Hitler and the Habsburgs: The Führer's Vendetta Against the Austrian Royals

by James McMurtry Longo

“A detailed and moving picture of how the Habsburgs suffered under the Nazi regime…scrupulously sourced, well-written, and accessible.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)   It was during five youthful years in Vienna that Adolf Hitler's obsession with the Habsburg Imperial family became the catalyst for his vendetta against a vanished empire, a dead archduke, and his royal orphans. That hatred drove Hitler's rise to power and led directly to the tragedy of the Second World War and the Holocaust. The royal orphans of Archduke Franz Ferdinand—offspring of an upstairs-downstairs marriage that scandalized the tradition-bound Habsburg Empire—came to personify to Adolf Hitler, and others, all that was wrong about modernity, the twentieth century, and the Habsburgs’ multi-ethnic, multi-cultural Austro-Hungarian Empire. They were outsiders in the greatest family of royal insiders in Europe, which put them on a collision course with Adolf Hitler. As he rose to power Hitler's hatred toward the Habsburgs and their diverse empire fixated on Franz Ferdinand's sons, who became outspoken critics and opponents of the Nazi party and its racist ideology. When Germany seized Austria in 1938, they were the first two Austrians arrested by the Gestapo, deported to Germany, and sent to Dachau. Within hours they went from palace to prison. The women in the family, including the Archduke's only daughter, Princess Sophie Hohenberg, declared their own war on Hitler. Their tenacity and personal courage in the face of betrayal, treachery, torture, and starvation sustained the family during the war and in the traumatic years that followed. Through a decade of research and interviews with the descendants of the Habsburgs, scholar James Longo explores the roots of Hitler's determination to destroy the family of the dead Archduke—and uncovers the family members' courageous fight against the Führer.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Germany, World War II, European History, Historical

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 6, 2018

About the author

This author also writes under the pen name Jim Longo.

James Longo is a professor and chair of the Department of Education at Washington & Jefferson College. He is a former Fulbright Scholar and Distinguished Chair of the University Centre for Women’s Studies and Gender Studies at Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt in Austria. He has lectured throughout Europe and America and has written eight books.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

After having this book recommended to me, I kept it on my shelf for a while, waiting for the ideal time to delve in. When I started it, I wondered why I had not devoured James McMurtry Longo’s tome much sooner, as it captivated me from the opening pages until the final, chilling sentiment. Even the causal reader with some knowledge of modern European history likely knows that Adolf Hitler had a strong dislike for his Austrian homeland. It is only when reading Longo’s book that I became better aware of it, and how the German dictator enacted his revenge. Modestly born, Hitler grew up in an Austria that was still ruled under the Hapsburg Empire, a collection of European countries of Central Europe. While Hitler grew and became more jaded about his country and its rulers, the Hapsburgs maintained a strong control over their peoples and lived what seems to have been quite a lavish lifestyle. It was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand—the heir to the Hapsburg Throne—that began a series of historical dominoes and lessened the power of this nightly monarchy. As power dissolved and Austria became a geographic and political plaything in the aftermath of the Great War, Hitler embraced his move to Germany, where he could rise through the ranks and eye a future return to an Austria that held his morals. Longo parallels not only the rise of Hitler with the fall of the Hapsburgs, but also pushes to show how Austrian identity—both as a country and of its citizens—soon became enveloped in the Nazi ideal. Discussion of the rise of Hitler’s Nazi Party and control over Central Europe is exemplified here, as is the dazzling ineptitude that saw the world watch. Hitler vowed to return to Austria and take what he felt he lost, a new and better Hapsburg if you will. Longo shows how he did so and yet the House of Hapsburg had the final victory, albeit delayed and rooted in the subsequent generations. Brilliant in its delivery and highly educational, this is one book that fans of modern European history will not want to miss, as well as those readers who love European monarchies.

I love learning new and interesting things about moments in history that seem to have been overanalysed. While I cannot say I knew many of the central facts that are up for discussion here, I was aware of many aspects, leaving me wanting a great deal from Longo’s book. He delivered, not only by offering a miniature biography of the young Hitler, but also paralleling the strength and subsequent fall of the Hapsburgs. Detailed analysis of the loss of control over the Empire and the dwindling of final power was brilliantly documented here, as Longo shows how monarchies rarely fade away overnight. Additional documentation on the likes of Edward VIII proved to be an added bonus and one that kept me wanting to learn even more about the ‘boy King of England’ and his apparent loose support of the Nazi leader as a political figure. Longo offers up wonderful documentation and spins it into an easily digested narrative that will have the reader wanting (and able) to forge onwards. With chapters that are quite detailed but not drowning in information so as to make the journey slow-going, Longo serves up a stellar piece here and makes the reader want to know more. I will be picking through some of the bibliographic materials and books suggested by the author, so as to learn a little more about this period. This is one royal family that deserves more of my attention in the coming months.

