Familie Habsburg 1273 - 1918. Glanz und Elend eines Herrscherhauses

by Dorothy Gies McGuigan

No dynasty of the Western World lends itself more dramatically to personal history than the Habsburgs, an aristocratic line which produced women and children in all history. In addition to their vital involvement with the military, political, religious, and matrimonial affairs of Western Europe for six hundred years, the Habsburgs excelled in their penchants for art and music, for literature and architecture, for philosophy and scientific investigation for the princely sports of hunting and falconing, for wit, wine, food, dancing, and affairs of the heart. They were collectors of crowns, palaces, jewels and zoos.

Throughout the fantastic range of their exploits, they never ceased to be a family, bound together by ties of affection, tradition, and respect as strong as their blood lines. In the most desperate straits, they turned unerringly to each other. Down their long history runs a strain of gallantry, the quality of noblesse oblige, a taste for the splendid gesture, which set the Habsburgs apart.

In this multi-biography, based on the impeccable scholarship that renders the chronicle historically accurate, Dorothy Gies McGuigan presents a warm and winning picture of the Habsburgs as human beings - noble, fallible, wise and foolish.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, European History, Politics

672 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The House of Habsburg was the longest ruling family dynasty in European history(1273-1918) and one of the most interesting. It sprawled from the eastern borders of the Austrian duchies, to the Netherlands, south to the kingdom of Naples in Italy, to Spain and eventually to the New World of the Americas. It held the title of the Holy Roman Empire representing Catholicism throughout its kingdom. Immense distances and time, religious schisms, multitudes of languages, and churning nationalism were problems that plagued the Empire throughout its history and eventually, after the Reformation, the Holy Roman Empire became the Austro-Hungarian empire.

The author covers the events and Emperors through the long history with clarity and touches on such historical landmarks as the Thirty Years War, the Reformation, war with Napoleon, the Vienna Congress, the glorious years when Vienna was the cultural center of Europe, Mayerling,Sarajevo, and WWI (the demise of the empire). And that doesn't begin to address other troubles/victories that occurred through the centuries.It is especially interesting to note that there were Habsburg princesses in almost every country in Europe. Intermarriage was the sign of the times and the famous Habsburg lip was prevalent, as well as physical and mental frailties...a result of marrying uncle to nieces and marriages between half-siblings.

This is a superb biography of one of the most powerful ruling families of recorded history and I would highly recommend it to any history lover.

[Skallagrimsen]

This reign-by-reign account of the Habsburg empire is a pure example of the "great man" theory of history: that is, it implies that the personal character, abilities, and idiosyncrasies of the various rulers determined the triumphs and failures of the long-standing Habsburg empire. It pays scant attention to technological, economic, demographic, epidemiological, or environmental factors, to say nothing of the sheer luck, that (I believe) exert more influence on the flow of history. This limitation aside, however, the book remains a clear and entertaining series of royal character studies.

The Habsburgs: Embodying Empire by Andrew Wheatcroft is, in my opinion, the best general history of this famous dynasty, by far. But the average reader, I suspect, will find The Habsburgs, by Dorothy McGuigan, more accessible. It might be a better place for the uninitiated to begin.

[Jeanette Watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Game of Thrones must be inspired by the Habsburg dynasty! This book also makes more sense out of works like Prisoner of Zenda. History is so much juicier than fiction...

[Klaus Metzger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein sehr spannendes Buch über die Habsburger Monarchie, die von 1273 bis 1918 dauerte. Am Interessantesten waren für mich die letzten 200 Jahre, denn in diesem Zeitraum herrschte Maria Theresia, die ihren Kampf mit Friedrich dem Großen hatte; oder Franz I mit Napoleon Bonaparte. Franz I verließ sich auf Metternich (Wolfram Siebert schrieb über ihn eine ausgezeichnete Biographie). Und Franz Josef war mit der schwierigen Sisi verheiratet, deren Spuren wir in der Hofburg und auf der Insel Korfu verfolgten. Und alle Kaiser-Persönlichkeiten endeten in der Kaisergruft in der Kapuzinerkirche, die wir ebenfalls besucht haben.

[David Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Europe should reinstate the Habsburg monarchy. It would be better than what has transpired since they were ousted from power. It would at least be entertaining. These blessed, incestuous freaks are still producing heirs, biding their time puttering around the European Parliament and driving race cars through Le Mans. I’m sure they’d gladly step up to the task again. There’s no reason this story needs to end in 1918.

[Katie Osborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of the history of this family who ruled most of Europe for several centuries!

[Kathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieses Buch fasst die Geschichte der Habsburger als Herrscherfamilie auf 627 Seiten zusammen. Angefangen mit der Wahl Rudolfs I zum König des Heiligen Römischen Reiches bis hin zum Tod von Karl I, dem letzten Kaiser von Österreich, wird der Leser hier mitgenommen auf einem Marsch durch die Geschichte, bei dem nicht nur die gekrönten Häupter vorgestellt werden, sondern auch auf deren jeweilige Geschwister, Ehegatten und/oder Verlobten, Kinder und hin und wieder auch Geliebten, Angestellte, Untertanen und Feinde eingegangen wird. Mit viel Liebe zum Detail beschreibt Dorothy Gies McGuigan Liebes- und Ehegschichten, politische Entscheidungen, Freud' und Leid, Skandale, wichtige Ereignisse und Alltag der zahlreichen Kaiser, Könige und Erzherzöge sowie Aufstieg und Niedergang ihrer Herrschaft im Wandel der Jahrhunderte. Herausgekommen ist ein umfangreiches Buch, welches sich flüssig liest, von Anfang bis Ende interessant bleibt, und ganz nebenbei einen kleinen Einblick in die europäische Geschichte des zweiten Jahrtausends liefert, ohne sich dabei in politischen Details festzubeißen. Hier kommen auch die weniger bekannten Mitglieder der Familie Habsburg zu ihrem Recht - auch wenn natürlich Persönlichkeiten wie Maria Theresia, Marie Antoinette, Franz Josef, Elisabeth und Rudolf sowie Ereignisse wie etwa die türkische Belagerung Wiens, der Wiener Kongress oder das Attentat von Sarajewo nicht fehlen.

Das hohe Maß an Recherche, welches hinter diesen Buch steht, ist offenkundig, auch wenn nicht alle Quellen dem Anspruch einer wissenschaftlichen Arbeit genügen würden. Eine wissenschaftliche Arbeit soll es aber auch gar nicht sein. Es ist vielmehr ein überzuegendes Gesamtbild, ein Zwischending zwischen Lehrbuch und Roman, unterhaltsam, interessant und lehrreich. Aus diesem Grund empfehle ich dieses Buch uneingeschränkt jedem weiter, der sich auch für die Habsburger abseits der großen Namen interessiert!

Zitat aus dem Vorwort des Buches:
"keine wissenschaftlich "erschöpfende" Darstellung, trotz aller reichlich investierten Akribie, sondern ein Familienroman reinsten Wassers, vor dem alle Buddenbrooks, Barrings und Forsythes dieser Welt verblassen, denn mit so viel Aufstieg und Niedergang, Glück und Ende kann keine poetische Phantasie Schritt halten."

[Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

To produce an aristocratic dynasty able to maintain power in an array of European courts for 600 years, the prolific Habsburgs remained always a close family, bound together by respect, tradition, and affection as strong as their blood lines. The first to hit the big time, Count Rudolf von Habsburg, was a relative nonentity — and therefore the perfect compromise choice as Holy Roman Emperor in 1273. But the Electors badly underestimated him: Rudolf was a superb politician, a master of connivery, a gambler and driver of hard bargains, and a practiced psychologist. (When Vienna locked its gates against him, Rudolf threatened destruction not of the city but of the miles of vineyards outside the walls — and the Viennese quickly capitulated.) Emperor Rudolf IV later "discovered" documents exalting his above all other princely families; all Habsburgs, he declared, were archdukes and archduchesses from birth. Pure chutzpah, but it stuck — and from that time on, the family clung to the imperial crown, wearing it almost continuously until the empire itself guttered out in World War I. Tracing the fortunes of the Habsburgs from the Danube to Spain (and the New World) to the Low Countries, McGuigan does a praiseworthy job of explaining the family and relating its multitude of influences to the course of Western history . . . and manages to entertain at the same time.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not easy to give a satisfactory portrait of more than four hundred years of Habsburg history in a mere four hundred pages, but McGuigan does a most creditable job of it. The Habsburgs is reliable but not particularly scholarly and certainly not academic history; but rather it is a lively, well written account of this extraordinary long-lived dynasty, full of intriguing and often admirable people. McGuigan's main interest is in those people. While politics, economics, history, etc. are by no means absent, the personalities, of which there are an abundance, are her metier.

[Bregda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best biographical study I have read this year. Easy to follow all the family lines and characters - it didn't even feel as though I was reading a history.
Truth really is stranger than fiction, this history can easily hold a candle to any juicy soap-opera.
Like any good biography, it made me want to read big biographies on all the individual characters (e.g. Maria Theresa and poor Prince Carlos).

A definite recommend from me, especially for someone starting out on reading about the Habsburgs.

[Elina Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastisches Buch! Endlich mal ein Buch das sich nicht nur auf die politischen Aspekte der Habsburg konzentriert sondern auch mal eine Blick in ihr privates Leben und ihre Familiendramen wirft.