History UsefulNotes / TheSoundOfMartialMusic

The first Habsburg king was a warlord named Rudolph who was FeudalOverlord of an alpine fortress called ''Habichtsburg'' (now in UsefulNotes/{{Switzerland}} [[note]]The Habsburgs had terrible experiences with the Swiss, losing their home territories in what is now Switzerland, including the Aargau with Habsburg Castle, to the expanding Swiss Confederacy after the battles of Morgarten (1315) and Sempach (1386); the Duke of Austria Leopold III was also killed at Sempach. Habsburg Castle itself was finally lost to the Swiss in 1415.[[/note]]), which translates into English as "the Hawk's Castle", whence the name "Habsburg." He was elected "King of Germany" (''not'' Emperor of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire [[note]]Rudolph's son Albert also ruled as "King of Germany" and not Holy Roman Emperor. Frederick III (reigned 1452 – 1493) was the ''fourth'' king and first emperor from the House of Habsburg.[[/note]]) in Oct 1273, ''because'' of his lack of resources, which it was hoped would make him controllable. [[UnderestimatingBadassery As it turned out]], Rudolph had considerable military skill and sacked enough rebellious barons' castles to persuade them of the advisability of good order and loyalty to the crown. The Habsburg family became known for its skill in diplomacy and acquired many possessions by marriage, giving rise to the motto "Let others wage wars, but you, merry Austria, marry!" (''Bella gerant alii, tu, felix Austria, nube!)''. At one time, because of a previous merger with the royal family of Spain, it was an empire with holdings in the Western as well as the Eastern hemisphere, becoming the first "Empire on which the sun never sets"; however, the Spanish-based section of the family and the Austrian-based one were split, with UsefulNotes/CharlesV giving Spain and the Netherlands to his son Phillip (Felipe II of Spain) and the Central/Eastern European realms to his brother Ferdinand, and the Spanish branch eventually died out for [[HeirClubForMen lack of male issue]] (and [[RoyallyScrewedUp sanity]]).

-->-- '''James W. Gerard, American diplomat'''

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: Vienna was occupied by the Hungarian Black Army from 1485 to 1490. More famously, the Ottomans attempted it twice, being defeated in both sieges.

The first Habsburg king was a warlord named Rudolph who was FeudalOverlord of an alpine fortress called ''Habichtsburg'' (now in UsefulNotes/{{Switzerland}} [[note]]The Habsburgs had terrible experiences with the Swiss, losing their home territories in what is now Switzerland, including the Aargau with Habsburg Castle, to the expanding Swiss Confederacy after the battles of Morgarten (1315) and Sempach (1386). Habsburg Castle itself was finally lost to the Swiss in 1415.[[/note]]), which translates into English as "the Hawk's Castle", whence the name "Habsburg." He was elected "King of Germany" (''not'' Emperor of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire [[note]]Rudolph's son Albert also ruled as "King of Germany" and not Holy Roman Emperor. Frederick III (reigned 1452 – 1493) was the ''fourth'' king and first emperor from the House of Habsburg.[[/note]]) in Oct 1273, ''because'' of his lack of resources, which it was hoped would make him controllable. [[UnderestimatingBadassery As it turned out]], Rudolph had considerable military skill and sacked enough rebellious barons' castles to persuade them of the advisability of good order and loyalty to the crown. The Habsburg family became known for its skill in diplomacy and acquired many possessions by marriage, giving rise to the motto "Let others wage wars, but you, merry Austria, marry!" (''Bella gerant alii, tu, felix Austria, nube!)''. At one time, because of a previous merger with the royal family of Spain, it was an empire with holdings in the Western as well as the Eastern hemisphere, becoming the first "Empire on which the sun never sets"; however, the Spanish-based section of the family and the Austrian-based one were split, with UsefulNotes/CharlesV giving Spain and the Netherlands to his son Phillip (Felipe II of Spain) and the Central/Eastern European realms to his brother Ferdinand, and the Spanish branch eventually died out for [[HeirClubForMen lack of male issue]] (and [[RoyallyScrewedUp sanity]]).

