The project highlights the contacts between the Byzantine Empire and medieval Austria especially in the period between the First Crusade and the Ottoman expansion (11th-15th century), as they became manifest in the mobility of people (for example the two Byzantine princesses married to Dukes of Austria in the 12th/13th century), objects (such as relics) and ideas (such as narrative motifs). Enduring popular legends that sprouted around these events are scrutinised, while their actual impact on socio-political and cultural life in the Austrian lands is analysed in detail.