Status Updates From The Habsburgs: To Rule the ...

maria theresa let’s go

Leopold II inherited two time bombs: France and Turks. He managed to elevate his status sufficiently to rally nobles to his cause and, with their and Polish assistance, broke the Turkish siege of Vienna. He was unable to capitalize further on this success due to constant stabs in the back from France. He went to war over Spain, though with less success. He rightly executed Croatian and Hungarian nobles for treason.

Thirty Years' War fully exposed weaknesses of an empire ravaged over three decades by domestic and foreign armies that initially pursued religious objectives but later sought territorial gains. The conflict claimed the lives of kings and distinguished military commanders, and the resulting Peace of Westphalia cemented Germany’s status as a significantly weaker power while shattering the Habsburg monopoly on colonies.

Ferdinand II, driven by the fervor of his faith, ignited the flames of conflict across his entire realm. Initially willing to negotiate, he struck at the heretics with full force following the Defenestration and defeated them at the Battle of White Mountain. However, this merely pacified the situation within the empire. Upon his death, the ritual of separate burial for different parts of the body was carried out.