Vienna's rise to a global city was no coincidence but followed a master plan. One of the driving forces behind this was the great Habsburg strategist Rudolf the Founder, who established the Gothic St. Stephen's Cathedral and the University of Vienna. Episode four of the new ORF III series Austria – The Complete History focuses on this pivotal era, during which so much was decided for Austria and Vienna. The newly founded university soon became not only a center of humanism but also the stage for a dark chapter in the city's history—the persecution of Jews in 1421. The film highlights two stories from this period that are closely linked to the contrast between humanism and religious fanaticism. Andreas Pfeifer and Mariella Gittler, supported by leading Austrian historians, explore what the education of that era has to do with our own time. Directed by David Walter Bruckner.

The seeds of some family fortunes were sown early. Anna Neumann, a prominent Styrian Protestant, used her wealth to lay the foundation for the rise of the Schwarzenberg family. She was a typical self-made figure of early capitalism, which took root in Austria in the 16th century. Episode six explores these beginnings through the stories of wealthy local families who were among the first to grasp the interplay of production, markets, and capital, ventured into money lending, and conquered global markets for their products. In the early 16th century, early capitalism intersected with another significant historical phenomenon: the Reformation. What connections existed between these two movements?