#austria week

Before we start, I want to say that in my personal hcs many nations have two equal to each other personifications, and if you see the name Max/Maximilian it's my oc of "second" or "2p" (despite him not exactly fitting the category of fanon 2p) Austria.

And yes, I know I'm late... Sorry!

Tw: illness mentions, age gap stuff

Day 1: Days of childhood

💜 Both of them were birthed by Alps, the mountains that are making the majority of their territory somewhere around 810. Found by local humans, they got transported to Aachen, to be presented to aging, and close to death, Charlemagne.

💜 Charlemagne in general didn't really care too much about brothers - first, because many of the young nations either died soon, or became cities, so unestablished territory wasn't really all that interesting on the off chance they'll waste all of the resources put into raising them by dying. Second, Charlemagne put most of his life trying to cultivate and strengthen other young personification - a certain spoiled boy with a head of golden curls. If any other personifications got too strong, they could've become a future danger and rivals for the empire, he helped establish. But, Charlemagne left a small memento for the boys in the form of the second name, that in the future morphed into Franz, and which one brother abandoned fully, and the other kept.

💜 Two boys got separated, each given to different nobles to raise.

The ones raising Roderich were happy to get a boy to raise, and allowed him to choose his own interests and run almost freely, hoping he'll develop a proficiency for sword. But, the child's constitution was terrible, and he preferred to follow bards rather than knights. Hoping he'll grow out of it soon enough, the human caretakers indulged him.

Maximilian was given to a noble that wasn't really that interested in the extra job of shaping a young nation. Especially, since the boy was very sickly. The noble just assumed he was going to die anyway and probably soon, so it was not worth getting attached, and instead placed the kid in a locked tower, with a very strict education schedule, very high demands and little in case of allowing him to be a child. Instead, when not almost dying of another illness, he was spending his whole days at a desk, forced to rewrite and rewrite different books page by page, as his human caretakers hoped that the knowledge and morals from them would seep into the child and he'll internalise it.

💜 The year became 976 - as danger from Moravians grew, the interest in two personifications still hanging on and now around the age of ten got reignited. Emperor Otto II created a new march, called Östliche Mark, for the boys to personify, and gave both the march and the boys under the care of Bavaria. Bavaria had it's own personification - a girl, at that time aged 16 named Albrechta, not really caring to deal with some snotty brats. She was an adult, after all.

The separation made the brothers grow fonder of each other, the differences soon became apparent in their interests. As Roderich looked east, to Italy, to Magyars, to Czechs and Maximilian west, towards the Holly Roman Empire, Franks, Schwyz and Helvetia. First love and rivalries and friendships began to form.

💜 As times grew turbulent, in 1095 the pope called nations for the crusade. At first, the plan was for Maximilian to go first, together with Bavarian troops, and then for Roderich to change him. But the Crusades were an absolute dumpster fire. He caught malaria almost instantly, and then got shunned by other powers present - but the straw that broke the camel's back was when other leaders threw the Austrian banner into the moat. After that, he just withdrew and came back to Austria, making Roderich stay back.

💜 But, there was no time for crusades anyway, as the March was growing in importance, and in 1156 got elevated to the tittle of Duchy. Boys also grew, becoming closer and closer to adult age. The dynamic that later in life led the brothers also started to develop: as Roderich was calmer, more approachable, and better suited for internal matters and subtle ways of the court, and Maximilian, more decided, imposing and determined served as a great negotiator for foreign policy.

💜 Soon after, in 1246 the dynasty of Babenbergs died out, making 17 year old brothers for 30 years fall under the Czech rule. The Czech personification, Hedvika, was a bit older than them, but they knew each other well (especially her and Roderich). But still, brothers didn't really like being the part of the Czech domain. There were even plans for Maximilian and Hedvika to marry, but...

💜 As brothers turned into young men, Albrechta took a notice and liking to them. She was older, as when the brothers looked and acted around 18, she was closer in maturity to 24, but that didn't stop her from pursuing them.

Roderich declined, still infatuated with his childhood friend Erzie. But Maximilian had no such objections. The couple started an affair, which led to an unplanned pregnancy...

And soon, a child was born. A daughter, who was named Constance, and was born and tied to the city of Salzburg. It was a scandal, and the marriage plans between Maximilian and Hedvika were dropped, Max was sent on punitive pilgrimage, and Roderich overtook all his duties. The girl was sent to live with her mother, which Maximilian considered grave injustice.

💜 As 1276 rolled around, a new person important in the lives of brothers appeared: Rudolph Habsburg, a young, ambitious prince, that had an appetite for the throne of Holly Roman Empire. First step: get closer to Austrian personifications. And he did, becoming almost a surrogate father for them, and getting their support in the war against the Czech. They ended up winning, and soon after Rudolf Habsburg became emperor elect. The brothers no longer were children, but young men, ready to take on the job of leading the country with a new dynasty at their side.

💜 after the win, Maximilian and Roderich moved to Vienna, which was chosen for their capital. They quickly took a liking to the city, despite it's flat terrain, and to it's personification - a 13 year old boy called Bohumir (named by Hedvika, who lived there earlier and was an important figure for him). Czech sentiments notwithstanding, and Maximilian still not over having to give up his daughter, they decided to adopt the boy, to strengthen their ties. And with a new family, came a new name - Rudolph, after their prince.