The Habsburgs: To Rule the World

This is the story of a mighty dynasty that dominated Europe for nearly a thousand years and its distinctive universe, which it itself created only to lose at the dawn of the twentieth century. Beginning as humble Swabian feudal lords, the Habsburgs achieved dominion over the Holy Roman Empire in the fifteenth century and then, within a few decades, over vast parts of the globe, from Hungary, the Netherlands and Spain to Peru and Mexico. Historians often portray the Habsburg Empire as an accidental state formation, a patchwork quilt, but Reidy clearly demonstrates the Habsburgs' unyielding will to power, fueled by their belief in their supreme destiny as defenders of the Catholic faith, guarantors of peace and protectors of enlightenment. This audiobook contains everything you need to know about the dynasty that forever changed the European continent and the world.