The Habsburgs: The Rise and Fall of a World Power
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- Create Date：2022-02-14 09:52:01
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- Author：Martyn Rady
- ISBN：0141987200
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Summary
'This is probably the best book ever written on the Habsburgs in any language， certainly the best I have ever read 。。。 Students， scholars and the general reader will never find a better guide to Habsburg history' Alan Sked， Times Literary Supplement
In The Habsburgs， Martyn Rady tells the epic story of a dynasty and the world it built - and then lost - over nearly a millennium。
From modest origins， the Habsburgs grew in power to gain control of the Holy Roman Empire in the fifteenth century。 Then， in just a few decades， their possessions rapidly expanded to take in a large part of Europe stretching from Hungary to Spain， and from the Far East to the New World。 The family continued to dominate Central Europe until the catastrophe of the First World War。
With its seemingly disorganized mass of large and small territories， its tangle of laws and privileges and its medley of languages， the Habsburg Empire has always appeared haphazard and incomplete。 But here Martyn Rady shows the reasons for the family's incredible endurance， driven by the belief that they were destined to rule the world as defenders of the Roman Catholic Church， guarantors of peace and patrons of learning。 The Habsburg emperors were themselves absurdly varied in their characters - from warlords to contemplatives， from clever to stupid， from idle to frenzied - but all driven by the same sense of family mission。 Scattered around the world， countless buildings， institutions and works of art continue to bear witness to their overwhelming impact。
The Habsburgs is the definitive history of a remarkable dynasty that， for better or worse， shaped Europe and the world。
In The Habsburgs， Martyn Rady tells the epic story of a dynasty and the world it built - and then lost - over nearly a millennium。
From modest origins， the Habsburgs grew in power to gain control of the Holy Roman Empire in the fifteenth century。 Then， in just a few decades， their possessions rapidly expanded to take in a large part of Europe stretching from Hungary to Spain， and from the Far East to the New World。 The family continued to dominate Central Europe until the catastrophe of the First World War。
With its seemingly disorganized mass of large and small territories， its tangle of laws and privileges and its medley of languages， the Habsburg Empire has always appeared haphazard and incomplete。 But here Martyn Rady shows the reasons for the family's incredible endurance， driven by the belief that they were destined to rule the world as defenders of the Roman Catholic Church， guarantors of peace and patrons of learning。 The Habsburg emperors were themselves absurdly varied in their characters - from warlords to contemplatives， from clever to stupid， from idle to frenzied - but all driven by the same sense of family mission。 Scattered around the world， countless buildings， institutions and works of art continue to bear witness to their overwhelming impact。
The Habsburgs is the definitive history of a remarkable dynasty that， for better or worse， shaped Europe and the world。
Reviews
Marjet Manenschijn
，
Boek gelezen ivm deelname aan leesclub geschiedenis。 Nog nooit eerder deelgenomen aan een leesclub maar als alle boeken zijn als deze dan is mijn deelname van heel korte duur。 Heb me echt door het boek moeten worstelen。Teveel info over een veel te lange periode。 Het verhaal is gortdroog， personages gaan niet leven en op een gegeven moment weet je niet meer wat je gelezen hebt…。Er worden ook veel moeilijke woorden gebruikt en soms gaat de schrijver ervan uit dat je bepaalde dingen weet。 Ook vind Boek gelezen ivm deelname aan leesclub geschiedenis。 Nog nooit eerder deelgenomen aan een leesclub maar als alle boeken zijn als deze dan is mijn deelname van heel korte duur。 Heb me echt door het boek moeten worstelen。Teveel info over een veel te lange periode。 Het verhaal is gortdroog， personages gaan niet leven en op een gegeven moment weet je niet meer wat je gelezen hebt…。Er worden ook veel moeilijke woorden gebruikt en soms gaat de schrijver ervan uit dat je bepaalde dingen weet。 Ook vind ik de schrijver niet altijd objectief。Hoop dat het volgende boek dat we met de leesclub beter is :） 。。。more
Robert Theodorson
，
Engaging and masterfully written！Rady covers the entire history of the Habsburgs without leaving out a single detail while simultaneously keeping the pace of the read nice and quick with 9-12 page chapters。 The Habsburgs takes you on a journey from their small Medieval castle in NW Switzerland to their Spanish and HRE Golden Eras， and ultimately ends with their demise after WW1。 This was a fantastic book and a must read for fans of Central European history！
Carrie
，
3。5* rounded up。 I found it really dry。
Katya
，
