The Habsburgs: The History of a Dynasty

by Benjamin Curtis

The Habsburgs rank among the most celebrated ruling dynasties in history. At one point, their territories stretched not only across Europe but across the globe, into Asia, Africa and the Americas. By virtue of their long pre-eminence, the family made an indelible mark on European affairs, shaping the course of international politics and diplomacy, and knitting together the diverse peoples of Central Europe.

The story of the Habsburgs is theatrical and compelling, but it is also vital for understanding how kings ruled, nations rose, and societies changed as modern Europe came into being. In this book, Benjamin Curtis explores both the Spanish and Austrian branches of the dynasty, providing a concise, comprehensive picture of the dynasty's development. This study clearly demonstrates why the Habsburgs are considered the most consistently accomplished practitioners of European dynasticism.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, European History, Biography

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[John Farebrother · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I had been meaning for years to read more about the Habsburgs, as they keep coming up in Balkan history. And even today Beč (Vienna) is said to be the capital of the Balkans, with Serbian/Croatian heard almost as much as German on the U-Bahn or the streets of the former imperial capital, that since WWI has managed to re-invent itself as a cultural and diplomatic capital.
This book presents a concise history of the supra-dynasty, organised into chapters around the major historical periods, from their beginnings as local lords in Switzerland in the 13th century to their demise in WWI. In each chapter the main characters are presented in their context.
This makes it a very informative book, with all the relevant data packed into a logical format. It also shows how the dynasty not only created history, but also adapted as social, economic and political trends developed over the centuries. It also exposes the parasitical nature of monarchy, and how much of European history has been a violent struggle between different aspiring royal houses, none of them offering much to the common man or woman. The grotesque inter-breeding that destroyed the Spanish branch of the dynasty is perhaps the clearest illustration of the true nature of royalty.
Disappointingly, the author makes no mention of the genocide in Latin America, and indeed praises the Spanish administration there. I was also surprised to learn that the son of the last Habsburg monarch was an MEP for 20 years. Whether that is to the credit of the EU, or indicative of the fact that elitism has merely shifted from bloodlines to political parties, is a wider question.

[Melisende · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction into the Habsburg dynasty from its obscure beginnings until the 20th century.

"The truth about the dynasty lies, predictably, somewhere in between its ostentatiously constructed self-image and the rather pock-marked public perception."

Author Benjamin Curtis readily admits that in condensing such a history into a "manageable tome", there was much that had to be left out. He makes no apologies for that, and instead focuses on what the reader actually wants to read - the personalities, court intrigue, politics and dynastic marriages, the battles. He gives us the groundwork to go out and explore on our own - as the dynasty itself did, extending its reach far beyond Spain and Europe.

A worthy addition to anyone's personal library.

[Lois · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is light but detailed on the rulers of The Hapsburg Dynasty.
The info on the other players is considerably lighter and I spent some time looking up connected children and siblings.
I'm not overly familiar with this dynasty though I have read biographies on Carlos V & Philip II as well as a recent biography on Maria Theresa and multiple biographies of Marie Antoinette.
I found some of the suppositions and offered facts questionable and some outright wrong.
For example: 'Maria Theresia was staggeringly successful at dynastic reproduction: over 19 years she gave birth to 16 children, 10 of whom lived into adulthood. One of the most remarkable things about her as a ruler was that she helped raise all these children yet wisely governed a huge monarchy at the same time.'
This is not true. Maria Theresa's children didn't all live with or near her. She over saw their tutors and guardians. The oldest few had the most regular contact with her.
This is standard for the times in which she lived and may have been true even if she wasn't working as monarch. Certainty her work expectations outweighed the availability to provide much personal care to her offspring.
The family did have family time at holidays and vacations and MT was a caring parent.
I mean for the most part anyway via the standards for the age in which she lived.
Also Carlos V & Philip II are presented in a very biased and white supremacist, colonialist perspective.
The author suggests that Carlos V was considered a generous ruler by his South American subjects and I know for a fact Aztec history doesn't match that description at all.
It's standard in European histories to ignore the historical records of POC who were oppressed and colonized and thats racist.🤷🏾‍♀️
Historical figures have to be placed appropriately in their time and place. During colonialism that's going to involve the viewpoint of the colonized. I mean the book includes the viewpoint of European ethnic minorities but utterly ignores POC colonized viewpoints.
Thats just not okay when dealing with this time period.
The violent mass genocide of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas is largely ignored and chattel slavery isn't even really mentioned. 😬
So this was automatically getting 1 star from me.
In additionally and unexpectedly I found the information provided about European rulers to be suspect as well.
This is a huge subject matter and the author relied too heavily on limited and biased sources.
It happens🤷🏾‍♀️

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Habsburgs are a fascinating family and ruled an incredibly long time in Central Europe. But because of that, any book that tried to cover the entirety of their rule simplifies each reign and gives you very little as to the personal relationships of these people. (Although since so many of them married nieces and first cousins, do we really want to know?) a good overview and introduction, but one that led me to search out other books that will give me more on rulers like Maria Theresa and Franz Joseph, the man who ruled Austria when World War I broke out.

[University of Chicago Magazine]

Benjamin Curtis, AM'97, PhD'02
Author

From our pages (Mar–Apr/14): "Ruling Europe for nearly a thousand years is no small feat, especially while juggling territories in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Considered one of the most dominant dynasties in history, the Habsburgs endured enough drama to rival Game of Thrones. In his study of the Spanish and Austrian branches of the dynasty, Benjamin Curtis documents the family's journey from rise to fall."

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit dry to read though very informative. The Habsbergs started in the 1200s in what is now Switzerland. At one time they boasted the largest empire. They were on the throne in what became Spain and ruled over their possesions in the Americas. The once rules the Netherlands,Belgium, Hungary, Austria, parts of Germany, Italy, Poland, and more or eastern Europe. The book takes you through all the monarchs chronologically evaluating their strategies, successes, and failures. A good book if you're trying to understand where all the modern countries in Europe originate.

[Adnan Soysal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great reading.
It is written with a great style, it is a page turner.
Font size of the text is perfect.

It is concise substantial summary of a vast subject.
It is for starters , it is for experts on the subject.
Habsburg history split into certain periods , rulings styles character of the Empire, Empress of the period unveiled.
It is also history of Europe touching the important political events of the period also.

[Sinbad · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book about the Habsburg dynasty. The central lens through which the author looks at their history is the "dynastic strategy." In this context, he tries to point out general principles and strategies that the Habsburgs employed throughout their reign that spanned many centuries.

I would recommend this book to history lovers, especially to those that are interested in the history of Habsburgs and Europe.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book focused on a lot of details that didn’t have lasting impact while omitting others that would have been actually interesting. I wasn’t a fan of the organization either and it really would have benefitted from more maps.

That said, Habsburg enthusiasts seem to think highly of it (which is why I bought it) so YMMV.