The House of Habsburg dynasty (English: House of Habsburg, 6th century -1918 AD) was the most powerful and widely ruled royal family in European history. It once ruled over the Holy Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire, the Grand Duchy of Austria, the Austrian Empire, the Austro Hungarian Empire, the Second Empire of Mexico, and more. The Habsburg family, also known as the Austrian family, began the 640 year rule of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria in 1278. At the beginning of the 18th century, the territory of the Habsburg dynasty expanded unprecedentedly. After the Vienna Conference in 1815, the German Confederation led by Austria was established. In 1866, Austria was defeated in the Prussian War and the Confederation was dissolved. In 1867, he signed a contract with Hungary to establish the Austro Hungarian Empire. After the end of World War I in 1918, the empire disintegrated. [5]
His family members served as Holy Roman Emperor (1273-1291, 1438-1806), Duke of Austria (1282-1453), Archduke of Austria (1453-1804), Emperor of Austria (1804-1918), King of Hungary (1526-1918), King of Bohemia (1526-1619, November 1620-1918), and King of Castile (1504-1506) King of Spain (1516-1700), King of Portugal (1580-1640), Emperor of Mexico (1864-1867), and Duke of several Italian duchies.
The Habsburg dynasty flourished extensively in the later stages, with King Carlos I of Spain (i.e. King Charles V of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor) divided into two branches: the Habsburg dynasty in Spain and the Habsburg dynasty in Austria (later replaced by the Habsburg Lorraine dynasty).

The Habsburg family has a prominent background. In the sixth century AD, their ancestors were the Duke of Alsace in France. They later expanded to the canton of Algaux in northern Switzerland and built the Eagle Castle named Habsburg in 1020, gradually expanding their influence to the west bank of the Rhine River basin.
In 1273, Rudolf I, Duke of Habsburg, was elected as King of Germany (but was not crowned emperor).
On December 27, 1282, Rudolf I seized the Duchy of Austria and Stilich, which was occupied by King Ottoka II of Bohemia, and was enfeoffed to his two sons, Albrecht and Rudolf. From then on, Austria was transferred to the Habsburg royal family for over 600 years.
After the death of Rudolf I in 1291, Adolf of the Nassau family was elected as king. However, due to his alliance with England, he was quickly rejected. The son of Rudolf I, Albrecht I, was elected as the opposing king and defeated Adolf in 1298, officially assuming the throne.
In 1308, Albrecht I was killed by his nephew John of Swaben. Since then, although Albrecht's second son Frederick III was elected as the opposing king and co ruled with Ludwig IV of Bavaria, the Habsburg family's power began to retreat to the family territory dominated by Austria over the following 100 years, and South Alsace Breisgau and other territories within the empire gradually came under administration.
During the 14th century, the newly established Swiss Confederation continued to expand into southern Germany, causing the Habsburg family to lose the Eagle Castle established by their ancestors. From then on, the base of the Habsburg dynasty was officially transferred from Eagle Castle in southern Switzerland to Vienna, Lower Austria.

Duchy of Austria
After losing the Holy Roman throne, the Habsburg family continued to retain Austria and Stilich as territories. Successive Austrian dukes have continuously expanded the scope of their principality and began calling themselves "Grand Duke" in the mid-19th century, in order to compete with the power of the Elector, but this title was not recognized by Emperor Charles IV.
The Habsburg family divided the Duchy of Austria into several provinces to rule, ultimately leading to the division of internal and external Austria.
In 1379, two brothers of the Habsburg family, Albrecht III and Leopold III, signed an agreement. The descendants of Albrecht will own the Grand Duchy of Austria (later known as Lower Austria), which is located in the central eastern part of Austria, while the descendants of Leopold will sit in the Grand Duchy of Outer Austria, ruling in areas including western Austria, southern Alsace, and southwestern Germany.
The situation of internal and external division in Austria was not unified due to the extinction of the Albrecht branch in 1450. The two branches of the Leopold branch, the Old Tyrol branch and the Styrian branch, controlled different territories.
It was not until the extinction of the Old Tyrol tribe in 1490 that the territory of the Habsburg family was unified by Maximilian I of the Styrian tribe.
Regain the Holy Roman Throne
In 1422, Albrecht V, Duke of Inner Austria, married Elizabeth of Luxembourg, the daughter of the Holy Roman emperor and King Sigismond of Hungary and Bohemia, and was designated as Sigismond's successor.
In 1437, Sigismund passed away due to illness, and the following year, Albrecht successively ascended to the throne as King of Germany, King of Hungary, and King of Bohemia (Albrecht II, not crowned emperor). From then on, the Habsburg family held the throne of the Holy Roman Empire (except from 1742 to 1745) until the fall of the empire.
But soon after, in 1439, Albrecht was buried on the battlefield, leaving behind his posthumous son Ladyslaus. The Duke of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire were subsequently succeeded by Frederick III, a cousin of Albrecht, and Radislaus inherited the kings of Hungary and Bohemia from birth (known as Laszlo V and Radislaus I, respectively). Unfortunately, the Habsburg infant was quickly harmed, causing the family to lose control over Hungary and Bohemia.
On November 23, 1453, the Holy Roman emperor Frederick III promoted the principality of Austria to the Grand Duchy, which greatly improved the status of the Habsburg Dynasty and even Austria in Europe, and also provided a basis for the further expansion of the imperial dynasty, which gradually entered its heyday.

