The Habsburg Way: Seven Rules for Turbulent Times

"Why should anybody "do things the Habsburg Way" in the 21st century? Aren't the Habsburgs rulers from centuries ago, a dusty imperial family that has long since disappeared? Shouldn't we be wary of rulers, kings, emperors, and tyrants in general-and isn't this the premise on which the United States and many modern nations are built? What possible connection could there be between the royal world of the past and the society, politics, and morals of today? (And while we're at it: isn't it "Hapsburg" with a "p" instead of "Habsburg" with a "b"?) These and many other questions will be answered in this book. I hope that, by the end, you will have gotten to know a number of very different members of my family, including: the hooked-nosed Rudolf, who in 1273 became the first Holy Roman Emperor; The Last Knight Maximilian, who lived an anachronis- tic life of courtly romance in the 15th century; the devout Arch- duchess Magdalena, who founded a convent in the 16th century; the towering Mother of her People, Empress Maria Theresia, who bore sixteen children over two decades during the 18th century; and the soft-spoken giant of faith, Blessed Emperor Karl, who lived during the 20th century. You will also learn about the many Habsburg connections to the United States. For example, did you know that the first gover- nor of Texas, in 1691, was installed by the (Spanish) Habsburgs? Or that the territory of at least a few states of the United States were originally part of Habsburg lands? And yes, you will also learn more about the famous Habsburg jaw, our family's marriage politics-and how to get different nations to live together, in peace, under one imperial roof (just in case you ever find yourself charged with this task). To be clear, this book is not intended to be a thorough review of our family history. I am not a professional historian, and there are already shelves of books that have been written about the eight hundred years during which the Habsburgs helped shape Euro- pean history. I am simply one member of the Habsburg family reflecting on the most important principles that my family has followed-rules or principles that I believe have made it prosper over many centuries. I shall begin with a short overview of Habsburg family history, focusing on five important dates you might want to memorize. Then I will present seven rules, principles, or maxims, that I think were at the root of Habsburg thought, action, politics, and family life. For each of them, I will provide examples of how, over the centuries, Habsburg rulers, male and female, implemented these rules in their lives-and their reigns-and how even whole coun- tries were shaped by them. They may not always be implemented in the same way across the ages. But a core Habsburg ability is being able to translate values into the appropriate form for any given time without sacrificing the principle. Of course, not every rule was perfectly observed by every one of the thousands of Habsburgs who have lived over nearly a thou- sand years. In fact, on many occasions, Habsburg rulers failed to live by them. But these failures are also instructive as they prompted other family members to step forward during those circumstances-because that is also what family is about. Finally, this book is intended to demonstrate how a set of values can be implemented into our lives and times today. I will show how the Habsburg family continues to embody the same ancient values even into the 21st century, long after the Austro- Hungarian monarchy ended. Finally, I'd like to ask whether our lives, politics-indeed, our world-wouldn't be better if we tried to do at least a few things "the Habsburg Way.""--