Kudos, Mr. Longo, for a great piece. I can only hope to find more of your work soon, which is surely on par with this tome.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I have read lots of books about this period of history, I have to admit that I had no idea that Hitler had such a deep dislike of the Habsburg family. Those familiar with Hitler’s life, will know he spend some of his formative years as a young man, in Vienna. This was a difficult time for him; rejected, more than once, when he applied to study art, he spent his time sliding into homelessness and poverty.

During his time in Austria, Hitler dreamt of uniting Austria and Germy and destroying everything the Habsburg Empire represented. In particular, Hitler disliked Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. The marriage was morganatic; meaning that, although Franz Ferdinand was his uncle’s heir, neither his wife, or children, could inherit his titles. Interestingly, the book discusses how Edward VIII later attempted to get the British government to agree to his marriage to Mrs Simpson being approved on similar lines, but with no success.

Franz Ferdinand’s wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, was sneered at for being both ethnically, and socially inferior. As well as objecting to Franz Ferdinand’s marriage, Hitler also disliked his peace making beliefs and racial, and religious, tolerance. Indeed, Hitler often ranted about the number of languages heard on Vienna streets and, like many others, cheered when the couple were assassinated and Europe headed towards war. He saw Austria as polluted, rather than enriched, by ethnic groups and was not shy of sharing his opinions with anyone who would listen.

In 1938, when Hitler returned to Vienna, coming back to conquer a city which he had left as a homeless vagrant, he arrived as a dictator – and one looking for vengeance. The children of Franz Ferdinand; Sophie, Maximillian and Ernst, had already suffered after their parents death. However, as they had spoken out against the Nazi’s, they knew they were in danger. As Hitler returned to the Hotel Imperial, where he had once shovelled snow outside a reception for Archduke Karl, Franz Ferdinand’s nephew, and his wife, Archduchess Zita, he was looking for revenge. Duke Maximillian and his brother, Ernst, were the first two people arrested when Hitler arrived in Austria.

This is a fascinating look at the relationship between Hitler and Austria, as well as the Habsburg family and Franz Ferdinand’s descendents, in particular. Of how they suffered separation, of Max and Ernst being interned in concentrations camps, and their family’s fight to free them, and of what happened after the war. Overall, a very interesting read, and I was very impressed with how Sophie, Max and Ernst, coped with everything that life threw at them, without becoming embittered, and kept their dignity against the odds.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Prisoners

This charming short book tells the story of Adolf Hitler’s loathing and persecution of the Austrian imperial family, the Hapsburgs alongside their fight against Nazism. Hitler, an Austrian German was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where Emperor Franz Josef sat on the throne. His father Alois, a civil servant in the Austrian customs system was a proud supporter of the imperial family, the son was not. Heavily influenced by his teacher, Hitler began to loath the multi ethic empire and Franz Josef’s fourth the heir to the throne Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who had not only married an ethnic Czech Countess Sophie Chotek, but also wanted to federalise the empire and thus reduce the power and influence of the German within it. Hitler’s story was one of rags to riches in a macabre sense. Whilst homeless, skinny with long hair in Vienna in 1909, he shovelled now outside of the Imperial Hotel as members of the royal family walked inside. He painted Franz Ferdinand’s Belvedere Palace and later used it as a headquarters in Austria following Anschluss. Within his rise to power he would not forget the ethnically diverse empire and the royal family who he loathed. He would persecute them and monarchists as relentlessly as other groups that didn’t fit the Nazi ideal.

Parallel to this is the story of the children of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie; Sophie, Maximilian and Ernst. As the marriage was morganatic they were not in line for the throne and were even not allowed to be considered Hapsburgs. Cast as outsiders themselves, with little contact from the imperial court, this infant gave Franz Ferdinand great joy as he saw the crown as a burden ordained by god. For his children they would live the quiet lives as country gentry. Or so he thought. After his and Sophie’s assassination on 28/06/1914 the world defended rapidly into chaos with the empire and monarchy collapsing in 1918. The last Emperor Karl I, who was close with three Hohenberg children fled and died in exile in 1922 after failed attempts to restore the throne. Uncertainty and then anxiety followed with the threat of communism and the rise of Nazism. Neither had time for royals.

With the rise of the NSDAP, Duke Max of Hohenberg and his younger brother Prince Ernst were outspoken critics of the regime. This added fuel to the flame and when Germany seized Austria in 1938 they were the first two Austrians arrested and sent to the concentration camp at Dachau. Sophie, at the time living in Prague declared her own war on Hitler and relentlessly tried to get them released to no avail. Living in exile and equally outspoken of the evil regime, Crown Prince Otto, son of Karl could not be reached, but remained the hope of the anti-Nazi monarchists of post war alternative for Austria. The brothers were humiliated, forced to clean toilets with their bare hands and paraded around the camp naked and mocked for the heritage they both incredibly survived the nightmare. Post war Austria was dominated by the USSR and even though there was support for a restoration, the loud minority would not allow it. In the end Ernst worked as an ambassador for the republic and in some ways United many Austrians from different political and social backgrounds. When Duke Max died hundreds lined the streets to morn a man who although a committed monarchist was loyal to the republic and never gave up on the freedoms of all Austrians.