The power of the Habsburg royal family was further strengthened during the reign of Maximilian I, son of Frederick III (1493-1519), through royal alliances. Maximilian himself married Mary Burgundy, the bold only daughter of Charles, the Duke of Burgundy, on August 18, 1477. This marriage will merge the territories belonging to the Duchy of Burgundy, from southern France to the Netherlands, into the Habsburg royal domain.
Maximilian's son, the handsome King Philip I, married Spanish Crown Prince Juana in 1496 and founded the Habsburg dynasty in Spain. However, Philip also gifted the territory of his mother, the Duke of Burgundy, to the Spanish royal family, planting the fuse for the war of Spanish succession to the throne. Ferdinand I, the grandson of Maximilian and the future Holy Roman emperor, married Anne of Bohemia on May 25, 1521. The next year, Ferdinand's sister Maria of Austria married Louis II of Hungary&Bohemia, These two marriages laid the groundwork for Austria's annexation of Bohemia and the formation of the Austro Hungarian binary empire in the future.
The Habsburg dynasty greatly strengthened the power of the empire through the influence of marriage on the European continent.
Charles V Dominates Europe
Maximilian's carefully arranged political marriage made his grandson Charles V (known as Carlos I in Spain) the hegemon of Europe. In 1506, Charles' father, handsome King Philip, passed away at an early age, and he inherited the position of Duke of Burgundy, becoming the first ruler of the Western Netherlands (Netherlands and Belgium). In 1516, Charles' grandfather, King Ferdinand II of Spain, passed away, making him King Carlos I of Spain. Since then, the entire country of Spain, Sicily, Sardinia in southern Italy, the Kingdom of Naples, and Spanish colonies in the Americas have all become the governing territories of the Habsburg dynasty.
In 1519, Charles' grandfather, the Holy Roman emperor Maximilian I, died of illness. Charles succeeded to the throne as Charles V and inherited the family's governance over Austria and Alsace.
At this time, Charles V became the European monarch who ruled the most territories, but continued to go on expeditions, such as dealing with the invasion of Protestants and the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, the internal affairs of the countries ruled by Charles V were mostly handled by his agents. In Spain, his agent was his son Prince Philip (later Philip II), while in Austria, his brother Grand Duke Ferdinand (later Ferdinand I).
Although the territory of the Habsburg dynasty had already surpassed that of all Europe, the imperial campaign for expansion did not stop.

Retrieve Bohemia
On August 29, 1526, Lajosh II, the King of Hungary and Bohemia, and Suleiman the Magnificent, the "miracle king" of the Ottoman sultan, fought fiercely in Mogachi near Budapest, the capital of Hungary, the first battle of Mogachi in history. Türkiye's army defeated the Hungarian army, and Louis was unfortunately killed in the battle. But the Ottoman Empire did not occupy Hungary for a long time and instead withdrew its troops in September. At this time, Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria, the younger brother of the Holy Roman emperor Charles V, succeeded the kings of Hungary and Bohemia as Rajosh's brother-in-law. Although there were contenders in Hungary, they were quickly pacified. Since then, Hungary, Bohemia and Moravia have been under the rule of Habsburg until 1918. And Silesia (southern Poland) has temporarily become the territory of the Habsburg dynasty.

