The Habsburgs. The Rise and Fall of a World Power

In The Habsburgs, Martyn Rady tells the epic story of a dynasty and the world they built - and then lost - over nearly a millennium. From modest origins, the Habsburgs grew in power to gain control of the Holy Roman Empire in the fifteenth century. Then, in just 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 continued to dominate Central Europe throughout 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. The Habsburgs is the definitive history of a remarkable dynasty that forever changed Europe and the world.

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Martyn Rady is Masaryk Professor of Central European History at University College London. He has written several major works on the history of Hungary, from the medieval period to the twentieth century, but has also written on topics as diverse as the Hussites, vampirism and the Emperor Charles V. He has honorary doctorates from the Karoli University in Budapest and the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu in Romania.