This is another story of someone else being persecuted by the Nazis in history true age of terror. It shows what happened to the imperial family after 1918 and Hitlers hatred of Austria-Hungary and everything this old multi-ethic empire stood for. Aristocrats and monarchists were wrong to give hope to Hitler, but some like the Hohenberg’s saw through it and were imprisoned and murdered for it. It also shows how Nazi ideology twisted and manipulated the past the push their agenda, much like communism wanting to wash away everything in the old to build their version of utopia. Hitler and the Habsburgs is another great book on the Second World War that focuses on the social rather military side of the conflict.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew very little about the Habsburgs and the political background of Austria prior to WWII. Hitler & the Habsburgs filled in the blanks and then some. This is the kind of non-fiction book I love to read--hard to put down and prompts me to learn more.

Hitler’s background in Austria is the focal point at the beginning, but as Hitler grows older and gains power, the focal point shifts to the Habsburg family, and of course, the war. I had no idea of Hitler’s early years, so it was interesting to read about his hatred for the Habsburgs and how his path to power came about.

James Longo’s informative details of the Habsburg family were written with such compassion. As the first two political prisoners taken after Hitler invaded Austria, Maximillian and Ernst Hohenberg were treated horribly. The family spent years trying to get them released and then spent more years trying to have the family property returned.

History lovers and those who love reading about the Imperial dynasty will enjoy this one. It’s a fairly quick read and is very informative. I really liked it and will look for more of James Longo’s work in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Diversion Books for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding read for history buffs. Well-researched and full of anecdotal details, this book filled in a lot of background perspective that I hadn't considered before. So much of Hitler's warped beliefs originated with his obsessive hatred for the Habsburgs, but particularly Archduke Franz Ferdinand who had the audacity to marry a Slav instead of an Aryan. Franz Ferdinand embodied everything that Hitler hated -- belief that people of all nations were equal, a devotion to family and country with quiet humility despite his nobility. Hitler's hatred was meted out on Franz Ferdinand's sons, who became the first two prisoners at the Dachau concentration camp and were assigned to clean out the latrines, first with teaspoons, then with their bare hands. Nothing could break these noble men, though, who continued to treat their fellow inmates with compassion and respect and continued to oppose all that Hitler stood for. If you are interested in 20th century history, this is well worth the read.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, this read more like an extended magazine article. The prose is light and accessible, but there are one or two odd moments. Longo opens the book with an incident in 1908, when Hitler is sweeping snow out of the way for a party attended by Archduke (later Emperor) Karl and his wife, Archduchess Zita. While they did know each other in 1908, they did not begin courting until 1910 and married in 1911. It is a momentary blip, and it could well be that Hitler himself misstated his memory, but Longo hinges a great deal upon the encounter.

The Austrian Republic that came into existence after the collapse of the monarchy was the real originator of the "vendetta", to say nothing of the various independent states that emerged in Central Europe to replace the old empire. Members of the dynasty were ousted from their ancestral homes, and forbidden to reside within Austria itself.

Thanks to their father's morganatic marriage to Sophie Chotek, the three children of Franz Ferdinand were excluded from the succession (for which their father thanked God); once their parents were killed at Sarajevo, they passed a reasonably comfortable World War I, especially after Karl and Zita succeeded Franz Josef in 1916. Nevertheless, the children were turned out of their home at Konopiste by the Czechoslovakian government. Max and Ernst, the two boys, retreated to Austria, while their sister Sophie married a minor Bohemian nobleman. Despite the loss of the family estate, the three were financially comfortable, and it was expected that they would have lived out their lives as minor members of the landed gentry.

Enter Hitler and the Nazis. Longo thinks that Hitler hated Franz Ferdinand especially, because he attributed the Archduke with federal notions of government. When he became Kaiser, according to Longo, Franz Ferdinand intended to haul the Austr0-Hungarian Empire into the 20th century by modeling it upon the United States. Her polyglot citizenry would have been granted equal measure of independence, united by the Habsburg dynasty. Some of this has been questioned by other biographers of Franz Ferdinand, but Longo is firmly behind the idea that the assassination robbed the 20th century of peace --- which is probably true.

