This title is a history of the extraordinary rise to power and eventual decline of the Habsburg Empire. This episode in history covers three centuries, and traces their area of influence to almost all the countries of Europe - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain and Italy. Because the Habsburgs dominated so many national histories, their family history is usually fragmented. This obscures the trans-national nature of the dynasty. Polyglot and adaptable - they remained identifiably Habsburg. It is essential, therefore, to approach them as an entity. The author has worked in both the Spanish and the Austrian archives.