The March Constitution, Imposed March Constitution or Stadion Constitution (German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

: or ) was a "irrevocable" constitution of the Austrian Empire

Austrian Empire

The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...

 promulgated by Minister of the Interior Count Stadion

Franz Stadion, Count von Warthausen

Franz Stadion, Graf von Warthausen , son of the Austrian diplomat Johann Philipp von Stadion. Born in Vienna, he was a statesman who served the Austrian Empire during the 1840s...

 between 4 March and 7 March 1849 until it was revoked by the New Year's Eve Patent () of Emperor

Emperor of Austria

The Emperor of Austria was a hereditary imperial title and position proclaimed in 1804 by the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and continually held by him and his heirs until the last emperor relinquished power in 1918. The emperors retained the title of...

 Franz Joseph I

Franz Joseph I of Austria

Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...

 on 31 December 1851. It had preempted the Kremsier Constitution

Kremsier Constitution

The Kremsier Constitution or Kremsier Draft was a draft constitution of the Austrian Empire drafted by the Kremsier Parliament from October 1848 to early March 1849. The Kremsier Parliament had moved from Vienna to Kremsier after the failed Vienna Uprising. It was preempted by the imposed March...

 of the Kremsier Parliament

Kremsier Parliament

The Kremsier Parliament was a constituent assembly called in July 1848 in reaction to opposition to the Pillersdorf Constitution of 25 April 1848 and would last until its dissolution on 7 March 1849...

. This state of affairs would last until the October Diploma

October Diploma

The October Diploma was a constitution adopted by Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph on October 20, 1860. The Diploma attempted to increase the power of the conservative nobles by giving them more power over their own lands through a program of aristocratic federalism...

 of 20 October 1860 and the later February Patent

February Patent

The February Patent was a document that was adopted in 1861 as a constitution of the Austrian Empire.-Historical background:In the Austrian Empire, the early 1860’s were a period of significant constitutional reforms. The revolutions and unfortunate wars of the late 1840’s-1850’s had created a...

of 26 February 1861.