The "vendetta" in question is less against the Habsburgs as a family than the Hohenbergs, and even more specifically Max and Ernst. The brothers were intensely anti-Nazi (as was the imperial pretender, the Archduke Otto) and worked against the oncoming Anschluss in 1938. In particular, they supported Otto as the potential restored Emperor in a constitutional monarchy. When the Nazis swept into Vienna, the two were immediately arrested and sent to concentration camps; first Dachau, and eventually Auschwitz. Their treatment was horrendous, although they did survive. Two of their sons did not, one killed in battle as a soldier in the Wehrmacht and the other dying in the Soviet gulag after the war.

The extended Hohenberg family emerges as a very attractive group, and Longo clearly enjoyed his contact with them. They are profoundly optimistic, a remarkable achievement given the suffering they have endured since Franz Ferdinand and Sophie married. However, it is an overstatement to call the vendetta against this morganatic branch of the dynasty a "vendetta" against the Habsburgs. The book does delineate an interesting footnote to the larger story of the Anschluss.

[Ben House · Rating 5 out of 5]

In spite of Barbara Tuchman’s book The Guns of August, World War I did not begin in August 1914. It was not the implementation of the Schlieffen Plan of the Germans, Plan XIV of the French, the invasion of Belgium, the mobilization of the Russian army, or the flurry of telegrams racing from capital to capital that started the war.
World War I started with one gun, one gunman (his confederates failed), and two casualties. It happened in the distant south-eastern European city of Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. At the end of the day, an heir to a throne and his wife were dead and their three children were orphaned. Over four years later, millions had been killed by battle and the effects of war and Europe lay in ruins. It would be those ruins which would then kinder the sparks that would lead to a second world war late 1930’s.
When studying World War I, numbers quickly cease to have any meaning. A thousand soldiers die here, another thousand there, and soon the battles escalate to where ten thousand, twenty thousand, and even a hundred thousand die in a battle that barely moves the front lines and that doesn’t seem to hasten the end of the war. But when the story becomes more focused and those first two deaths are seen not as numbers, not a members of a ruling family, but as real people and as a husband and wife, a father and mother, then the pain of World War I becomes more vivid.

The first two to die in that war were Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. His title was Archduke and he was in line to be the next emperor or the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If the story of Czar Nicholas and his wife Alexandra of Russia is poignant, the story of Ferdinand and Sophie is even more so. They were truly in love and their love had a cost.
Sophie was of the lesser nobility of Bohemia (later to be part of Czechoslovakia) while Ferdinand was of the royal Habsburg family which had ruled Austria for centuries. After the unexpected death (by suicide) of the Crown Prince Rudolf, Ferdinand stood next in line to rule what had become known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The current Emperor Franz Joseph had ruled the land since 1848. Like much of the noble classes, ignoble marital and extra-marital affairs were commonplace. Marriages were, in true Habsburg fashion, more driven by political considerations than by love or romance. Ferdinand broke the pattern and married Sophie.

As a result of this morganatic marriage, Sophie was not allowed the usual position of the wife of the heir to the throne. When she was allowed to appear at public or social events, her lesser status kept her from being at her husband’s side. Also, none of the children were to be considered as heirs to the throne after their father. They were not even considered to be Habsburgs, rather they went by the name Hohenburg.
I had always assumed or maybe had read that Franz Ferdinand was a rather shallow man who was simply a pawn in history’s larger chess games. He was actually quite visionary and wise. He was destined, so it seemed, to rule over an empire that has been described as a polyglot. Within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, there were Germans (Austrians), Hungarians, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Croats, Bosnians, Italians, and various other ethnic groups. The Austrians were the dominant faction although Hungary had been given a greater degree of power and autonomy. South eastern Europe tended toward two extremes: It could either be a factious group of smaller rival nationalities or it could be an empire ruled by a dominant power.

Ferdinand sought a further choice. He desired to be more visionary, more federal, and more open to a nation-state where the various groups could be united as one while maintaining more of their national interest. Imagine it as a type of United States or European Union.
That dream ended when he and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo in June 1914. By 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Habsburg monarchy were both brushed into the dustbin of history.

Sad story, but it didn’t end there. One Austrian nurtured a hatred toward the various races and cultures of the empire. He longed to see Germanic Austria joined to the greater conglomeration of Germanic nations that formed Germany. After World War I, events enabled this Austrian, Adolph Hitler, to rise to political power within one German party and then to power in Germany as a whole. One of his early great triumphs was the Anschluss.
Perhaps many best know of this event from the movie The Sound of Music when Admiral Von Trapp is “trapped” by the merger of his country with Nazi Germany. He and his family, both in the movie and in real life, escaped. Many people were arrested, removed from power, or killed because of their positions in Austria.

