Personality
We can start with the basics: This can be considered Austria's 'default' expression - mildly annoyed or frustrated. His character introduction states that 'his expression doesn’t change much.' He barely ever smiles, with his normal expressions including exasperated, angry and blank. He is verbose, though not to a fault, and has an incredibly large vocabulary of which he has no qualms with employing to either get a point across or make himself seem intelligent.
Austria places an incredible amount of importance on remaining outwardly collected and calm at all times, even when stressed or angry. From 1815 until 1848 Austria had been a police state, with many literary works censored and other aspects of life heavily controlled. While Austria, considered part of the aristocracy, was not heavily affected by this, it still shows in his initially conservative behaviour. Appearances matter to him, both in the way he holds and expresses himself, and in physical appearance. He is still, however, rather quick to anger. Many things grind on his nerves; laziness, badly-played music, small children, shouting, poor grammar or articulation and rudeness, just to name a few. (Of course, he is occasionally guilty of the last trait himself) There are a few outward signs of cracks showing, if you know what to look for: fingers rubbing against his temples, a clenched jaw and incredibly stiff posture. He also typically expresses his anger in what he would consider a 'dignified' manner - meaning sharp, dry insults and inoffensive name calling. This can be seen in several strips, for example: Calling Romano a fool and calling Prussia a buffoon. He will very very rarely use crude language and swear words, and if forced to you may even see his ears turn pink. He detests vulgarity. Swearing unsettles him, as does any overly enthusiastic display of emotion.
He is not much of a fighter. Because both of his nature and not particularly excellent physical strength (Maria Theresa, a previous boss, wonders if Austria has the strength to fight.) he will make alliances and stay out of any fighting if possible. He has been seen in canon fighting in various wars, but never with much success. This is not only because he is not a particularly strong or large nation, but also because he figures if diplomacy can be used to help and further his own cause, there is no reason not to employ it in the absence of military-based strength. His history is composed of marriages and alliance making He is an excellent negotiator when it suits him. While he may appear to be a man of principle, he is not above throwing away any principles he holds if doing so will benefit him in the end. He compromises frequently, though not without tenacious argument, if only to make sure his displeasure is known. He is more practical and adaptable than he outwardly seems, and can even be a little manipulative. He is adept at getting his own way, using whatever means he must. If he can hold on to his dignity while getting his way than he certainly will do everything in his power to do so, as his dignity is something very important to him.
He is very intelligent, and in light of the above factors it is clear he relies on intelligence to survive and flourish as a nation. Insult his intelligence in any way and you can be certain he will not take it kindly. Even when capitulating to the wishes of others, he sees himself as clever and simply making the best possible decision given the evidence presented to him. He has a huge wealth of knowledge concerning music, particularly classical composers. He also indulges in studying art, philosophy and poetry. He reads a great deal, from the fictional to the painfully dry and scientific. He is incredibly well learnt where most ‘upper class’ pursuits are concerned.
Despite his polished appearance and apparent snobby attitude, Austria is incredibly frugal. He will mend clothes instead of purchasing new items and is quite adept at haggling over prices. On strip shows Prussia berating him for ‘serving last night’s leftovers’, and always ‘wearing the same junk’. He is also seen in canon mending a pair of underwear instead of throwing them out. While he will not admit this openly, preferring to act as if he lives a luxurious and extravagant lifestyle, if called out on it he will defend his frugality as a positive trait.
While Austria would never consider himself lazy, if he is able to coerce someone into doing things for him that he would rather not do, he will take advantage of that. He is an opportunist through and through. This becomes particularly apparent when he believes he is in some way superior to someone, and 'asking' for something to be done soon becomes 'ordering'. To most people he comes off as very aloof and superior, always talking down to others as if they are peasants, an image which he really has no problem with. He is very self-entitled, a trait which has roots in the rule of the Habsburgs. While the Habsburgs were most powerful in the sixteenth century, Austria spent a long time backing up their supposed divine right to rule Europe, and therefore has an inflated sense of his own importance despite the decline of the Austrian Empire. He truly considers himself above others - yet if it suits his goals, he will amend his actions somewhat and act more ‘common’.