Insightful overview of the complex history of the Habsburgs' Empire。 Some chapters start from a unique point of view; it's not just a recital of dates and places。 Insightful overview of the complex history of the Habsburgs' Empire。 Some chapters start from a unique point of view; it's not just a recital of dates and places。 。。。more
Katie Bonzer
，
The Hapsburgs: To Rule The World; I have an affinity for the history of central and Western Europe， especially for the dynasties that ravaged the areas， this royal family is the example of horror， racism and religious terrorism。 A disgustingly captivating chronical of incest and the inception of modern deceit。
Eva
，
Kniha prehľadne spracuváva veľký objem informácií v ľahko zapamätateľných kapitolách a poslúži ako relatívne stručný prehľad Habsubrgovcov po politickej aj kultúrnej stránke。 Slovenský preklad je však bohužiaľ veľmi， veľmi slabý。 Zo zbežného googlenia mi vychádza že prekladateľské duo sa zameriava na historické preklady a nepochybujem， že čo sa týka reálií a historických faktov odviedli dobrú prácu。 Čo sa však týka metafor， ustálených slovných spojení alebo aj o trochu komplikovanejších súvetí， Kniha prehľadne spracuváva veľký objem informácií v ľahko zapamätateľných kapitolách a poslúži ako relatívne stručný prehľad Habsubrgovcov po politickej aj kultúrnej stránke。 Slovenský preklad je však bohužiaľ veľmi， veľmi slabý。 Zo zbežného googlenia mi vychádza že prekladateľské duo sa zameriava na historické preklady a nepochybujem， že čo sa týka reálií a historických faktov odviedli dobrú prácu。 Čo sa však týka metafor， ustálených slovných spojení alebo aj o trochu komplikovanejších súvetí， je jasné， že si s nimi prekladatelia nevedeli poradiť， a že sa ani nikto nesnažil po nich text zredigovať。 V pár kapitolách som našla nielen faktograficky nesprávne informácie （kde prekladatelia napr。 nepochopili iróniu autora）， ale predovšetkým krkolomné a miestami úplne nezmyselné vety pri ktorých mi nie je jasné， ako mohli vôbec prejsť redakčným procesom。Plne chápem že prekladateľská činnosť je náročná， nedocenená a zle platená， ale od takéhoto veľkého projektu a od nakladateľstva ako je Slovart ktoré sa hrdí kvalitnou literatúrou som jednoznačne čakala viac。 （V rámci transparentnosti dodávam že v slovenčine som čítala knihu len po ôsmu kapitolu， potom som to vzdala a prešla na angličtinu。 Možno sa veci neskôr zlepšia。） 。。。more
Lois
，
I'm struggling with rating and reviewing this。I don't think it shouldn't be read or anything like that but it isn't a decent history book either。Some of this info was well researched but a lot of this simply regurgitates other historians research without significantly stating why the author agrees and included their research vs other historians。In histories that cover large amounts of players I don't expect the author to have themselves checked 1st source documents。 I do however expect them to r I'm struggling with rating and reviewing this。I don't think it shouldn't be read or anything like that but it isn't a decent history book either。Some of this info was well researched but a lot of this simply regurgitates other historians research without significantly stating why the author agrees and included their research vs other historians。In histories that cover large amounts of players I don't expect the author to have themselves checked 1st source documents。 I do however expect them to read multiple sources and chose what best fits their narrative。 This feels like the author Googled the major players and didn't do much research beyond that。I think this can have value if you already understand the players and the game。This isn't a good introduction to the Habsburg Empire in my opinion。 。。。more
Cato
，
Het boek was zeker erg interessant。 Ik lees vaak maar vond persoonlijk de schrijfstijl erg moeilijk om geconcentreerd te blijven。 Normaal ben ik erg geïnteresseerd in de oudere bevolkingsgroepen dus dit boek was een nieuwe wending。 Ik vond de informatie die ik kreeg er waardevol al weet ik niet of ik me thuisvoel in deze tijdsgroep。 Zeker een aanrader als je geïnteresseerd bent in de Habsburgers， een volk waarover ik nog te weinig wist en waar ik nu veel waardevolle informatie heb。
Douglas Biggs
，
The first half went by really quickly as the author covered both Spanish and Austrian Habsburg families， but it slowed down and became much more in depth covering the last 150 years of the Austrian Empire。 Good， but not great。
Marcus Benjamin
，
This was a good book for anyone seeking a short， succinct summary of the major members of the Habsburg family， with a primary focus on those individuals who were significant leaders in Western and Eastern Europe。 I do feel like the book only scratches the surface of many people， ideas， and events that deserve （and in many cases， have） whole books devoted to them， but I thought Mr。 Rabat did a good job of laying out the important characters and themes。 I’d recommend this book for someone with a g This was a good book for anyone seeking a short， succinct summary of the major members of the Habsburg family， with a primary focus on those individuals who were significant leaders in Western and Eastern Europe。 I do feel like the book only scratches the surface of many people， ideas， and events that deserve （and in many cases， have） whole books devoted to them， but I thought Mr。 Rabat did a good job of laying out the important characters and themes。 I’d recommend this book for someone with a general knowledge of the era who isn’t looking for a detailed description of any of the events or individuals within a single time period。 。。。more
