Well, Maria Theresa in time regained Bohemia, Moravia and part of Silesia after hard bargaining with the Hungarians for military support. How dare Austria name a woman to lead their country. 'Judson's reflections on nations, states and institutions are of broader interest, not least in the current debate on the future of the European Union after Brexit.'įascinating in the early going here with regard to Empress Maria Theresa and her machinations once named monarch to restore provinces snatched away by greedy usurpers. Judson does much to destroy the picture of an ossified regime and state.' Judson argues that.the empire was a force for progress and modernity. Judson rejects conventional depictions of the Habsburg empire as a hopelessly dysfunctional assemblage of squabbling nationalities and stresses its achievements in law, administration, science and the arts.' 'This is an engaging reappraisal of the empire whose legacy, a century after its collapse in 1918, still resonates across the nation-states that replaced it in central Europe. Lucid, elegant, full of surprising and illuminating details, it can be warmly recommended to anyone with an interest in modern European history.'

If his account of Habsburg achievements, especially in the 18th century, is rather starry-eyed, it is a welcome corrective to the black legend usually presented. Together, these perspectives shed light on core issues raised by the book as well as offer reflections on the future of Habsburg studies.A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year The contributors to this debate come to the book from different regional and academic standpoints, and take on a number of key issues raised by the book: the role of nationality in the empire the nature of Habsburg imperial rule within the broader context of European empire building the relationship of Hungary within the larger empire and the position of the Habsburg Empire within European history as a whole. Judson offers a new narrative of a vibrant and adaptive state that had the ability to balance empire and nationality, and thus was not doomed to fail, as has been one of the well-worn interpretations of the empire. Judson’s history of the Habsburg Empire: A New History has sparked discussion and debate as a result of its novel reframing of the relationship between nationalism and empire in the Central European polity.

Pieter m judson the habsburg empire