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  • The Habsburgs

  • To Rule the World
  • Written by: Martyn Rady
  • Narrated by: Simon Boughey
  • Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (27 ratings)

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The Habsburgs

Written by: Martyn Rady
Narrated by: Simon Boughey
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Publisher's Summary

The definitive history of a powerful family dynasty who dominated Europe for centuries - from their rise to power to their eventual downfall.

Habsburgs ruled much of Europe for centuries. From modest origins as minor German nobles, the family used fabricated documents, invented genealogies, savvy marriages, and military conquest on their improbable ascent, becoming the continent's most powerful dynasty. By the mid-15th century, the Habsburgs controlled of the Holy Roman Empire, and by the early 16th century, their lands stretched across the continent and far beyond it. But in 1918, at the end of the Great War, the final remnant of their empire was gone.

In The Habsburgs, historian Martyn Rady tells the epic story of the Habsburg dynasty and the world it built - and then lost - over nearly a millennium, placing it in its European and global contexts. Beginning in the Middle Ages, the Habsburgs expanded from Swabia across Southern Germany to Austria through forgery and good fortune. By the time a Habsburg duke was crowned as Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III in 1452, he and his clan already held fast to the imperial vision distilled in its AEIOU motto: Austriae est imperare orbi universe, "Austria is destined to rule the world." Maintaining their grip on the imperial succession of the Holy Roman Empire for centuries, the Habsburgs extended their power into Italy, Spain, the New World, and the Pacific, a dominion that Charles V called "the empire on which the sun never sets". They then weathered centuries of religious warfare, revolution, and transformation, including the loss of their Spanish empire in 1700 and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. In 1867, the Habsburgs fatefully consolidated their remaining lands the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, setting in motion a chain of events that would end with the 1914 assassination of the Habsburg heir presumptive Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, World War I, and the end of the Habsburg era.

Their demise was ignominious, and historians often depict the Habsburgs as leaders of a ramshackle, collapsing empire at Europe's margins. But in The Habsburgs, Rady reveals how they saw themselves - as destined to rule the world, not through mere territorial conquest, but as defenders of Christian civilization and the Roman Catholic Church, guarantors of peace and harmony, and patrons of science and learning.

Lively and authoritative, The Habsburgs is the engrossing definitive history of the remarkable dynasty that forever changed Europe and the world.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Martyn Rady (P)2020 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

"Martyn Rady's history of this peculiar family is deeply informed, elegantly written and a joy to read." (Evening Standard [UK])

"This admirably compact, exceptionally well-written survey will probably be the standard one-volume history of the Habsburg dynasty for years to come." (Library Journal)

"A sweeping chronicle of the rise and fall of the Habsburg dynasty." (Kirkus)

What listeners say about The Habsburgs

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent History

This is an excellent and very well-organized story of not just the Habsburgs, but of the many places they ruled. Although mention is made of the New World, the main focus is naturally Europe. I found the descriptions of the Habsburgs in central Europe particularly fascinating, both because I was more familiar with western European history, so much of the material was new to me, and because the author shows how Habsburgs rule affected the politics of the 20th century, and even how we in the 21st century are dealing with political forces that they also engaged with. Before I started the book, I doubted that the author could make such a complex story comprehensible, much less interesting. I was wrong.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed it despite its flaws

I knew nothing about the Hapsburgs so I was glad to get a nice overview.

However, he focuses too little on important events like the war of the Spanish Succession and too much on describing architecture and artistic projects.

I would recommend this book to someone, like myself, who wanted an overview of the Habsburgs but would recommend reading more beyond this text to get a fuller picture.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Definitive text on subject, perhaps, but rather dull.

Let me share at the outset that my favorite historian is Dan Jones. I have heard/read all his chiefly British histories. They are authoritative, literate, and elegantly written. Also, he engagingly reads his own works on Audible. He sprinkles his history with anecdotes of the characters which breathes life into what could be a dull recital of facts.
This history rather plods on. I do give it four stars to acknowledge a champion achievement, but I suggest that the general reader with no personal stake in the events may bog down and not finish. (My parents were Austrian. My grandmother saw the Empress Elizabeth, and I was at age 13 in the Vienna chapel with the urns containing the hearts of emperors. I only share this to demonstrate what impelled me through.)

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

WOW! What a Story!

I will for sure listen the book again! What a convoluted story.
I recommend keeping pen and paper handy to make sense of the lines of succession.
I really like it!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Informative book but lacking

Thoroughly enjoyed the listen but it was more a political overview of the history of the Hapsburgs than a military one. It may not fill the void for military geeks. Some elaboration on other key conflicts with the Turks besides that of Lepanto, and the second siege of Vienna would have added a good pace to otherwise dry and dull passages.

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