The Habsburg dynasty is the most important, influential, and widely ruled royal family in European history. Members of this family have served as monarchs in Austria, Hungary, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. However, by the 18th century, this family suddenly declined for a confusing reason. However, the latest research by scientists has found that incest and close marriage may be the main reasons for the decline of this European royal family.
Members of the Habsburg royal family have a tradition of marrying their relatives in order to maintain the purity of their family lineage. But this has had terrifying consequences for their descendants, as these genetic diseases are most evident in the last direct heir, Carlos II.
Carlos II was nicknamed "El Hechizado" (Spanish: El Hechizado) because people at the time believed that Carlos II's physical and psychological illnesses were the result of the curse of witchcraft. Carlos II did not speak until after the age of four; He won't walk until after the age of 8; He is very short, and his body is quite thin and weak; He is almost uninterested in everything around him; At the age of 30, he looked very old, with swollen legs, feet, abdomen, and face; In the years before his death, he could hardly stand on his own and suffered from hallucinations and spasms.
Scientists' research shows that Carlos II suffers from at least two genetic diseases due to genetic disorders in his ancestors. One is the deficiency of pituitary hormones, which causes hormonal imbalance and affects his growth and development; The second type is kidney disease. In addition, Carlos II also suffered from the unique "Habsburg labia (mandibular protrusion)" deformity of family members, with a large tongue that made it difficult for him to speak and frequent drooling. His head is also too large, his intestines are inverted, and his body often twitches.
Despite Carlos II's deformed body and serious health problems, he still married twice and hoped to continue the rule of the Habsburg dynasty. But until his death at the age of 39, there was no heir left, and the Habsburg dynasty's direct line in Spain perished from then on.
In the 200 years before Carlos II, 9 of the 11 marriages were close relatives, including the marriage of two uncles and nieces, and the marriage of two first generation cousins and sisters.
The father of Carlos II, Philip IV, is the uncle of his mother, Maria Anna of Austria. His great grandfather, Philip II, is also the uncle of his great grandmother, Anna of Austria. His great grandmother, Maria Anna of Spain, is also his aunt. The motto of the Habsburg dynasty is: "Let others wage war, and you, happy Austrians, get married!" This praises the trend of family members combining with each other.

The Habsburg dynasty in Spain passed out in 1700, while the Austrian dynasty passed out in 1740 and was immediately replaced by the branch Habsburg Lorraine dynasty, until the empire was replaced by the Austrian Republic in 1918. Some descendants of the Habsburg royal family still survive, settling in Austria, Liechtenstein, and Germany.

In 1556, Charles V began to break away from political life after his final attempt to defeat the Protestant forces failed. Therefore, it was decided to cede the Spanish throne and the Archduke of Austria to his two proxies respectively, and to allow their respective descendants to inherit their own throne without mutual transmission. From then on, the Habsburg dynasty was officially divided into the Austrian branch and the Spanish branch, and the situation of one person dominating the dynasty's territory under Charles V no longer existed.
Habsburg dynasty in Austria
In 1556, Charles V ceded the throne of Archduke of Austria to his brother King Ferdinand I of Hungary and Bohemia, and appointed Ferdinand as the heir to the Holy Roman throne. But according to Charlie's will, Ferdinand and his descendants lost the right to inherit as the King of Spain. This made Ferdinand the first monarch of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. From then on, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria ruled Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia until the death of Charles VI in 1740, when Maria Theresa succeeded to the throne and reigned for 10 generations. These two hundred years were also the period of the most wars in European history. Afterwards, the two major camps in Europe broke out in the War of Austrian Succession in order to compete for the Austrian throne and gain benefits in Austria.

Habsburg dynasty in Spain
In 1504, Queen Isabella of Castile passed away due to illness. Due to the unfortunate death of both her son and the son of King Ferdinand II of Aragon, Queen Joanna the Mad succeeded to the throne of the Kingdom of Castile after Isabella's death. Philip I, the son of Maximilian I, the Holy Roman emperor, was the king's husband of Juana, and his father-in-law Ferdinand was in prison together. In 1516, after the death of Ferdinand, Joanna and Philip's son, Charles the Duke of Burgundy (Spanish name:, The preface to the Habsburg dynasty in Spain was officially unveiled.
In 1700, King Carlos II of Spain passed away, ending the Habsburg family's rule over the Spanish calendar for five generations. Under the pressure of the court's powerful figures, he passed on the throne to his half sister, Maria Theresa, the daughter of Philip IV, and Philip the Duke of Anjou, the grandson of King Louis XIV of France (later Philip V). The Austrian branch of Habsburg, who was strongly dissatisfied with this, formed an alliance with Britain and went to war with France, known as the Spanish Succession War. Eventually, the Spanish Bourbon dynasty conquered the Western Netherlands, the Kingdom of Naples, Sardinia Sicily and some other Italian territories were returned to Austria in exchange for Austria's recognition of the Spanish throne inheritance rights of the Bourbon royal family.

