History Of The Habsburg Empire: Rise And Declin... May 2026

While many empires grew through conquest, the Habsburgs famously expanded through strategic alliances and inheritance.

This brought the wealthy Low Countries (modern Belgium and the Netherlands) into the fold. History of the Habsburg Empire: Rise and Declin...

Under Charles V (r. 1519–1556), the empire reached its greatest territorial extent, functioning as the primary defender of Catholicism against the Ottoman Empire and the burgeoning Protestant Reformation. The Long Pivot: Division and Absolutism While many empires grew through conquest, the Habsburgs