The first Habsburg king was a warlord named Rudolph who was FeudalOverlord of an alpine fortress called ''Habichtsburg'' (now in UsefulNotes/{{Switzerland}} [[note]]The Habsburgs had terrible experiences with the Swiss, losing their home territories in what is now Switzerland, including the Aargau with Habsburg Castle, to the expanding Swiss Confederacy after the battles of Morgarten (1315) and Sempach (1386). Habsburg Castle itself was finally lost to the Swiss in 1415. [[/note]]), which translates into English as "the Hawk's Castle", whence the name "Habsburg." He was elected "King of Germany" (''not'' Emperor of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire [[note]]Rudolph's son Albert also ruled as "King of Germany" and not Holy Roman Emperor. Frederick III (reigned 1452 – 1493) was the ''fourth'' king and first emperor from the House of Habsburg.[[/note]]) in Oct 1273, ''because'' of his lack of resources, which it was hoped would make him controllable. [[UnderestimatingBadassery As it turned out]], Rudolph had considerable military skill and sacked enough rebellious barons' castles to persuade them of the advisability of good order and loyalty to the crown. The Habsburg family became known for its skill in diplomacy and acquired many possessions by marriage, giving rise to the motto "Let others wage wars, but you, merry Austria, marry!" (''Bella gerant alii, tu, felix Austria, nube!)''. At one time, because of a previous merger with the royal family of Spain, it was an empire with holdings in the Western as well as the Eastern hemisphere, becoming the first "Empire on which the sun never sets"; however, the Spanish-based section of the family and the Austrian-based one were split, with UsefulNotes/CharlesV giving Spain and the Netherlands to his son Phillip (Felipe II of Spain) and the Central/Eastern European realms to his brother Ferdinand, and the Spanish branch eventually died out for [[HeirClubForMen lack of male issue]] (and [[RoyallyScrewedUp sanity]]).

The first Habsburg king was a warlord named Rudolph who was FeudalOverlord of an alpine fortress called ''Habichtsburg'', which translates into English as "the Hawk's Castle", whence the name "Habsburg." He was elected "King of Germany" (''not'' Emperor of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire [[note]]Rudolph's son Albert also ruled as "King of Germany" and not Holy Roman Emperor. Frederick III (reigned 1452 – 1493) was the ''fourth'' king and first emperor from the House of Habsburg.[[/note]]) in Oct 1273, ''because'' of his lack of resources, which it was hoped would make him controllable. [[UnderestimatingBadassery As it turned out]], Rudolph had considerable military skill and sacked enough rebellious barons' castles to persuade them of the advisability of good order and loyalty to the crown. The Habsburg family became known for its skill in diplomacy and acquired many possessions by marriage, giving rise to the motto "Let others wage wars, but you, merry Austria, marry!" (''Bella gerant alii, tu, felix Austria, nube!)''. At one time, because of a previous merger with the royal family of Spain, it was an empire with holdings in the Western as well as the Eastern hemisphere, becoming the first "Empire on which the sun never sets"; however, the Spanish-based section of the family and the Austrian-based one were split, with UsefulNotes/CharlesV giving Spain and the Netherlands to his son Phillip (Felipe II of Spain) and the Central/Eastern European realms to his brother Ferdinand, and the Spanish branch eventually died out for [[HeirClubForMen lack of male issue]] (and [[RoyallyScrewedUp sanity]]).

The Habsburg imperial forces were always a motley and colorful patchwork of levies from their various possessions as well as mercenaries. They probably reached their greatest height of prestige during the UsefulNotes/ItalianWars, in which they took on France- previously the most feared army in Europe- and the wealth of Italy and utterly, brutally crushed both under heel. This ushered in almost a century of continuous Habsburg dominance that only began to slip during UsefulNotes/TheEightyYearsWar and UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar decades later. The latter saw brilliant but ruthless general Wallenstein fight on against the enemies of the Empire and win a number of battles -- only to lose his position due to anti-Imperial Western intervention hammering his army coupled with an overweening personal ambition.

