The Habsburg Empire
Such a complex history — and the Habsburg kings, historians, and peoples would have it no other way. One could go back to the 11th Century and Radbot of Klettgau who built the Habsburg Castle in Switzerland. The family came to rule Austria in the 13th Century; it was a duchy within the Kingdom of Germany which was rolled into the Holy Roman Empire. You see how a thousand years of histories and millions of peoples from a dozen nationalities/ethnicities/geographies are involved. What we do remember is the end: World War One and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the merciless maelstrom of the 20th Century.
This selection scratches the surface, of course. I am drawn to the history and literature of the Empire because it had such grand concerns (half of modern Europe) and great writers (Banffy, Zweig, Musil, Freud, among many). It also had supremely romantic figures — Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Sissi, a Bavarian girl lifted to the heights of the imperium only to see the beginning of the end before her assassination in 1898, the longest serving Empress in Austrian history. All of History’s wheels-within-wheels seemed to operate in the Empire, all levels of art and science and literature and military tradition.
And we live with the shadows, the ruins, and the consequences of the Empire to these fraught days of the 21st Century.
The Austro-Hungarian Forces in World War I volume 1
The Austro-Hungarian Forces in World War I volume 1
The part played in the Great War by the army of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy is little known to English-speakers, perhaps because the end of the war saw the complete destruction of the Empire. Yet it was of central importance, providing nearly all Central Powers forces on the Italian front, huge numbers on the Russian front, seven Army Corps in the Balkans - and even a little-known contingent in Turkey and Palestine. The first half of the story of this complex multi-national organization at war is described here in a concise but detailed text, supported by data tables and an insignia chart, and illustrated with rare photographs and colourful uniform plates.
Dr Peter Jung was born in 1955 and attended the University of Vienna where he obtained a Doctorate in History. He started working for the Austrian State Archives/War Archives in 1981 and was the head of three departments there. He has written a number of books and articles including Die Feldverwendung der Österreichisch - Ungarischen Gendarmerie 1914/18 and L'ultimo Guerra degli Asburgo, Carso-Basso Isonzo-Trieste. Sadly Peter passed away in April 2003.Darko Pavlovic was born in 1959 and currently lives and works in Zagreb, Croatia. A trained architect, he now works as a full-time illustrator and writer, specialising in militaria. Darko has illustrated a number of books for Osprey including Men-at-Arms 282: 'Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941-45' and Elite 60: 'U-Boat Crews 1914-45'. He has also written and illustrated titles for the Men-at-Arms series on the Austrian army of the 19th century.
The complex military organisation of the multi-national Imperial-Royal armies Higher Command Infantry Cavalry Artillery Technical Services Polish, Ukrainian, Albanian Legions Tyrolean & Carinthian Volunteer units Uniforms 1914 'pike-grey' 1915 'field grey' Representative campaigns - Russian front (Brusilov offensive), Italian front (1st-6th battles of the Isonzo), Balkans, Gallipoli