It is here that the key story of James Longo’s book comes into place. Hitler hated the Habsburgs and their descendants. Franz Ferdinand’s two sons were almost immediately arrested and imprisoned after the Anschluss. Their crime was their being descended from the Habsburg family. There was, to make matters worse, a movement within Austria to restore the Habsburg monarchy and make Otto Habsburg the new ruler. As obsolete as we make think monarchy is, a restored Habsburg monarchy in the 1930s could well have prevented World War II.
The larger portion of Hitler and the Habsburgs covers the efforts of the two sons to survive Dachau and of the family to rescue them. The daughter of the slain couple, Princess Sophie, endured being exiled from her family’s estate in Czechoslovakia twice in her life, being in danger constantly, and of losing two sons who were forced to serve the Third Reich’s armies on the Russian front.

Besides being a riveting historical account, this book is an amazing testimony of the Christian faith. The faith in God and marital love of the parents was passed on to the children. Sophie, the daughter, perhaps better than anyone else, displayed a great certainty in God’s goodness in spite of all the losses she experienced in her life.
This book is history at its finest. Yes, it is full of sadness, but there is triumph and perseverance and hope found in the story of this family. Two World Wars brought incredible miseries upon them. A fairy tale kind of royal life was denied to them at every step, but they endured and held fast to the truths that stand stronger than any empires or armies on earth.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of details of the Hohenberg children's lives that I didn't know, as well as about their interactions with and for their Habsburg cousins which is WILD to me considering their treatment by the family as a whole. (I do understand that Karl and Zita were not Franz Joseph in terms of relationships, but STILL.) I do hope the family recovers the property some day. It is recompense that is more than owed.

[Hermien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book about the Habsburgs during an interesting period in history.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always been fascinated with History, and this book is no disappointment. History books and related are always big in my reading and heart.


The Archduke Franz Ferdinand and The Duchess Sophie of Hohenberg, their assassination made them the first two victims of WWI and their sons were the first two political victims decreed by Hitler in WWII to be send to Dachau Concentration Camp.

Franz Ferdinand instigated a deep hatred in Adolf Hitler's mind just because he married a Czech Princess and not a bride of German descent. Thus, Hitler himself being an Austrian born, envisioned a superior race without any mixing with other nationalities, a pure german lineage for a greater Dütchland. His hatred for the Habsburgs and later for the Hohenbergs was way before his hatred for the Jewish masses.
He really was the personification of the devil himself brought out for all human kind to see up close and personal. Scary times that we pray never to witness again, now or for future generations after we are gone.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and well written, a look at Hitler’s specific dislike of the Hapsburgs. Engaging throughout, and a well narrated audiobook.

[Sharlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew very little about Hitler prior to the WWII. I found this book to be interesting with facts about his younger years and his hatred for the Habsburgs. It was informational read and would recommend for anyone that wants to learn more about Hitler as a young man and his obsession with the Habsburgs.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is is a remarkable story about the deaths of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife in 1914. The couple had three children: Max, Sophie and Ernst. Because the marriage was morganatic, the children were not officially Hapsburgs, but used their mother's title Hohenberg. Their growing up years were difficult at times, but they did have the love and support of their step-grandmother. Then in 1933 Adolf Hitler took power in Germany. He made it his business to persecute the three Hohenbergs because he hated their Hapsburg blood. Sophie married and lived in Czechoslovakia, while the two brothers stayed in Austria even after the Anschluss. As a result when war came, they were arrested. Ernst was treated as a terrorist because he had stood up to the Nazis earlier. Both spent time in Dachau.

The book details the hardships they and their families went through. Even after the war, they suffered under Soviet occupation. One of Sophie's sons died in a Russian gulag. It would appear to be a neverending tale of sorrow, but Sophie seemed to epitomize their strength in their faith. I had always wondered what happened to the children of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie. They certainly paid a price for something thst was not their fault.

[Zosi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really should have tried to finish the Royal We before I leave for vacation but I burned through this instead. It’s fascinating, because apart from AP Euro I wasn’t really thinking that Franz Ferdinand even had kids, much less that they would be facing the Nazis. I loved learning about something so different from what I would normally read about, with all the quotes from different family members, and it filled in some of the gaps in my education via Austria and Czechoslovakia. A quick and insightful read.

[Tammla Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book leaves me speechless. If you are a history teacher - a must read for sure. There was so much in this book that I learned that was astonishing! I am so glad my book buddy and friend suggested it!!

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 1 out of 5]

More of a P.R. book to lionize the Habsburgs and extoll the typical "bad man" lines about Hitler. You can learn more about Hitler's disdain for the Habsburgs by reading "Mein Kampf".

[Marek Zákopčan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Učebnice dejepisu sa jasne zmieňujú o páde Habsburgovcov vzhľadom na prehratú 1. svetovú vojnu a vzostup Adolfa Hitlera začiatkom 30. rokov. Menej sa už hovorí o prepojení týchto dvoch línií, o to zaujímavejšie potom pôsobí kniha Jamesa Longa. Tento americký univerzitný profesor je autorom niekoľkých kníh s historickou tematikou a jeho práca ho priviedla na prednášky po celom svete, susedné Česko nevynímajúc. Publikácia Hitler a Habsburgovci dôsledne mapuje vzťah rakúskeho diktátora a stáročnej dynastie, založenej na vzájomnom pohŕdaní, nenávisti a odsudzovaní. Pretože ani niekdajší velikáni sa nevyhli kritike za to, že dali prednosť láske pred pôvodom...