The first Habsburg was a warlord named Rudolph who was FeudalOverlord of an alpine fortress called ''Habichtsburg'', which translates into English as "the Hawk's Castle", whence the name "Habsburg." He was elected "King of Germany" (''not'' Emperor of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire [[note]]Rudolph's son Albert also ruled as "King of Germany" and not Holy Roman Emperor. Frederick III (reigned 1452 – 1493) was the ''fourth'' king and first emperor from the House of Habsburg.[[/note]]) in Oct 1273, ''because'' of his lack of resources, which it was hoped would make him controllable. [[UnderestimatingBadassery As it turned out]], Rudolph had considerable military skill and sacked enough rebellious barons' castles to persuade them of the advisability of good order and loyalty to the crown. The Habsburg family became known for its skill in diplomacy and acquired many possessions by marriage, giving rise to the motto "Let others wage wars, but you, merry Austria, marry!" (''Bella gerant alii, tu, felix Austria, nube!)''. At one time, because of a previous merger with the royal family of Spain, it was an empire with holdings in the Western as well as the Eastern hemisphere, becoming the first "Empire on which the sun never sets"; however, the Spanish-based section of the family and the Austrian-based one were split, with UsefulNotes/CharlesV giving Spain and the Netherlands to his son Phillip (Felipe II of Spain) and the Central/Eastern European realms to his brother Ferdinand, and the Spanish branch eventually died out for [[HeirClubForMen lack of male issue]] (and [[RoyallyScrewedUp sanity]]).

!!Examples:

The first Habsburg was a warlord named Rudolph who was FeudalOverlord of an alpine fortress called ''Habichtsburg'', which translates into English as "the Hawk's Castle", whence the name "Habsburg." He was elected "King of Germany" (''not'' Emperor of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire [[note]]Rudolph's son Albert also ruled as "King of Germany" and not Holy Roman Emperor[[/note]]) in Oct 1273, ''because'' of his lack of resources, which it was hoped would make him controllable. [[UnderestimatingBadassery As it turned out]], Rudolph had considerable military skill and sacked enough rebellious barons' castles to persuade them of the advisability of good order and loyalty to the crown. The Habsburg family became known for its skill in diplomacy and acquired many possessions by marriage, giving rise to the motto "Let others wage wars, but you, merry Austria, marry!" (''Bella gerant alii, tu, felix Austria, nube!)''. At one time, because of a previous merger with the royal family of Spain, it was an empire with holdings in the Western as well as the Eastern hemisphere, becoming the first "Empire on which the sun never sets"; however, the Spanish-based section of the family and the Austrian-based one were split, with UsefulNotes/CharlesV giving Spain and the Netherlands to his son Phillip (Felipe II of Spain) and the Central/Eastern European realms to his brother Ferdinand, and the Spanish branch eventually died out for [[HeirClubForMen lack of male issue]] (and [[RoyallyScrewedUp sanity]]).

The first Habsburg was a warlord named Rudolph who was FeudalOverlord of an alpine fortress called ''Habichtsburg'', which translates into English as "the Hawk's Castle", whence the name "Habsburg." He was elected Emperor of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire in 1273, ''because'' of his lack of resources, which it was hoped would make him controllable. [[UnderestimatingBadassery As it turned out]], Rudolph had considerable military skill and sacked enough rebellious barons' castles to persuade them of the advisability of good order and loyalty to the crown. The Habsburg family became known for its skill in diplomacy and acquired many possessions by marriage, giving rise to the motto "Let others wage wars, but you, merry Austria, marry!" (''Bella gerant alii, tu, felix Austria, nube!)''. At one time, because of a previous merger with the royal family of Spain, it was an empire with holdings in the Western as well as the Eastern hemisphere, becoming the first "Empire on which the sun never sets"; however, the Spanish-based section of the family and the Austrian-based one were split, with UsefulNotes/CharlesV giving Spain and the Netherlands to his son Phillip (Felipe II of Spain) and the Central/Eastern European realms to his brother Ferdinand, and the Spanish branch eventually died out for [[HeirClubForMen lack of male issue]] (and [[RoyallyScrewedUp sanity]]).