Bjorn Martensson
，
The Habsburg history is long， and this book seemed to do a decent job of conveying it。 It felt quite repetitive， but there might not be any more entertaining way to relay this long history。
Christopher Dennis
，
I really enjoyed this book about a royal family that though massively powerful and influential， isn't often heard about。I found learning about Archduke Charles and Eugene of Savoy particularly epic。 Archduke Charles， who defeated Napoleon at Aspern Essling， and Prince Eugene who repulsed the Turks on multiple occasions and won with Marlborough at Blenheim。 There were also a lot of interesting historical events delineated including the voyage of the scientific SS Novara expedition， and then ill f I really enjoyed this book about a royal family that though massively powerful and influential， isn't often heard about。I found learning about Archduke Charles and Eugene of Savoy particularly epic。 Archduke Charles， who defeated Napoleon at Aspern Essling， and Prince Eugene who repulsed the Turks on multiple occasions and won with Marlborough at Blenheim。 There were also a lot of interesting historical events delineated including the voyage of the scientific SS Novara expedition， and then ill fated attempt of Prince Maximillian to become Emperor of Mexico。Recommended。 。。。more
Zosi
，
3。5 stars。 Well researched and suitably expansive， truly illustrating the Hapsburg’s reach into all areas of society and their reach across both the globe and time。 However， occasionally it feels like the book tries to take on too much at once-investigating individual rulers， politics， military strategy， etc。 The book might feel more organized if it focused specifically on one avenue of inquiry rather than many simultaneously。
Anthony Nelson
，
As limited as a one volume， 350 or so page review of the entire Hapsburg dynasty necessarily is， Rady's book is worth reading and certainly serves as a helpful guide to the people and times。 As limited as a one volume， 350 or so page review of the entire Hapsburg dynasty necessarily is， Rady's book is worth reading and certainly serves as a helpful guide to the people and times。 。。。more
Tyler
，
I was rather disappointed with this book。 To be fair， attempting to cover the Habsburg's in a non-scholarly work would be difficult， but this book failed to live up to its subtitle。 It was interesting and compelling nonetheless。 I was rather disappointed with this book。 To be fair， attempting to cover the Habsburg's in a non-scholarly work would be difficult， but this book failed to live up to its subtitle。 It was interesting and compelling nonetheless。 。。。more
K。J。 Charles
，
A single volume history of the Habsburgs， which is impressive。 Thank god for e readers。 It's something of a gallop， given the scope， which can make it a bit dry at points， but plenty of good asides and interesting snippets， and it's helpful to have the whole story told together to stitch up my knowledge of the disparate parts。 A single volume history of the Habsburgs， which is impressive。 Thank god for e readers。 It's something of a gallop， given the scope， which can make it a bit dry at points， but plenty of good asides and interesting snippets， and it's helpful to have the whole story told together to stitch up my knowledge of the disparate parts。 。。。more
Joao Afonso
，
Nice overview， easy to read， not a dull dry fact book
Kevin
，
Pretty good but ideally it'd have more details。 Pretty good but ideally it'd have more details。 。。。more
Carter
，
I have read many books on this topic， over the years; this is a relatively new one。 It rigorously jogs the memory。 History is one of those subjects， I have been revisiting。 Recommended。
Robert Sparrenberger
，
It’s a bit dry is my first thought。 It’s hard to write about 900 years of history without the names and placed running together。 There were sections that were interesting and some where my eyes dried up。
Andrew Canfield
，