"Ako Vianoce 1909 prišli a zase odišli, bol František Ferdinand rovnako šťastný, ako bol Adolf Hitler nešťastný. Habsburský arcivojvoda, ktorého Hitler nenávidel zo všetkých najviac, trávil sviatky obklopený rodinou na českom vidieku za Prahou. Hitler, hladný, bez strechy nad hlavou a porazený, prežíval vo Viedni najhoršie obdobie svojho života. Nikdy by si nepomyslel, že jedného dňa zažije horšie Vianoce než tie, ktoré prežil pred dvomi rokmi. Vtedy vedľa maličkého vianočného stromčeka pozoroval svoju matku, ako umiera pomalou, bolestivou smrťou na rakovinu." (str. 57-58)

James Longo si dal pri písaní záležať, kniha vznikala desať rokov, a vychádzal z početných zdrojov. Zameral sa primárne na Hitlerovu nenávisť voči deťom Františka Ferdinanda, následníka Habsburgovcov, ktorým sa stal po samovražde korunného princa Rudolfa. Hitler mal viacero dôvodov na svoj odpor, spomedzi ktorých vyčnieva fakt, že František si vzal za manželku Žofiu Chotkovú v rámci tzv. morganatického sobáša (medzi osobami z odlišných spoločenských vrstiev). Keď sa k tomu pridali ďalšie "moderné" prístupy, ústupky voči slovanským národom a pod., Hitler mal k dispozícii priamy objekt pre svoj negatívne pocity. Potomkovia Františka a Žofie sa napokon stali prvými odvedenými do tábora v Dachau. Kniha sa nezameriava iba na vojnové roky, ale predstavuje problém v celej jeho šírke. Uvádza čitateľa do začiatku storočia, ukazuje Hitlerov stupňujúci sa vzťah voči vládnucemu rodu a prepojenia s jeho členmi. Na kontraste Hitlerovej zlej situácie a radostného rodinného života následníka trónu možno vidieť, čo a ako ich ovplyvnilo na ich ceste k dospelosti. A čo malo napokon dopad nielen na nich samotných, ale i na ďalšie generácie. Napriek mnohým znalostiam sa mi ozrejmilo veľa súvislostí, kniha je zdrojom bohatých informácií a pútavou formou približuje dobu, ľudí a udalosti. A hoci ide o literatúru faktu, nečíta sa ťažko. James Longo akoby si uvedomoval štandardy súčasného čitateľa a predkladá text delený na krátke úseky, s hutnými kapitolami, písaný zrozumiteľným jazykom.

"Žofia podporovala obchod s diablom, ktorý uzavrel jej manžel, pretože dúfala, že by mohol zachrániť Maxa a Ernsta. Okamžite napísala Heinrichovi Himmlerovi a žiadala, aby ich prepustili z Dachau pod dohľad jej manžela. Po dlhej odmlke dostala informáciu, že Hitler a Goring jej žiadosť zamietli. Obzvlášť Ernst bol označený ako "znesväcovateľ nacistickej ikonografie". Praha sa stala mestom, ktoré prechádzalo očistcom. Strach, otupenosť, prenasledovanie a samovraždy boli súčasťou každodenného života." (str. 216)

Štýlu, obsahu a kompozícii knihy Hitler a Habsburgovci niet čo vytknúť, do očí vám však občas udrie nepresne uvedené meno či názov miesta. V nemecky znejúcich reáliách je možné občas sa pomýliť, no našťastie nejde o faktografické chyby. Dvadsaťtri kapitol vám ubehne ako voda, občas budete žasnúť nad dejinnými zvratmi, inde krútiť hlavou nad nespravodlivosťou a miestami sa pristavíte a zamyslíte nad náhodami, ktoré ovplyvnili chod histórie. Z textu je cítiť autorov postoj voči zobrazeným osobnostiam, no musím napriek tomu pochváliť jeho schopnosť poľudštiť aj takú desivú osobu, akou bol Adolf Hitler. Keby išlo o beletriu, ocením Longov talent vykresliť záporáka v plnej miere, až s ním čitateľ dokáže súcitiť. V tomto prípade ste radi, že žijeme v súčasnosti, a dúfate, že nič podobné sa už nezopakuje. Hoci ľudia, žiaľ, často zabúdajú...

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hitler experienced his lowest years while living in Vienna; he failed, twice, to gain admission to an art institute and eventually became homeless. At the same time the ruling family, the Habsburgs, were living in wealth and splendor. But it wasn't just economic differences that caused Hitler to hate the Habsburgs. The Habsburg empire was comprised of various countries and ethnicities, and Vienna, as the capital of the empire, was a multicultural city. Hitler felt that the "pure" Germanic roots of Austria had been sullied due to the Habsburg's policies of tolerance.