* Although ''VideoGame/HeartsOfIron'' takes place [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII during the immediate period]] after the empire was disbanded, ''IV'' allows for the player to restore Austria-Hungary with Otto von Habsburg as the leader if they play as Hungary, or it can be willed back into existence if either Germany restores the Kaiser or Turkey returns to the Ottman Empire and then rekindles sentiment for the empire, with Austria in charge in the latter example[[note]]the nation can also be formed by Czechoslovakia or Croatia, but neither can put the Habsburgs in power[[/note]]. In a somewhat more outlandish case, it's also possible for the Habsburgs to return to power in ''Poland'' in ''IV'' if the player establishes a monarchy and chooses Karl Albrecht von Habsburg as the monarch[[note]]in real life, while Karl did serve in the Polish army, he was far more interested in serving as a soldier, and did not seek to establish a monarchy in Poland; in game, this is represented by him being both the country's leader and a field marshal, with the committee that seeks a king using his sense of patriotism to get him to agree to become king if the player goes down that path[[/note]], with said option allowing for Poland to unite with Czechoslovakia and claim the German-held territories bordering both countries (as well as force Miklos Horthy to allow Otto von Habsburg to rule Hungary)[[note]]interestingly, because of how the game mechanics work, if Czechoslovakia was to somehow reform the Austro-Hungarian Empire before being annexed, Poland would gain cores ''on the entire Empire''[[/note]]. Curiously, despite the Habsburgs having ruled Spain in the past and Spain having a monarchist path in this game (and Francisco Franco offered Otto von Habsburg the crown in real life before Juan Carlos I of the House of Bourbon was crowned), there is no option to have Habsburg Spain.

* Although ''VideoGame/HeartsofIron'' takes place [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII during the immediate period]] after the empire was disbanded, ''IV'' allows for the player to restore Austria-Hungary with Otto von Habsburg as the leader if they play as Hungary, or it can be willed back into existence if either Germany restores the Kaiser or Turkey returns to the Ottman Empire and then rekindles sentiment for the empire, with Austria in charge in the latter example[[note]]the nation can also be formed by Czechoslovakia or Croatia, but neither can put the Habsburgs in power[[/note]]. In a somewhat more outlandish case, it's also possible for the Habsburgs to return to power in ''Poland'' in ''IV'' if the player establishes a monarchy and chooses Karl Albrecht von Habsburg as the monarch[[note]]in real life, while Karl did serve in the Polish army, he was far more interested in serving as a soldier, and did not seek to establish a monarchy in Poland; in game, this is represented by him being both the country's leader and a field marshal, with the committee that seeks a king using his sense of patriotism to get him to agree to become king if the player goes down that path[[/note]], with said option allowing for Poland to unite with Czechoslovakia and claim the German-held territories bordering both countries (as well as force Miklos Horthy to allow Otto von Habsburg to rule Hungary)[[note]]interestingly, because of how the game mechanics work, if Czechoslovakia was to somehow reform the Austro-Hungarian Empire before being annexed, Poland would gain cores ''on the entire Empire''[[/note]]. Curiously, despite the Habsburgs having ruled Spain in the past and Spain having a monarchist path in this game (and Francisco Franco offered Otto von Habsburg the crown in real life before Juan Carlos I of the House of Bourbon was crowned), there is no option to have Habsburg Spain.

* Jaroslav Hašek's ''[[LongTitle The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk During the World War]]'', better known just as ''Literature/TheGoodSoldierSvejk'' or just ''Švejk'' ([[SpellMyNameWithAnS with all attendant variations thereof]]), an utterly hilarious (though also gut-wrenching no less often) satirical novel about titular "[[BlatantLies good soldier]]" during the last days of the Empire. Sadly also unfinished -- Hašek [[AuthorExistenceFailure died of tuberculosis]] after finishing barely a third of its intended size, with Švejk didn't even getting to the front lines -- it's still one of the greatest achievements of the Czech literature in particular and world literature in general.

