It was later sometimes taken as part of a wider Germanophile attitude and generally linked to the admiration of the Germanic culture of the German-speaking world or countries, mainly Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The term was used to refer to 19th Century Austrian nationalist societies that were trying to resist the strong cultural influence that the German Empire carried in the Habsburg monarchy.
[2] Similarly, during the War of the Spanish Succession, supporters of the House of Habsburg and its pretender to the throne, Archduke Charles, were known as Austrophiles.
[3] In Britain, during the 18th century, there were a number of prominent Austrophiles, including Prime Minister Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Opposed to the Francophiles, who saw French dominance in Europe as inevitable both culturally and militarily, they obtained the Anglo-Austrian Alliance.