Before reading this article, please click "Follow", which is convenient for you to discuss and share, and can bring you a different sense of participation, thank you for your support!
Wen 丨 Listen to the history of history
Editor丨Listen to Shiji
preface
In 1700, Franz I (1716-1763) of the Habsburgs and Friedrich II of Austria (1710-1764) succeeded his father Frederick I and his mother Austria respectively.
If the success of the Habsburgs was inseparable from the marriage of Frederick I and the golden child of France (1734-1786), then the decline of the Habsburgs could not be separated from the "marriage family" of Empress Josephine (1711-1764).
In the history of the Austrian Habsburg Empire before the outbreak of World War I, the Habsburgs were known for their prominent position and huge sphere of influence within Europe.
However, little is said about the decline of the Habsburgs. In the author's opinion, one of the most important reasons is that the Habsburgs have a deep marriage relationship with many royal families in Europe.
In addition, in the study of European royal nobility, we found that among the many royal nobility in Europe, the Habsburgs were a family with special status and special interests.
On the one hand, the Habsburgs, like many royal nobles in Europe, had a deep marriage relationship; On the other hand, the Habsburgs and many European royal nobles had special interests and status different from other royal nobles.
Although the Habsburgs, like many European royal nobles, have deep marriage ties and special interests, the conclusion from our analysis is that the Habsburgs are a family with special status and special interests among the many royal families in Europe and are most likely to decline into the hands of European royal powers.
In addition, when studying the relationship between the Habsburgs and the royal families and nobles of European countries (such as the sinking of the Vienna by the French Navy in 1827), the author found that these historical events were some historical events that occurred before the decline and fall of the Habsburg Empire.
However, it should be noted that some events in the history of the Habsburg Empire (such as the sinking of the Vienna by the French Navy in 1827, etc.) are analyzed.
Royal marriage and the construction of the Habsburg dynasty
The establishment of the Habsburg dynasty, the first great empire in European history to split from the Holy Roman Empire, was the largest princely state in Europe, and was the founder of the German Empire and the Spanish Empire.
Prior to this, the only truly unified state on the European continent was the Frankish Kingdom, and the emergence of the Holy Roman Empire formed two states on the continent, namely the German nation-state centered on the Holy Roman Empire (First German Empire) and the Habsburg nation-state centered on Austria (Austrian Empire).
The two countries are geographically distant and culturally distinct, but they show striking similarities in the process of nation-building. After splitting from the Holy Roman Empire, both countries established their own monarchies, which took almost exactly the same form.
With the Habsburg family ruling the German Empire and the Austrian Empire, the Habsburg dynasty began the most glorious and successful period in its history. After the unification, the German Third Reich began its external expansion, with Italy as the target country and expansion direction. In Italy, the German Third Reich waged several wars, but no substantial progress was made.
In Austria, however, Emperor Franz II of Austria launched a war against Bohemia and Hungary in 1729, which ultimately failed.
In 1731, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria began his conquest of Austria and incorporated it under his rule in 1732. Bohemia, on the other hand, was occupied by Frederick I in 1744 and eventually incorporated into the Austrian Empire. Thus, the Third Reich completed its unification cause.
Militarily, the Habsburgs defeated the invasion of Germany by Poland, Saxony and Austria. Culturally, the German Third Reich also achieved great achievements:
"The Habsburgs built a great empire across Europe. It dominated all of continental Europe, including Italy, France and Spain, centered on Germany."
Despite the great economic and cultural achievements of the Habsburg dynasty, serious problems arose within the Habsburgs: first, the problem of marriage within the Habsburg family became increasingly prominent, in order to consolidate family power, expand family territory and increase family wealth.
The Habsburgs constantly married their daughters to kings and noble families in major European countries; Secondly, there was a serious conflict of interest between the Habsburgs and other members of the royal family: on the one hand, the claims of Austria and the Holy Roman Emperor to the Habsburg lands.
On the other hand, the Habsburgs constantly expanded their family domain and wealth in order to compete for power with other members of the royal family. In order to maintain this conflict of interest and maintain its position among the royal families, the Habsburgs engaged in a series of complex and brutal marriages with other members of the royal family.
The first was the marriage between the Habsburgs and the Holy Roman Emperor, the Austrian Emperor, the Spanish King, the Polish King and other major members of the royal family; followed by various forms of marriage activities with members of the royal families of France, Italy and other countries; The third is to carry out marriage activities with Polish and other royal families.
This frequent and brutal marriage not only affected the relations and status of the various noble family members within the Habsburg dynasty, but also made European society more and more secular.
This complex and brutal marriage between the Habsburgs and other royals was not simply to consolidate their position of interests among the members of the royal family.