This book follows Hitler's rise to power. It also follows Max and Ernst Hohenberg, the sons of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who were some of the first Austrian concentration camp prisoners.

I really enjoyed this. It was long enough to be thorough but not so long as to be tedious. The narrator of the audiobook has a nice voice.

The one thing I question is whether the Habsburgs were really that tolerant. The author sets up the Habsburg empire as the inclusive opposite to Hitler's xenophobia, but other things that I've read and watched make it sound like Austria was forced to give more freedoms and tolerance to other countries in order to avoid the dissolution of the empire.

[Terri Wangard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Archduke Franz Ferdinand married a Czech woman, and shared the Habsburg commitment to peace. Hitler despised him for those facts. He saw Franz as wanting to marginalize and destroy German Austria.

Franz Ferdinand and Sophie’s sons, Maximilian and Ernst, didn’t hesitate in speaking out against the rising Nazis. For that, they earned Hitler’s hatred. They were the first Austrians imprisoned in concentration camps. First at Dachau and later Flossenburg, they were assigned latrine duty. At Flossenburg, they were provided no tools or carts. They had to clean the overflowing toilets with their bare hands.

The Habsburg empire was multi-national. Central Europe has known little but disasters since the empire collapsed. The rise of nationalism would have been a problem for Franz had he become emperor, but the world may have been a safer place had he lived.

The author wrote this book wondering what became of Franz and Sophie’s orphans. He provides a look at an admirable family that has suffered much, but retained their faith.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good way to give yourself nightmares - reading a book that features Hitler’s speeches frequently just before bed.

A good way to shake off the feeling of horror and dread - focus on the incredible grace so many survivors of that hatred and horror demonstrate.

This is a tough but fascinating read. It shows a microcosm of both the worst and the best of people. You see the bitterness and horror and the strength and goodness in the experiences of one family and can see it extrapolated to so many....and can see how far we have to go.

The parallels I felt of leaders today and then left me chilled to the core. It’s one thing to feel these things organically, it’s another to read the exact details and have your feelings borne out (these are my interpretations, the book only focuses on history not the tie to now).

I choose to take away that resilience people are capable of is breathtaking.

I received an advance readers copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Alenka of Bohemia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few stories of royalty are as sad and as ignored as the ones of Sophia, Max, and Ernst Hohenberg, whose parents were the first victims of what became the First World War. Besides being sneered at and viewed as a disgrace to the Habsburg house in the first years of their lives and besides becoming orphaned, there was much more sorrow in stock for these children. And while the focus is definitely both on Hitler and their father as well, it is their story that is the backbone of the book. I am one of those people who believe in the value of monarchy as a representative (not legislative) face of any country, as a link to the past and tradition. Getting to know these Habsburgs whom the house of Habsburg never acknowledged made me even more wishful that the history was different.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t know much of this history but was interested in the assertions it makes. That Hitler’s hatred of the Hapsburgs pushed his hatred of Austria and Nazi beliefs. That Americans pushing to do away with empire supported the demise of the Hapsburg kingdom and the empty void left by the empty throne allowed Hitler to flourish. Hitler was able to wipe Austria off the map for awhile and the Hapsburgs spent time in Dachau for a time. And while Hitler wasn’t able to accomplish many of his goals, a more homogeneous Germany came to exist and many minorities died or left forever. Very heartfelt history.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rounded up on this. I would say 3.5 for me. It was an interesting account of a part of WWII that I knew very little about. Sadly some of the commentary was too close to what we are hearing the United States now. I listened to this so did not have the bibliography to look at. There were times when the author is so sympathetic to the Habsburgs that I'm not sure if it is his take or there are solid facts for his assumptions. There is nothing as to how the empire was doing under this rule as far as poverty, jobs, education, etc. Why were Austrians so quick to embrace Hitler or was it a small minority that did. I'm glad to know this story.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. An outstanding work of historical research written in an accessible and entertaining way, telling the fascinating and often heart-breaking story of the last of the Habsburgs and their downfall at the hands of Hitler and the Nazi regime. Compelling reading, a real page-turner and a book I can’t recommend highly enough.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about a family I knew very little about and has made me want to learn even more.

[Mary E. Huebner]

Traces the rise of Hitler from boyhood to his death, as seen through his interactions with the Habsburg. Excellent history that parallels that of Trump.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a very historical perspective of a piece of Hitler's motivation. It was interesting but not really entertaining. I love history so I did enjoy reading this book but if you aren't a history fan I'm not sure you'd want to work your way through this one.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew nothing about the Habsburg family following the assassination of Archduke Fran Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie and I was astounded at how much suffering this family had to bear throughout their lives. Emperor Franz Josef was a cold man who showed little decency toward his nephew and even less toward's his wife, given it was a morganatic marriage. The way the children were treated after Franz Josef essentially sent their parents to their deaths is appalling. It gets much worse from there. Despite being heartbreaking, this is an engaging read and very insightful into one of the most important royal families in Europe and it's downfall.....and how brave and courageous those three children lived out their lives.

[Patti Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an interesting book! The author really did a lot of research and you can tell. I never knew a lot about the Hapsburg dynasty so reading about them was great and I learned a lot. It was amazing to read how much Hitler really loved his homeland and how his thinking developed into massacring so many million people. This is a great book and makes you tell yourself never to forget what happened to over 6 million people during WWII and what they suffered at the hands of a maniac. Everyone should read this. (less)

[Peter Clothier · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a knee-jerk reaction these days whenever someone compares Donald J. Trump to Hitler--a
shudder and a rejection of even the remotest possibility. Unhappily, James Longo's Hitler and the Habsburgs might give you pause.

More of that in a moment. For now let me confess that I am no historian, and therefore not an objective judge of this fascinating book. The author makes no secret of his admiration, even affection for the Habsburg family, and for the Hohenbergs they became after the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the monarchy of the Emperor Franz Joseph, was coerced into a morganatic marriage with a Czech duchess despised by other royals as his social--and ethnic--inferior: neither he nor his offspring were entitled to inherit the throne--or to use the family name. Longo's sympathies are clear; he even dedicates his book to a Hohenberg family heiress.

It's still a compelling read, and one that also engages the reader's sympathy to his subjects. As the former subject of a European monarch (Elizabeth II--unfortunately misspelled in this book, one of a few typos and misspellings I noted along the way: the infamous Nazi thug was Ernst Kaltenbrunner, not Kalterbrunner!), I have mixed feelings about aristocratic privilege. On the one hand, I am more than a little skeptical of blood-line heritage; on the other, I have a sneaking sympathy for those called upon to inherit the burden of leadership they in no way earned. Born in the years before Hitler's effort to compel all of Europe into his personal fiefdom, I also have an abhorrence of the barbarities of Nazism and the cataclysm that Hitler and his obedient Nazis perpetrated on the world.

So as a reader of this story I share something of the author's bias. The Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination famously led to the outbreak of World War I--and eventually to that of World War II--is portrayed here as an enlightened man, dedicated to a mission of peace and the integration of the ethnically diverse peoples of Central Europe. His two sons, Maximilian and Ernst, inveighed against Hitler even in the early days, before his rise to autocratic power, and thereby earned his lasting enmity. Their pre--World War II efforts to restore the monarchy in Austria in order to forestall the eventual "Anschluss" earned them long-term imprisonment in the Dachau concentration camp. In Longo's telling they survived the most terrible of humiliations with dignity intact, and returned, after Hitler's defeat, to do what they could do in service to family, the Austrian people, and the peoples of central and eastern Europe.

Today's readers may well shudder, with me, when they read paragraphs like these:

Wealthy industrialists secretly financed Hitler's rise to power [...]. In return he quietly promised them to destroy the country's burgeoning Communist Party, smash the nation's labor unions, and provide his benefactors with unparalleled profits. The unemployed were assured full employment, and the forgotten man--respect. Hitler promised the military recruits, rearmament, and a restoration of power and prestige.

Just like the man in the Oval Office today. Quoting the journalist Dorothy Thompson, who interviewed Hitler before the war, Longo adds: "Throughout the root of Nazism is unabridged nationalism which elevates a nation into a god." Inspired by Hitler's nationalism, there were sadly many Americans in the mid- to late-1930s who were militant proponents of "America First", and it terrifies me to think that our current "president" follows in their footsteps--along with the rabble of angry supporters he riles up at his endless (yes!) Hitlerian rallies.

So this is a timely book. No matter what you think of aristocrats and monarchies, you will surely share my horror of the racist political oppression that Hitler exerted while in power. You will surely share my disgust with the kind of rhetoric that hypnotized so many Germans into submission to the Nazi regime. You will surely share my conviction that, yes, without vigilance and, when necessary, unwavering resistance, this can happen again--even in America. The book is at once a nightmare of historical fact and a warning of the ease with which "the people" can be manipulated and power abused.

I quibbled a bit earlier about misspellings. They shouldn't happen in a book like this because they serve to distract from the reader's attention and credulity. For myself, too, I would have appreciated the inclusion of a family tree to which I might have occasionally referred in order to catch up on a name or family relationship; and also, to assist me in my deplorable ignorance and given the often shifting national alliances and treaties, a map of the countries of pre-WWI and pre-WWII Europe.

Otherwise, Hitler and the Habsburgs proved an excellent and a provocative read. I enjoyed it immensely.