* Although ''VideoGame/HeartsofIron'' takes place [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII during the immediate period]] after the empire was disbanded, ''IV'' allows for the player to restore Austria-Hungary with Otto von Habsburg as the leader if they play as Hungary, or it can be willed back into existence if Germany restores the Kaiser and then rekindles sentiment for the empire, with Austria in charge in the latter example[[note]]the nation can also be formed by Czechoslovakia or Croatia, but neither can put the Habsburgs in power[[/note]]. In a somewhat more outlandish case, it's also possible for the Habsburgs to return to power in ''Poland'' in ''IV'' if the player establishes a monarchy and chooses Karl Albrecht von Habsburg as the monarch[[note]]in real life, while Karl did serve in the Polish army, he was far more interested in serving as a soldier, and did not seek to establish a monarchy in Poland; in game, this is represented by him being both the country's leader and a field marshall, with the committee that seeks a king using his sense of patriotism to get him to agree to become king if the player goes down that path[[/note]], with said option allowing for Poland to unite with Czechoslovakia and claim the German-held territories bordering both countries (as well as force Miklos Horthy to allow Otto von Habsburg to rule Hungary). Curiously, despite the Habsburgs having ruled Spain in the past and Spain having a monarchist path in this game (and Francisco Franco offered Otto von Habsburg the crown), there is no option to have Habsburg Spain.

* Although ''VideoGame/HeartsofIron'' takes place [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII during the immediate period]] after the empire was disbanded, ''IV'' allows for the player to restore Austria-Hungary with Otto von Habsburg as the leader if they play as Hungary, or it can be willed back into existence if Germany restores the Kaiser and then rekindles sentiment for the empire, with Austria in charge in the latter example[[note]]the nation can also be formed by Czechoslovakia or Croatia, but neither can put the Habsburgs in power[[/note]]. In a somewhat more outlandish case, it's also possible for the Habsburgs to return to power in ''Poland'' in ''IV'' if the player establishes a monarchy and chooses Karl Albrecht von Habsburg as the monarch[[note]]in real life, while Karl did serve in the Polish army, he was far more interested in serving as a soldier, and did not seek to establish a monarchy in Poland; in game, this is represented by him being both the country's leader and a field marshall, with the committee that seeks a king using his sense of patriotism to get him to agree to become king if the player goes down that path[[/note]], with said option allowing for Poland to unite with Czechoslovakia and claim the German-held territories bordering both countries (as well as force Miklos Horthy to allow Otto von Habsburg to rule Hungary). Curiously, despite the Habsburgs having ruled spain in the past (and Francisco Franco

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The myriad possible fates of the Austro-Hungarian Empire open up a can of "what ifs" used in AlternateHistory fiction. One major concept that's speculated on is UsefulNotes/FranzFerdinandOfAustria's plan for [[TheFederation the United States of Greater Austria]], which would've divided the empire into 14 states and 14 semi-autonomous German enclaves within several of the non-German states, giving each of the major nationalities within the empire at least one state of their own instead of only the German Austrians and the Hungarians having that status. Such a multi-ethnic federation would've been practically the European Union in miniature.

Rather amazingly the last Austrian Crown Prince, Otto von Habsburg (or Otto Habsburg-Lothringen in Austria)[[note]]he - as well as his relatives - were legally barred from using the [[TheVonTropeFamily 'von']] inside the Austrian Republic after the official abrogation of the nobility in 1919[[/note]] lived until the ripe old age of 98, [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/04/otto-von-habsburg-obituary dying on the 4th of July, 2011]] . Had he actually succeeded his father on the throne he would have [[LongRunner reigned for 88 years, becoming one of the longest reigning monarchs in European history.]] A politician of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion, he allegedly once punched [[UsefulNotes/TheTroubles Ian Paisley]] after the latter insulted UsefulNotes/ThePope as ''the Antichrist'' in the European Parliament.

Rather amazingly the last Austrian Crown Prince, Otto von Habsburg (or Otto Habsburg-Lothringen in Austria) lived until the ripe old age of 98, [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/04/otto-von-habsburg-obituary dying on the 4th of July, 2011]] . Had he actually succeeded his father on the throne he would have [[LongRunner reigned for 88 years, becoming one of the longest reigning monarchs in European history.]] A politician of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion, he allegedly once punched [[UsefulNotes/TheTroubles Ian Paisley]] after the latter insulted UsefulNotes/ThePope as ''the Antichrist'' in the European Parliament.

