This history of Austria spans from the Roman era, through the settlement activities of the early Middle Ages, new organizational forms as a mark against the Avars and Hungarians, the Babenberg duchy, and the "Alpine state" of the Habsburgs, which grew into a European power from the 16th century onwards, to the Austrian Empire, the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy, and finally to the small republic of the 20th century. While primarily oriented towards the present-day state territory, the European context of Austrian history is always kept in view. Central aspects of social, economic, cultural, and intellectual history expand the portrayal into a comprehensive picture of what the multifaceted term "Austria" encompasses.