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The Habsburgs: The Rise and Fall of a World Power
Brought to you by Penguin.
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 15th 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 disorganised 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.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our Desktop Site.
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 15th 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 disorganised 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.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our Desktop Site.
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First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 14, 2020
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.
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.
January 20, 2018
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.
"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.
October 6, 2021
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🤷🏾♀️
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🤷🏾♀️
November 6, 2014
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.
Read
March 6, 2014Benjamin 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."
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."
November 29, 2023
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.
November 2, 2023
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.
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.
August 19, 2025
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.
I would recommend this book to history lovers, especially to those that are interested in the history of Habsburgs and Europe.
September 26, 2018
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.
That said, Habsburg enthusiasts seem to think highly of it (which is why I bought it) so YMMV.
October 19, 2025
Loved this book. Very good overview of the rule of the Habsburgs. Well written, good pace and I really liked that the book concentrates on the Habsburg timeline without diversion. After all, it is a book about the Habsburgs, not a history of the entirity of European history. This book has inspired me to read other books about the history of central Europe.
October 19, 2025
Great book to get a broad overview of the Hapsburg dynasty.
December 25, 2025
Cisleithania anybody? No, me either. And you won’t find it in the index of this magnificent tour of a thousand years of the Habsburg story. But then a barely adequate index would add another twenty pages, minimum.
As it is, to capture the Habsburgs as comprehensively as Mr. Rady does, in just over three hundred pages, is an astonishing achievement. Cisleithania doesn’t arrive until 1867, a mere half-century before the story ends. More than that I’ll leave you to discover. And say only that if you have even the faintest interest in later European history this is an indispensable overview, magisterially written.
If not, just try it as an account of family dysfunction on the cosmic scale, and find your own favorite from the galaxy on offer. Mine? Well what about Anna of the Tyrol, new wife of soon-to-be Habsburg emperor Matthias, who joined him in Prague in 1611? A kindly woman, Mr. Rady says, of exceptional girth, whose skill at the clavichord was matched only by her dedication to penitential self-flagellation.
You couldn’t make it up. Which is as good a recommendation to this Habsburg story as any.
As it is, to capture the Habsburgs as comprehensively as Mr. Rady does, in just over three hundred pages, is an astonishing achievement. Cisleithania doesn’t arrive until 1867, a mere half-century before the story ends. More than that I’ll leave you to discover. And say only that if you have even the faintest interest in later European history this is an indispensable overview, magisterially written.
If not, just try it as an account of family dysfunction on the cosmic scale, and find your own favorite from the galaxy on offer. Mine? Well what about Anna of the Tyrol, new wife of soon-to-be Habsburg emperor Matthias, who joined him in Prague in 1611? A kindly woman, Mr. Rady says, of exceptional girth, whose skill at the clavichord was matched only by her dedication to penitential self-flagellation.
You couldn’t make it up. Which is as good a recommendation to this Habsburg story as any.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews