The Habsburgs
To Rule the World
Basic Books · Print & ebook · May 10, 2022
“A feat of both scholarship and storytelling” (Wall Street Journal)—the definitive history of a powerful family dynasty who dominated Europe for centuries.
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- Who it’s for
- A clear, steady take on a dynasty that shaped Europe’s political imagination.
- Genres
- Austria & Hungary History, Royal Lives, German History
- Published
- Basic Books, May 10, 2022
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“A feat of both scholarship and storytelling” (Wall Street Journal)—the definitive history of a powerful family dynasty who dominated Europe for centuries. In The Habsburgs, Martyn Rady tells the epic story of a dynasty and the world it built—and then lost—over nearly a millennium. From modest origins, the Habsburgs gained control of the Holy Roman Empire in the fifteenth century.
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Then, in a few decades, their possessions rapidly expanded to take in a large part of Europe, stretching from Hungary to Spain, and parts of the New World and the Far East. The Habsburgs dominated Central Europe through the First World War. Historians often depict the Habsburgs as leaders of a ramshackle empire. But Rady reveals their enduring power, driven by the belief that they were destined to rule the world as defenders of the Roman Catholic Church, guarantors of peace, and patrons of learning. This is the remarkable history of a dynasty that forever changed Europe and the world.
Dynastic Reach
A clear, steady take on a dynasty that shaped Europe’s political imagination.
Come here for
- Habsburg power, kept in clear historical view
- cultural literacy without the fog
Expect
- sustained historical sweep
- insight over trivia
Where it sits
| Austria & Hungary History | 64% |
|---|---|
| Royal Lives | 52% |
| German History | 50% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Lives in History
- German History
- Medieval History
- 17th-Century History
Show all 5 publisher categories
- Austria & Hungary History
- Authors
- Martyn Rady, Simon Boughey, Basic Books
- Publisher
- Basic Books
- Published
- May 10, 2022
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Lives in History