Essay On The Habsburg Family

The Habsburg family was a major power throughout Europe for nearly 750 years. They managed to move themselves up from being just a family with a castle to one of the largest empires Europe has ever seen. Throughout their reign, the family saw some losses of land, but many more gains. They fought battles against their major enemies, the French and the Ottomans. They married nearly every royal family in Europe, until there was no more room left to expand. With hard work and intelligence, the Habsburgs were able to maintain control of most of the continent for centuries. The Habsburg family originated in present-day Switzerland, where they named their dynasty after the castle they were living in – the Habsburg castle. Werner, who was the second to bear the title Count of Habsburg, built the castle in 1020. The Habsburgs grew their family, and therefore their reign over Europe, through a large family tree of beneficial marriages and many children. A phrase of poetry matches well with the Habsburgs agenda: “Let others make war; you, fortunate Austria, marry.” The Habsburgs avoided war if possible, and instead used marriage as their tool for expansion. The first major marriage that resulted in land expansion took place in 1473. …show more content…
It began with Rudolph I, who spent years trying to make Austria the home base. It was not for a few generations later when Rudolph IV was successfully able to explain the importance of Vienna as the capital. Located on the Danube, Vienna was a hub for trading. The city was considered a symbol of wealth and power at the time. Rudolph IV worked to expand the city, including boosting the economy and opening the University of Vienna in 1365. Like other major cities within the Habsburg dynasty, Protestantism was banned and Catholicism was the official religion. While the capital moved to Prague for a few years, it was mainly in Vienna for the entire