[quote=Xilaw]

I don't think anything was questioned back then. Everyone just accepted it as it was, either because they were illiterate and uneducated or because they feared the almighty church that was out to get anyone who was going against it's teachings. Dark ages, indeed.
[/quote]

Let's simply say they had more... 'pressing' troubles to overcome.
And by that I mean: The end of the world, famine, wars, epidemies, poverty, slavery etc. etc.
They had really little time to question themselves from where the sovereignty came from ^^'

Edit* Also, I somehow stumbled across this wiki. It would surely be of great interest to you. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_nobility]Austrian nobility[/url].