Read more
Geographically and linguistically diverse, by 1789 the Habsburg monarchy had laid the groundwork for a single European polity capable of transcending its unique cultural and historic heritage. Challenging the conventional notion of the Habsburg state and society as peculiarly backward, Charles W. Ingrao traces its emergence as a military and cultural power of enormous influence. In doing so, he unravels a web of social, political, economic and cultural factors that shaped the Habsburg monarchy during the period. Firmly established as the leading survey of the early modern Habsburg monarchy, this third edition incorporates a quarter of a century of new, international scholarship. Extending its narrative reach, Ingrao gives greater attention to 'peripheral' territories, manifestations of high culture, and suggests links between the early modern monarchy and the problems of contemporary Europe. This elegant account of a complex story is accessible to specialists and non-specialists alike.
List of contents
1. The distinctiveness of Austrian history; 2. The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648); 3. Facing East: Hungary and the Turks (1648-1699); 4. Facing West: the second Habsburg Empire (1700-1740); 5. The Prussian challenge: war and government reform (1740-1763); 6. Discovering the people: the triumph of cameralism and enlightened absolutism; 7. The Age of Revolution (1789-1815); 8. Decline or disaggregation?
About the author
Charles Ingrao is Professor Emeritus of History at Purdue University, Indiana. He has held visiting appointments at a number of universities including Brown University, Rhode Island, the University of Cambridge, University of Chicago, University of Washington, Indiana University and multiple universities in Cyprus and New Zealand. He served as editor of the Austrian History Yearbook from 1997–2006. His previous publications include In Quest and Crisis: Emperor Joseph I and the Habsburg Monarchy, 1705–1711 (1979), The Hessian Mercenary State: Ideas, Institutions and Reform under Frederick II, 1760–1785 (1986) and Confronting the Yugoslav Controversies (2009), which he co-authored with Thomas A. Emmert.
Summary
Established as the leading textbook on the subject, this expanded third edition incorporates a quarter of a century of new, international scholarship which gives greater attention to 'peripheral' territories and high culture, and suggests links between the early modern monarchy and challenges facing contemporary Europe.
Report
'The best available introduction to the Habsburg monarchy at its zenith. Perceptive and fluent, it provides a sure guide to the complexity and diversity of the Austrian state, embracing the central institutions at its dynastic heart and the range of territories, from the historic German-imperial core to the newer peripheries that continually refashioned it.' Robert Evans, University of Oxford
