Zita: Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary

by Charles A. Coulombe

Empress Zita of Austria (1892—1989) was declared a Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI. But who is she? What is it about her life and spirituality that inspired the Church to open the investigation into her beatification?

Zita’s life and her integral role within the House of Habsburg during the tumultuous 20th century are not well known. In Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, Charles Coulombe takes readers through Zita’s lineage and the political climate she was born into, Bl. Charles and Zita’s marriage, her support of Bl. Charles amid the destruction of the Catholic Monarchy, and much more. Bl. Charles and Zita’s story is one of hope, perseverance, and great faith. Through this couple’s devotion to the Sacred Heart, they inspired their children and their peoples to a greater love of God and country, despite the many trials they faced. As we similarly live in a society that denies God and attacks the family, we can turn to the example of this saintly couple.

Journey with Zita to learn how she persevered after Charles’s death, which left her in exile with their seven children and an eighth on the way, and how she kept the hope of a restored House of Habsburg alive, even under the threat of Nazism.

424 pages, Hardcover

Published May 20, 2025

About the author

Roy-Charles A. Coulombe is an American Catholic author, historian, and lecturer. Coulombe is known for his advocacy of monarchism.

Reviews

[Kassie R.]

I am not going to rate this one because I just don't know how I feel about it. It was not an easy read as it involved a lot of history I struggled to pay attention to/follow. I was so excited to read this one as I have enjoyed reading about Zita in other books, but this one wasn't what I expected. I expected more about her by herself...her inner life, but this was not it. I did appreciate some of the insight but this was more about history and politics.

[Taryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s incredible that an almost-400-page book that purports to be about Empress Zita barely talks about her. I know almost nothing about her character after reading this book. It is, instead, a book about the end of the Habsburg dynasty written by an American man who for an unstated reason is very personally torn up about it.

A few quibbles:
- Wikipedia should not be an accepted source to cite.
- The author describes people as having “learning disabilities” that keep them from leading functional adult lives. It sounds like what he means are profound intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.
- The author mentions “Paul VI”—no “Pope” or “Saint,” which I found disrespectful.
- Unless the intended audience are people already familiar with Austrian history, it badly suffers from a lack of maps and family trees.

I’d been wanting to learn more about Empress Zita and was excited to read this book. I know no more about her now than I did before I read it, other than some unimportant biographical information.

[Kathleen Murtha · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book was not at all what I expected, it was still very much worth the read. This book is not so much about Zita herself as it is about the times she lived in and how her life played out on the world stage. There is little about her as a woman (although you get a sense of that through her response to the events around her), but this is a fascinating read, nonetheless.