In terms of their impact on broader world events， it would be difficult to find a better continental European dynasty to study than the Habsburgs。 Author Martyn Rady creates an excellent portrait of the Habsburg family’s centuries of rule in central and western Europe， bringing readers along from the fourteenth century reign of Rudolf I， the initial king of the Habsburg line， through the dynasty’s collapse at the conclusion of the First World War。 A strong understanding of both Austria and the r In terms of their impact on broader world events， it would be difficult to find a better continental European dynasty to study than the Habsburgs。 Author Martyn Rady creates an excellent portrait of the Habsburg family’s centuries of rule in central and western Europe， bringing readers along from the fourteenth century reign of Rudolf I， the initial king of the Habsburg line， through the dynasty’s collapse at the conclusion of the First World War。 A strong understanding of both Austria and the rest of the Germanic lands’ past will be gained from spending time with this book。Early on， Rady fills readers in on the beginnings of the ‘Habsburg’ name， one origin story of which has it deriving from ‘Hawk’s Castle，’ （or Habichtsburg in German）， a fortress located in present day Switzerland。 The book swiftly winds through the various characters and events populating the Habsburgs' nearly six centuries of power， and the author impressively distills each of them into memorable， well-told anecdotes。 The letters A， E， I， O， U were adopted during the time of Frederick III as a sort of unofficial Habsburgs family motto， letters whose meaning boils down to an abbreviation of “Austriae est imperare orbi universo，” or “It falls to Austria to rule over the whole globe。” These were utilized to drive home the sense of authority each successive member of this Germanic felt。Frederick III’s son， Maximilian the First “The White King，” （1459-1519） was presented in the book as the monarch who catapulted the Habsburgs into becoming of the major powers in the whole of Europe。This book deserves credit for extending its breadth to focus on things beyond war making and crass political maneuvering。 Rudolf II’s fascination with alchemy and astrology made for an interesting section and his efforts to establish Prague as a center of alchemic study set him aside as one of many unique family members。 Although dabbling in Freemasonry was by no means unique to the Habsurgs， their connection to it enters another interesting thread into the book’s narrative。The fascination within the Habsurg court with the Mechanical Turk， an automaton which could “play” chess and was classified as an eighteenth century novelty， was another offbeat but compelling portion of The Habsburgs to read。 This idea of a clockwork machine whose cogs make it go is connected to the idea of the developing state as its own bureaucratic， well-functioning organism designed to best enrich the lives of its subjects。Maria Theresa’s efforts to disprove the wild rumors of vampires that were being spread around the empire’s eastern outposts of Serbia and Transylvania was another unexpected section that the author did well to include。 Maria Theresa， wife of Francis I and Archduchess of Austria and queen of Bohemia and Hungary， was the only female to reign over the Habsburgs lands， and she plays a major role in the second half of the book。 Her reign coincided with the War of the Austrian Succession in the 1740s and saw the butting of heads with Prussia over dominance in the Germanic lands。 Martyn Rady was more than willing to show the Habsburg warts in addition their successes。 For example， Chapter Six details Charles V’s descent into unenviable health during the 1500s。 This resulted in an unnerving decline-both physical and mental in nature- and an autopsy stating he died with a ‘heart was the size of a peppercorn; his lungs corroded; his intestines rotten and gangrenous; he had a single testicle， black as coal， and his head was full of water。’， was one example of many demonstrating the poor health-some of which was caused by inbreeding-suffered by the dynasty。The Spanish Habsburgs efforts to extend their reach to the New World provides one of several international wrinkles to the storyline。 In South America in particular the challenge of exporting their ideas of proper religion and governance becomes apparent。 These efforts in the Americas do not just stop after the time of men like Magellan and Cortes; the mid-nineteenth century journey of Franz Joseph’s brother Maximilian to Mexico is something that sounds straight out of a novel and could have an entire book dedicated just to its plot twists。 Granted the title of Emperor in an attempt to cement ties between the Mexican people and Europe， Maximilian was plunged into overseas internal politics which resulted in his death by firing squad。But there is plenty of warfare in the book’s four hundred plus pages。 The naval battle of Lepanto， a Holy League-led victory over the Ottomans in 1571， is covered with the sort of informative but breezy writing mastered by Rady。 The loss of Habsburg strength as a naval power-resulting in Neptune no longer being used as the family’s unofficial-and the switch to their time as a continental land power is explained in this thorough work of nonfiction。 The throwing in of the Habsburg lot with the Catholic League during the Thirty Years War receives ample paragraph space。 Even the widespread nature of the Thirty Years War， a field of conflict which even extended to tug-of-war with the Dutch in Africa， does not fall off Rady's radar。