 The Revolutions of 1848, whose goals included constitutional rule, equality before the law, and the abolition of outdated remnants of the feudal system, finally forced the Habsburgs to take drastic action.The first milestone was the Pillersdorf Constitution enacted by Emperor Ferdinand in April 1848.The constitution promised increased civil liberties, provided for a limited form of democratic participation in government, and stipulated that from now on all jurisprudence would be within the purview of the sovereign, implicitly promising and end to Austria's jumbled mess of landlord, estate, and ecclesiastical courts.