It was first and foremost intended to establish the "sacred" dominance of the Habsburgs among the major European royal families; The second was to gain the power of interest groups within the Habsburgs to intervene and control the political and social affairs of the state.
The potential threat to the modern nation-state
As an important player in the modern European political arena, the Habsburgs have close ties with Britain, France, Germany, Russia and many other countries, and their rule process also shows the characteristics of the strengthening of traditional feudal royal power in Europe.
From the early 15th century to the mid-18th century, the Habsburgs were the protagonists of the European political scene, reigning under the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrian Empire, the Habsburg Dynasty, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
During the centuries of Habsburg rule, it achieved political unification in Germany, and on this basis brought the entire European continent into a unified political system, realizing the concept of the "nation-state".
However, with the awakening of the nation-state consciousness in modern Europe, the Habsburg dynasty, ruled by the Habsburgs, also faced many potential threats.
First, the question of succession to the throne within the Habsburgs. In many European countries, because the British royal family and the Austrian royal family are famous marriage families in Europe, the issue of internal succession to the throne has always been one of the important factors affecting the European political landscape.
Because of the many connections between the Habsburgs and the Austro-Hungarian royal family, conflicts arose over succession between the two empires. For example, in 1848, a war took place between Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria and King Frederick II of Prussia over succession to the throne.
According to the provisions of the Treaty of Vienna, there were no monarchs, no hereditary territories, no foreign possessions, and no imperial nobility in the Austrian Empire. Thus Ferdinand I did not receive the title of King of Austria, while King Frederick II of Prussia held the title of Holy Roman Emperor.
To solve this problem, on October 27, 1848, the Habsburgs signed the Treaty of Berlin with King Frederick II of Prussia.
Under the terms of the treaty, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, renounced the title of emperor of the Austrian Empire and all foreign possessions within the Austrian territories; The Prussian king renounced the title of Holy Roman Emperor and all foreign possessions within other possessions.
However, in the eyes of other European countries, the Treaty of Berlin did not really solve the problem of succession between the two empires, which further exacerbated the conflict between the Habsburgs and the Austro-Hungarian royal family. With the collapse of the Vienna system and the awakening of national consciousness within the empire, the question of succession to the throne within the Austrian Empire also attracted more and more attention.
The author's opinion
In the history of the Habsburg Empire, there has always been a "family" that played an irreplaceable role in it, that is, the Habsburg dynasty. The rise and fall of this dynasty were closely related to the European pattern at that time, especially within the Habsburg family, which not only had complex marriage relationships, but also competed in many aspects such as politics, military and economy.
The Habsburgs began to rise in the mid-13th century, reached their heyday in the mid-17th century, and then gradually declined. The members of this dynasty gradually formed a large family in the process of continuous marriage and inheritance. And this big family believes in the so-called "European spirit" - family honor and family glory.
Within this family, all members adhere to a strict set of norms, such as in life, they are not allowed to have any other form of entertainment. Except in some special cases, the members of the family must be consistent, otherwise it will be regarded as a betrayal of the family's honor.
This strict and rigid family concept continued until the 19th century. In such a strict and rigid family concept, everyone must abide by an extremely important rule - absolute obedience.
This absolute obedience was evident in many ways: militarily, the Habsburgs pursued a "gun-based" policy, believing that any weapon capable of fighting and winning should be regarded as the best and most advanced.
Economically, the Habsburgs pursued a "material-oriented" policy. They believe that as long as they can plunder as many resources as possible from all sides, they can better ensure that they do not lose to each other in the war; Politically, the Habsburgs pursued a "people-oriented" policy.
They believe that only by constantly absorbing the foreign population can they better consolidate the power they have. Therefore, the Habsburgs were mainly based on acceptance of all immigrants from other countries and nationalities.
Ideologically and culturally, the Habsburgs pursued a "self-centered" policy. They believe that only by continuously learning to improve their national cultural quality and spiritual realm can they better develop their national culture; Religiously, the Habsburgs pursued a "me-first" policy.
Under such a strict and rigid family concept, the members of the Habsburg dynasty had little room for personal development – they did not even have the right to think and make decisions for themselves.
bibliography
Chen Shouming, The Austrian Empire: A History of Empire, Shanghai People's Publishing House, 2003.
Gu Zhenghong, The Habsburgs and the Habsburgs, Shanghai People's Publishing House, 1999.
Ding Ning'an, The Decline and Fall of the Habsburgs, China Encyclopedia Press, 2011.
Marlon Hansen, The Decline of the Habsburgs, People's Publishing House, 2003.
Henry Clay, The Austrian Empire, Commercial Press, 2013.