Hungary’s fight for rule independent of the Habsburgs and the role men like Louis Kossuth played in those efforts are written about in the broader context of the 1848 uprisings。 The discomfort of Habsburg leaders with the idea of too much bottom-up democracy and the ceding of too much autonomy to their dynasty’s outposts come across well in this era。 The switch toward nationalism as a defining feature of states in the empire was a relatively late development， picking up steam in the late twentieth century and causing religion to then take a back seat when it came to identity。The struggles against the family’s rule and the complicated political and religious alliance this caused in anti-Habsburg portions of the empire like Bosnia-Herzegovina， Serbia， and Croatia revealed the challenges of effectively governing a polyglot collection of states。 The seeds for multiple twentieth conflicts were planted by the fractious former situation。 The 1914 assassination of Franz Ferdinand， an archduke and the heir to the Habsurg throne， at the hands of Serb nationalists was an obvious one than not only got the ball rolling on millions of deaths but also brought an end to the dynasty four years later。 The 1990s war in Bosnia was yet another conflict with devastating roots in past Habsburg policies。This book is a really great distillation of formative centuries in Europe’s past。 A sprawling family story that could not have been easy to tell， Rady nevertheless breaks it down into a series of anecdotes and dramas that bring comprehension of many moving parts。 The Habsburgs: To Rule the World is above average nonfiction writing and provides a good starting point to understanding Europe’s development。 -Andrew Canfield Denver， Colorado 。。。more
Liam J。
，
Absolutely marvelous book， readable， informative， enjoyable， if you are in any doubt about this book then read the Guardian review， easily available on Google， and I see no reason to repeat what it say。 If in doubt just read and enjoy。
Sally O'wheel
，
I didn't finish this。 I didn't finish this。 。。。more
James Alexander
，
Excellent overview of the Habsburg family which in the past has been a confusing mystery to me。 Great to get a good perspective on how they did so much for European History。
Megan
，
3。5 stars。A solid and admirable attempt at condensing nine hundred years of history into under 350 pages。 I liked how the chapters were relatively short and easily readable， meaning that you didn't always feel like you were bogged down。 But I found that some of the thematic chapters dragged on a bit too much for my liking， but perhaps that was simply my expectations of a more biographical-approach。 3。5 stars。A solid and admirable attempt at condensing nine hundred years of history into under 350 pages。 I liked how the chapters were relatively short and easily readable， meaning that you didn't always feel like you were bogged down。 But I found that some of the thematic chapters dragged on a bit too much for my liking， but perhaps that was simply my expectations of a more biographical-approach。 。。。more
Gabrielle O'Kelly
，
Not as expectedA commentary， more than a history。 I am disappointed。 There is no theme to draw the reader forward in this book。
Siebe
，
Altijd wel geinteresseerd geweest in geschiedenis， maar weinig vertrouwen gehad in geschiedenisboeken: teveel feiten en te weinig overview， diepgang etc。 Dit leek een interessant boek， omdat het in 300 bladzijdes bijna 1000 jaar bestrijkt。 En ik had van iemand die het kon weten gehoord dat het een mooi boek was。 Maar het viel me tegen， en mijn verzet tegen geschiedenisboeken werd ook weer deels bevestigd。 Teveel feiten， gebeurtenissen en jaartallen， daarnaast een soort thematische benadering die Altijd wel geinteresseerd geweest in geschiedenis， maar weinig vertrouwen gehad in geschiedenisboeken: teveel feiten en te weinig overview， diepgang etc。 Dit leek een interessant boek， omdat het in 300 bladzijdes bijna 1000 jaar bestrijkt。 En ik had van iemand die het kon weten gehoord dat het een mooi boek was。 Maar het viel me tegen， en mijn verzet tegen geschiedenisboeken werd ook weer deels bevestigd。 Teveel feiten， gebeurtenissen en jaartallen， daarnaast een soort thematische benadering die desondanks mij niet enthousiast kon maken om door te lezen。 Ik heb een half jaar over het boek gedaan， en alleen dankzij mijn vurige wens het uit te lezen is dat ook gelukt。 In zekere zin werd ik daarvoor beloond， want de laatste hoofdstukken vond ik het best。 De hoofdstukken over de aanloop naar WOI en WOI zelf。 Misschien ben ik ook meer van de recente geschiedenis， dat zegt meer over mij dan over het boek。 。。。more
Suanne Laqueur
，
For those European history geeks who enjoy this sort of European history geek-out， this is the sort of European history geek-out they will enjoy。I read， I geeked， I enjoyed。 Now， should I dive into the life of Charles V next？ Or Philip II？
Justin
，
A narrative history of the central European ruling dynasty。Drags a big at the beginning but becomes really interesting in the description of the last two centuries of Hapsburg rule。
Jessica
，