has granted Muslims the status of a recognized religious community. This dates back to the times following the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878. Austria has regulated the religious freedoms of the Muslim community with the so-called "Anerkennungsgesetz" ("Act of Recognition"). This law was reactivated in 1979 when the Community of Muslim believers in Austria (Islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft in Österreich) was founded.

[Tamas]

I don't think they played a positive role in Balkan or Eastern European history and what they did they did perfidiously. What's so hard to understand about that?

It's not hard to understand, you are simply wrong.

Austrian Habsburgs were one of the most open-minded and pragmatic dynasties in European history when it concerned nationality, religion and their national rights. Most of their ruling scions, including Ferdinand of Styria albeit to a much lesser degree, understood that too much intransigence would lead to losing it all. They also had the tangent benefit of keeping Bohemia, Hungary, and Austria from killing each other in endless wars, as they would probably have been if these had had different dynasties on their thrones.

It really went downhill with the 1848 Revolution, but even then Franz-Joseph was later very keen to compromise with the natonalities inside his Empire because he understood that giving a few inches was better than losing a mile.

I would tend to agree more or less, but I think one strategy of theirs which backfired with a vengeance was using "divide and rule" in regards to the various ethnicities in their Empire. What this entailed in practice of course was usually enticing non-Hungarian folks against the Hungarians whenever the Hungarian nobility felt like strong-arming some more privileges.
I think it must had had a big influence on all the nationalistic bad feelings developing.

[Queequeg]

I'm pretty sure a lot of nastiness in the region as late as WW2 was impacted by the group-bukkake of Hungary in 1848.

I suppose my original position was an oversimplification, but do not think that multiethnic authoritarian Empires like the Ottomans or Austrians would have survived the last century, and the constant game of Empire resulted in some truly nasty, stupid decisions, like Austria's constant attempts to squash Serbia.

[Anatron]

I don't think they played a positive role in Balkan or Eastern European history and what they did they did perfidiously. What's so hard to understand about that?

It's not hard to understand, you are simply wrong.

Austrian Habsburgs were one of the most open-minded and pragmatic dynasties in European history when it concerned nationality, religion and their national rights. Most of their ruling scions, including Ferdinand of Styria albeit to a much lesser degree, understood that too much intransigence would lead to losing it all. They also had the tangent benefit of keeping Bohemia, Hungary, and Austria from killing each other in endless wars, as they would probably have been if these had had different dynasties on their thrones.

It really went downhill with the 1848 Revolution, but even then Franz-Joseph was later very keen to compromise with the natonalities inside his Empire because he understood that giving a few inches was better than losing a mile.

It was also Franz-Joseph who is responsible to leading the Habsburg empire to colllapse.He was a man of the old times, and was not open minded for the new ideas.He refused to improve the austrian military for example.So during the I world war his enemies used new weapons and tactics in the battlefield austria still fought with old weapons and tactics.

[jimmy olsen]

Starting World War I and being the worst power involved in The Thirty Year's War make you about as close to being outright villainy as you can get before Totalitarianism.

What!? 

[The Brain]

Starting World War I and being the worst power involved in The Thirty Year's War make you about as close to being outright villainy as you can get before Totalitarianism.

What!? 

He probably doesn't think that Austrians are a "beautiful race".

[dps]

Starting World War I and being the worst power involved in The Thirty Year's War make you about as close to being outright villainy as you can get before Totalitarianism.

What!? 

The Austrians use the assassination as a pretext for an attempt to crush Serbia (granted, it was a MAJOR provocation, and I'm not sure anyone else would have shown much more restraint), so it's not entirely unreasonable to say that they started the war.

That it developed into a general war, rather than a localized conflict, though, is mostly the fault of the Russians.

[Tamas]

Starting World War I and being the worst power involved in The Thirty Year's War make you about as close to being outright villainy as you can get before Totalitarianism.

What!? 

The Austrians use the assassination as a pretext for an attempt to crush Serbia (granted, it was a MAJOR provocation, and I'm not sure anyone else would have shown much more restraint), so it's not entirely unreasonable to say that they started the war.

That it developed into a general war, rather than a localized conflict, though, is mostly the fault of the Russians.

It was a war almost everyone was itching for. It would have happened one way or the other.

[Razgovory]

Starting World War I and being the worst power involved in The Thirty Year's War make you about as close to being outright villainy as you can get before Totalitarianism.

What!? 

The Austrians use the assassination as a pretext for an attempt to crush Serbia (granted, it was a MAJOR provocation, and I'm not sure anyone else would have shown much more restraint), so it's not entirely unreasonable to say that they started the war.

That it developed into a general war, rather than a localized conflict, though, is mostly the fault of the Russians.

It may not be entirely unreasonable, but it's still wrong.  I think Serbia is to blame for the start of the war.  The assassination of the Archduke  by a group of terrorists connected to the highest levels of government  is not merely a provocation but an act of war.  Similar to a group of terrorists with close links to the government of Afghanistan killing 2,000 Americans on 9/11.

[Agelastus]

It was also Franz-Joseph who is responsible to leading the Habsburg empire to colllapse.He was a man of the old times, and was not open minded for the new ideas.He refused to improve the austrian military for example.So during the I world war his enemies used new weapons and tactics in the battlefield austria still fought with old weapons and tactics.

Given, as an example, that the Austrians had the best heavy artillery (the type for crushing fortresses) of all the Major Powers that's news to me.

In fact, what stands out clearly from 1914 is exactly how close Austria's warplan on the Russian Front came to succeeding (despite Conrad's repeated fumblings and total misuse of his "swing group".) Much closer than France's or Russia's - or even, arguably, Germany's. That's not a sign of a backwards military.

[Viking]

Anatron, seriously, EXPLORATION as the first idea for Hungary? I'm gonna need some sort of explanation for that one.

[Anatron]

Anatron, seriously, EXPLORATION as the first idea for Hungary? I'm gonna need some sort of explanation for that one.

Hungary is covered with Human players.
The Ottomans helped Albania to grow and they protecting it.I have a Poland player in the north what I considered as my ally.
Austria has claim o Bohemia and Italy so I can not expand there.
I am blockaded all around.The colonization looks the only way to expand as a weak country in the Center of Europe.

[Viking]

Seriously that albania player is a combination of jaron and fireblade. But, yes, you are surrounded by players right now. You're gonna have to knock one of them off.

[Anatron]

Seriously that albania player is a combination of jaron and fireblade. But, yes, you are surrounded by players right now. You're gonna have to knock one of them off.

I tried to avoid this,but Hideous fucked my plans and he did this becouse in the Thursday game as Burgundy I dont want to support his war against France.
That guy is an asshole.

[Viking]

Seriously that albania player is a combination of jaron and fireblade. But, yes, you are surrounded by players right now. You're gonna have to knock one of them off.

I tried to avoid this,but Hideous fucked my plans and he did this becouse in the Thursday game as Burgundy I dont want to support his war against France.
That guy is an asshole.

Slargos thinks he's an asshole too...

but... he is playing portugal and you did send a hungarian army into west africa... soo....TBH, I can understand him not being happy about this