the habsburgs the rise and fall of a world power

Much of what was considered Austria was almost entirely shaped by the Habsburgs-as one and the same. So it was associated with the centre of Habsburg power, but not the extent of it. But the bounds of modern Austria are not the same as they were historically, and the name was mostly associated with little germanic duchy for centuries. The Habsburgs, as we know them, are still strongly associated with modern Austria. More often than not, the family was known not as Habsburg, but as The House of Austria. One of the earliest points of contention that Rady deals with is the name Habsburg itself, which has a murky history. But it turns out the family was more messy and complex than I had thought.

But not too long ago, I got into a conversation about the lesser known parts of Habsburg history with a hiking friend of mine, and not only did I learn that the family roots went way back further than I was aware, I also got the impression that they possessed a certain degree of sneakiness that helped grant them the success they had.Īfter reading The Habsburgs, I have to say that my initial impression was not entirely wrong. I’ll confess, before settling down to read this book, I didn”t know a huge amount about them mostly their actions form the 19th century onwards and some details about the unfortunate case of Charles II, the last Habsburg king of Spain. Up first is The Habsburgs: The Rise and Fall of a World Power by Martyn Rady, which gives a broad overview of Habsburg family history.

So I’m going to ring in the new year by having a two-fer special on one of Europe’s best and messiest: The Habsburgs But the lives of royals are always ripe for high drama, if you are into that kind of thing. And now her grandson seems to be taking his turn airing out the dirty laundry, much to people’s delight. And, really, how could they not? Liz the Second-who we all thought was destined to live forever-shockingly popped her clogs last year. For all the royal watching going on right now, its the British Royal Family that’s hugging the spotlight.

The habsburgs the rise and fall of a world power