The Habsburgs
The Rise and Fall of a World Power
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The Habsburgs
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Narrated by:
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Simon Bowie
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By:
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Martyn Rady
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
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 grew in power to gain control of the Holy Roman Empire in the 15th 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 from the Far East to the New World.
The family continued to dominate Central Europe until the catastrophe of the First World War.
With its seemingly disorganised mass of large and small territories, its tangle of laws and privileges and its medley of languages, the Habsburg Empire has always appeared haphazard and incomplete. But here Martyn Rady shows the reasons for the family's incredible endurance, 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 Habsburg emperors were themselves absurdly varied in their characters - from warlords to contemplatives, from clever to stupid, from idle to frenzied - but all driven by the same sense of family mission. Scattered around the world, countless buildings, institutions and works of art continue to bear witness to their overwhelming impact.
The Habsburgs is the definitive history of a remarkable dynasty that, for better or worse, shaped Europe and the world.
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©2020 Martyn Rady (P)2020 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Habsburgs
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John Shields
- 13-01-21
Average reading of a good book
The narrator could speak with greater clarity (though pace is excellent). Mispronunciation of French, Spanish, etc words is understandable, but of English words is plain annoying.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 09-07-21
Comprehensive and thrilling
A pretty wild ride through European history from the perspective of the Habsburg dynasty. The author manages to give a comprehensive and factual account while keeping you engaged with good writing and a constantly twisting narrative. The narrator is excellent apart from the occasional butchered German word, which is totally understandable as far as I’m concerned. Would definitely recommend!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Breadfiend
- 13-12-22
Ultimate Habsburg History
A compelling account of the growth and decline of a world empire well told and narrated with understanding of its complexity. Rady’s account is made all the more significant and richer by his descriptions of the contextual setting and use of incidental detail. An essential contribution to understanding the behaviour of contemporary Eastern Europe and today’s world.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Neil Green
- 16-05-21
Good History.
This is a quite short history of the empire, none the less interesting. Simon Bowie the narrator is very good. I would have liked more detail about the first world war and the end of the Empire.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Well That Aged Well
- 30-09-23
A decent book for someone who is not familiar already with Habsburg History
The book works for someone who is new to Habsburg history. BUT if you are quite familiar with Habsburg history as I am it may not be for you. Chose to re read this one because it been a couple of years since I read it. But it was sadly not as goood as I remembered. The narrator was ok. But the story could easilly have been 10 or 20 hours longer. Certain rules that should have been written about more such as Charles V, Maria Theresa, and Joseph II to mention a few felt rushed. Especially Joseph II considering his bipgrapher Bales wrote two whole volumes on him. So this book is definatley not for someone who is familiar with Habsburg history it willl be underwhealming.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Elaine & Edward Jackson
- 06-08-20
A superb telling of an incredible history!
This was one of the best history books I’ve had on audible, equal to Bettany Woods history of Istanbul. The book is great at providing fascinating details of a dynasty that shaped a continent. I listened compulsively to the excellent narration and highly recommend this book for anyone interested in European history.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rossano Nocera
- 07-06-24
Superb overview of the former Habsburg empire.
Great overview of the former Habsburg empire.
Superbly narrated, the narrative of the history flows along.
A great listen.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stephen Bentley
- 13-12-24
A fascinating story
Something about the Hapsburgs makes me fall asleep. Reading or listening I zonk out. Why that is, given the Sturm und Drang, ups and downs of the family history, a seemingly endless collection of incompetent bunglers propped up by Ministers and Generals (Metternich and Prince Eugene to name but two) of extraordinary ability. Why? The central mystery that has not been explored? Why was the dynasty and its assorted Empires propped up for so long?
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JJ
- 29-05-21
Great book spoilt by narration
This is a very good book very informative and manages to condense the long reign of the Hapsburg family without losing too much. Unfortunately the narration is clunky, with pauses in middle of sentences and strange inflections. Could only listen is short stretches without the narration spoiling the book.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 02-07-23
An odd book
This took an odd approach..going into excessive detail on some peripheral aspects but then rushing over important and potentially more interesting things.
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