* The Habsburgs are also around in the 1066 start of ''[[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]]'' and [[VideoGame/CrusaderKingsIII its sequel]], although they only rule a single county in Switzerland. Recreating the Habsburg empire from this humble origin is a common challenge among players.

** The Habsburgs are also around in the 1066 start of ''[[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]]'' and [[VideoGame/CrusaderKingsIII its sequel]], although they only rule a single county in Switzerland. Recreating the Habsburg empire from this humble origin is a common challenge among players.

The Habsburg Empire was not a normal empire. Even when UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} was the premier power, its preeminence was not the same as that of [[UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia Russia under the Tsars]]. Rather the Habsburgs, one of the [[BlueBlood great houses of Europe]], were the feudal system taken to its logical extreme, with dozens of nations having no connection to one another except their joint allegiance to the Habsburg [[TheClan Family]]. (Note that the spelling "Hapsburg," common in older English translations, is not considered the most correct.) Therefore it is proper to refer to their state (and by extension its military) by reference to The Family. ([[UsefulNotes/TheMafia Not that one]] [[NotSoDifferent despite occasional resemblances]].)

->''"That extraordinary empire known as the Austrian-Hungarian Dual Monarchy is less an Empire or a Kingdom or a State than the personal property of the Habsburgs, whose hereditary talent for the acquisition of land is recorded on the map of Europe today!"''

->''"That extraordinary empire known as the Austrian-Hungarian Dual Monarchy is less an Empire or a Kingdom or a State than the ''personal property'' of the Habsburgs, whose hereditary talent for the acquisition of land is recorded on the map of Europe today!"''

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The myriad possible fates of the Austro-Hungarian Empire open up a can of "what ifs" used in AlternateHistory fiction. One major concept that's speculated on is UsefulNotes/FranzFerdinand's plan for [[TheFederation the United States of Greater Austria]], which would've divided the empire into 14 states and 14 semi-autonomous German enclaves within several of the non-German states, giving each of the major nationalities within the empire at least one state of their own instead of only the German Austrians and the Hungarians having that status. Such a multi-ethnic federation would've been practically the European Union in miniature.

* Austria is a playable faction in the ''VideoGame/{{Cossacks}}'' series.

* The Hungarian film ''Colonel Redl'' (1985) takes place during the Dual Monarchy's waning days, focusing on spy-turned-traitor Alfred Redl. The movie depicts the ethnic and religious tensions within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, showing Archduke Franz Ferdinand using unsavory means (entrapping military officers as spies, provoking conflict with Serbia and Russia) to keep the Empire together at all costs.

The first Habsburg was a warlord named Rudolph who was FeudalOverlord of an alpine fortress called ''Habichtsburg'', which translates into English as "the Hawk's Castle", whence the name "Habsburg." He was elected Emperor of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire in 1273, ''because'' of his lack of resources, which it was hoped would make him controllable. [[UnderestimatingBadassery As it turned out]], Rudolph had considerable military skill and sacked enough rebellious barons' castles to persuade them of the advisability of good order and loyalty to the crown. The Habsburg family became known for its skill in diplomacy and acquired many possessions by marriage, giving rise to the motto "Let others wage wars, but you, merry Austria, marry!" (''Bella gerant alii, tu, felix Austria, nube!)''. At one time, because of a previous merger with the royal family of Spain, it was an empire with holdings in the Western as well as the Eastern hemisphere, becoming the first "Empire on which the sun never sets"; however, the Spanish-based section of the family and the Austrian-based one were split, with Charles V giving Spain and the Netherlands to his son Phillip (Felipe II of Spain) and the Central/Eastern European realms to his brother Ferdinand, and the Spanish branch eventually died out for [[HeirClubForMen lack of male issue]] (and [[RoyallyScrewedUp sanity]]).