The House of Habsburg, also known as the House of Austria, is and was one of the most prominent dynasties across Europe for nearly 1000 years. The house is named after the Habsburg Castle, which is a fortress built in Switzerland by Radbot of Klettgau.
Radbot had a grandson named Otto II and was the first of the dynasty to use the fortress name to supplement his own. He became the Count of Habsburg.
By 1273, Rudolph of Habsburg was elected the King of the Romans and appointed his sons as the Dukes of Austria whilst moving to Vienna. This is why the house has become synonymous with Austria as they ruled here until 1918.
The empire ruled by the Habsburgs included the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, and several principalities in the Low Countries. They were in charge of the Holy Roman Empire from 1440 to 1740 before losing it for 25 years.
They restored themselves to this title in 1765 until 1806. Their empire even stretched to an emperor of Mexico in the 19th century. Today members of the Habsburg family oversee the Austrian branch of the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Imperial and Royal Order of Saint George.
Origins of the Empire
The Habsburg Empire has a long and convoluted history that has knots embedded across the continent of Europe. One could even trace the history of the empire to the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century.
The Habsburgs would truly come into power however in 1273 through a mixture of military expeditions and an election organized and arranged by the Pope. This line of Swiss nobility would become the de facto Emperors of the Roman World until 1806.
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The Habsburgs actually received their powers and titles from the descendants of Charlemagne. However, they did not receive their official title until 1453 when they had been operating as the head of the Roman Empire officially since 1415.
To further complicate matters, there was no formalization/ legal acceptance of a Habsburg empire until the 19th century. In this period, the family and the emperors gathered and accumulated power through arranged marriages. The Habsburgs sought alliances with central and eastern powers in Europe which allowed them to branch out from their headquarters in Vienna.
But while the rise of the Habsburg’s was a somewhat spread out affair, the height of the Habsburg dynasty is clear. It was achieved when Charles V was elected Emperor in 1519. He had already been ruling Spain for 3 years and had been the Lord of the Netherlands since 1506. Much of Charles V was dedicated to fighting Protestantism throughout the empire and expanding his control.
Charles abdicated his roles in 1556 and the Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs split the dynasty. The Austrian/German Habsburgs were led by Ferdinand while the Spanish Habsburgs were led by Philip, Charles’ son.
Ferdinand’s titles were the King of Bohemia, Hungary, and the Archduke of Austria in the name of Charles V in his own right. Philip became the King of Spain and all of its colonial empire. In addition to this, he was also to rule over the domain of Italy and the Low Countries.
The Habsburg Curse
One of the most famous aspects of the Habsburg dynasty was the fact that it was marred by frequent inbreeding. The dynasty had hoped to consolidate their power and so frequently married consanguineously.
This kept the power within the family but also had a terrible effect on the gene pool. There were many records of health impairments such as epilepsy, insanity, and early death.
A recent university study by the University of Santiago de Compostela reviewed 3,000 family members across 16 generations indicating that the level of inbreeding played a role in their extinction. Noticeably, many representations of the family show specific facial flaws such as the Habsburg Jaw.
But this was not the only Habsburg curse. One of the most interesting aspects of the Habsburg dynasty is that despite being one of the most powerful and wealthy families in Europe, they were also a cursed family.
Not only were they cursed but they are said to have been cursed twice, the first time by ravens. One story indicates that the birds had saved a Habsburg ancestor from being attacked and murdered by a flock of vultures around 1000 AD. To display his gratitude, the Habsburg man constructed a place to live for the ravens.
Unfortunately, one hundred years later, another Habsburg relative destroyed the home of the ravens so that he could construct an enormous castle. Not only did he destroy their home, but he killed some of the ravens as well.
In revenge, the ravens called on their supernatural protector named Turnfalken who haunted the Habsburgs for the proceeding centuries. They are said to have been at every battle the Habsburgs lost and appeared at the beheading of Marie Antoinette, who was born a Habsburg.
Another famous story about the cursing of the family includes an 18-year-old Franz Joseph, executing a group of rowdy Hungarians in 1848, following a failed rebellion. One of the Hungarians who was executed had a mother who placed a hex on Franz Joseph.
His reign was beset with tragedy thereafter. Additionally, future generations struggled to make it past their first birthday. 50 percent of births survived in the royal family over 250 years.
When one compares their genetic deformities to their tragic luck, it can be hard not to see the family as being plagued by a curse of some kind. Of course it may have been through their own making, and it has always been human nature to cast about for external scapegoats on which to blame your own shortcomings. Maybe it was a witch that caused their misfortunes, or maybe it was all that marrying your cousins business.
But their mark on history cannot be denied. So many countries’ fates have been intertwined through their connection to the Habsburgs. Their empire stretched across Europe and dominated many of the political conversations of their day. Their impact can still be seen today with many people across the old Holy Roman Empire sharing similar customs and languages, all down to one royal dynasty established in the 10th century.
Top Image: Cursed by a witch, or architects of their own doom? Charles II of Spain, with probably the most prominent example of the “Habsburg Jaw” caused by familial interbreeding. Source: John Closterman / Public Domain.
By Kurt Readman
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