The Habsburgs

February 15, 2020
A sweeping chronicle of the rise and fall of the Habsburg dynasty. In this ambitious overview, Rady, a professor of Central European history and author of The Habsburg Empire: A Very Short Introduction (2017), delivers a mostly chronological journey through the Habsburg dynasty from the 13th to the 20th centuries while contextualizing the times in which it flourished and, eventually, faded. Because the empire over which the Habsburgs reigned was enormous ("the Habsburgs were the first rulers whose power encompassed the world"), nonacademic readers may find it difficult to keep track of all the names and dates. Nevertheless, Rady valiantly attempts to give the principals some distinct accomplishments and traits: Maximilian (1459-1519), a self-promoter "who oversaw the composition of three allegorical autobiographies in which he depicted himself as the most chivalric and accomplished of knights," brought Spain into the empire. Charles V, Maximilian's grandson, attempted to outlaw Protestantism and eventually conceded that the Spanish Habsburgs would be split off from the Austrian Habsburgs and ruled respectively by his son Philip and brother Ferdinand while he retired to a monastery. Rudolph (1552-1612), a great art collector, employed Johannes Kepler as his astrologer, and Maria Theresa (1717-1780) instituted schooling for all children, frowned upon alchemy, and banned vampirism, which fascinated the media at the time: There were stories of "the undead feasting on the living, of exhumed bodies oozing with the blood of victims, and of stakings and beheadings." Franz Joseph, whose nephew and heir would be assassinated in 1914, ruled for almost 70 years and created the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Though Rady is quick to acknowledge the Habsburgs' missteps and weaknesses, he concludes that "their legacy survives...as a vision that combined power, destiny, and knowledge, and blended earthly and heavenly realms in a universal enterprise that touched every aspect of humanity's temporal and spiritual experience." A comprehensive and, at times, lively chronicle, but not for casual readers with no prior knowledge of European history.

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March 1, 2020

The Habsburgs have suffered at the hands of historians for their treatment of subject populations and because the way they ruled their lands didn't conform to modern notions of state-building. Yet, the dynasty endured for a millennium and was a dominating force in the West for four centuries. Beginning with the Middle Ages and continuing through until the assassination of Habsburg heir presumptive Franz Ferdinand in 1914, this narrative by Rady (Central European History, Univ. Coll. London; The Habsburg Empire) traces the dynasties failures and successes throughout Central Europe. Rady clarifies what the Habsburgs accomplished, as opposed to what they never intended to do; activities that may seem as diversions from state building were an example of a patrimonial yet universalist, deeply Christian view of empire. The author is also astute in explicating the imperial symbolism behind movements like the Baroque, and no one explains the inner dynamics of the Habsburgs better than Rady. VERDICT This admirably compact, exceptionally well-written survey will probably be the standard one-volume history of the Habsburg dynasty for years to come.--David Keymer, Cleveland

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 30, 2020
Rady (The Habsburg Empire: A Very Short Introduction), a history professor at University College London, delivers a granular yet accessible survey of the Habsburg Empire’s central role in the transformation of Western civilization from the Middle Ages into the modern world. Documenting the political and social contexts behind the reigns of each Habsburg ruler, Rady traces the empire’s rise from 13th-century Swabia (now southwestern Germany) to its 16th-century expansion into Spain and southern Italy and its 20th-century collapse. Milestone figures include Philip II of Spain (1527–1598), who controlled colonies in North and South America and Asia; Maria Theresa of Austria (1717–1780), who advanced Enlightenment ideals as she expanded government bureaucracy, mandated schooling for peasant children, and sent medical personnel to investigate rumors of vampirism across central Europe; and Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1863–1914), whose assassination by a Yugolsav nationalist sparked WWI. Rady notes how the Habsburgs’ ability to consistently produce male heirs (their “genetic good fortune”) facilitated territorial expansion, but succumbed to “successive intermarriages” that led to infertility and infant death, contributing to the downfall of the monarchy’s Spanish branch. Packed with names, dates, and accounts of little-known wars, Rady’s prose is more easily digested in standalone chapters than as a linear narrative. This comprehensive account provides an insightful overview of seven centuries of European history.