The Habsburgs: Embodying Empire: xxix

by Andrew Wheatcroft (Author)

• Used

  Illustrated
  1996

  $4.47

  The Habsburgs have been described at one extreme as demons - responsible for a 'long history of atrocities'; and, at the other, as dodos - living fossils unable to adapt to the modern world. In reality, the flamboyant royal family appear, in many ways, to have behaved much like most other monarchies. Their story, however, is none the less enthralling for that. It is populated by such unforgettable figures as mad Queen Juana, progressing through Spain with her husband's decaying body; the 'heroically fertile' Maria Theresa; and, the quixotic Maximilian, 'Emperor' of Mexico.

• Used

  Hardcover
  1995

  $4.19

  This title is a history of the extraordinary rise to power and eventual decline of the Habsburg Empire. This episode in history covers three centuries, and traces their area of influence to almost all the countries of Europe - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain and Italy. Because the Habsburgs dominated so many national histories, their family history is usually fragmented. This obscures the trans-national nature of the dynasty. Polyglot and adaptable - they remained identifiably Habsburg. It is essential, therefore, to approach them as an entity. The author has worked in both the Spanish and the Austrian archives.