Habsburg Lorraine dynasty
On October 20, 1740, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI passed away. Charlie and his brother had no male descendants, so his eldest daughter Maria Theresa inherited the throne of his Archduke of Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary. On September 13, 1745, his son-in-law Franz, Duke of Lorraine, was elected as the Holy Roman emperor Franz I.
Afterwards, Emperor Franz I added his wife's surname before his own, and their descendants adopted the surname "Habsburg Lorraine". From then on, Austria entered the Habsburg Lorraine dynasty, and Emperor Franz and Queen Maria Theresa became the founders of the dynasty. The imperial dynasty underwent several changes, including the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire by French Emperor Napoleon I in 1806. But the Habsburg monarch at that time, the former Holy Roman emperor Franz II, integrated the Habsburg territories as early as 1804, and changed his name to Austrian Emperor Franz, in response to Napoleon's claim to the throne. In 1867, in order to mitigate the impact of the defeat in the Austro Prussian War on the empire, the Austrian Empire was renamed the Austro Hungarian Empire, implementing dual rule over the Austrian and Hungarian kingdoms. The royal dynasty was overthrown in 1918 due to its failure in World War I. The Austro Hungarian Empire was immediately dismembered, Austria established a republic, and the Habsburg royal family was forced to flee overseas.

In 1273, Rudolf I became the Holy Roman Emperor, but he was not crowned as emperor.
In 1282, Rudolf I seized the Duchy of Austria and Stilich, which was occupied by King Ottoka II of Bohemia, and was subsequently enfeoffed to his two sons, Albrecht and Rudolf. From then on, Austria was transferred to the Habsburg royal family for over 600 years.
In 1422, Albrecht V of Albrecht branch married Elizabeth of Luxembourg, the concubine of the Holy Roman emperor and Sigismond, the king of Hungary and Bohemia, and was designated as Sigismond's successor.
In 1438, Albrecht II became the Holy Roman Emperor, but he was not crowned as emperor.
In 1439, Albrecht passed away young, leaving behind his posthumous son Ladyslaus. The Duke of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire were subsequently succeeded by Frederick III, the distant cousin of Albrecht, while Radislaus inherited the kings of Hungary and Bohemia from birth (known as Laszlo V and Radislav I, respectively). Unfortunately, this Habsburg young master was quickly harmed, causing the family to lose control over Hungary and Bohemia.
In 1477, Maximilian I, the son of Frederick III, married Mary of Burgundy, the only daughter of the Duke of Burgundy. This marriage will merge the territories belonging to the Duchy of Burgundy, from southern France to the Netherlands and Belgium, into the royal territory of Habsburg.
Frederick III passed away in 1493. Maximilian inherited the throne of the Holy Roman Empire and the Grand Duchy of Austria, and was named Maximilian I.
In 1496, handsome man, the son of Maximilian, married the Crown Prince of Castile, and became the King of Castile, founding the Habsburg Dynasty in Spain. However, Philip also brought the territory of his mother, the Duke of Burgundy, into the Spanish royal family, planting the seeds of the conflict between Spain and France.
In 1506, Charlie's father, Philip, a beautiful man, died at an early age. Charlie inherited the position of Duke of Burgundy and became the ruler of Netherlands and Belgium.
In 1516, Charles' grandfather Ferdinand II passed away, and he was enthroned as King of Spain, known as Carlos I. The Habsburg dynasty in Spain began from this.
In 1519, Charles' grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, passed away due to illness. Charles inherited the throne and became Charles V, inheriting the family's rule over Austria and Alsace.
In 1526, Charles' brother Ferdinand acquired Bohemia.
In 1556, Charles V abdicated and divided the land of the Habsburg family in two. The Holy Roman Empire throne was inherited by his brother Ferdinand I, and the Spanish throne was inherited by his son Philip II.
In 1700, Carlos II passed away and the Habsburg dynasty in Spain became extinct.
In 1740, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI passed away, and Maria Theresa succeeded him to the throne of Archduke of Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary.
In 1781, Maria Theresa's son Joseph II implemented significant reforms to liberate serfs.
In 1792, Leopold II officially formed an alliance with Prussia, preparing to intervene in France by force.
In 1799, Austria, together with Britain, Türkiye and Russia, formed the second anti French alliance.
In 1804, Franz II proclaimed himself Emperor of Austria in response to Napoleon I and took the opportunity to integrate the territory of the Habsburg dynasty.
In 1806, Franz II relinquished the throne of the Holy Roman Empire, resulting in the downfall of the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1866, the Austrian Empire was defeated in the Prussian War and forced to dissolve the German Confederation. At the same time, it was forced to return Venice to Prussian ally Italy.
In 1867, Franz Joseph I was crowned as the king of Hungary, and the Austro Hungarian Empire was established.
In 1918, the last emperor of the Habsburg family, Karl I, relinquished the throne and the Austro Hungarian Empire finally disintegrated.