In 1848, the Austrian Empire was on the verge of disintegration. Revolts in Italy, Hungary and Vienna, threatened to pull the fragile Habsburg Monarchy apart.
Yet, in just two years, Austrian power would have revived to a height even Metternich had failed to achieve. This was almost entirely the work of Prince Felix Schwarzenberg. From his appointment in 1848, he worked tirelessly to restore Franz Joseph’s Empire to a place of power in Europe, and mastery over Germany.
This video aims to be a short documentary on the Prince of Schwarzenberg, and his diplomacy during the Revolutions of 1848.
Sources:
Edward Crankshaw, The Fall of the House of Habsburg (My favourite narrative history of the period. Though there are some factual errors).
Robert A Kann, A History of the Habsburg Empire (Probabaly the best history of the entire empire I have read).
Richard Evans, The Pursuit of Power, Europe: 1914 (Useful for referencing specific facts).
AJP Taylor, The Struggle for Mastery in Europe
#history #AustrianEmpire #revolution
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Wow! I only heard of Bismarck as the premier statesman of the 19th century. This man was equally as excellent.
Definitely going to be fun playing as Austria Hungary in Victoria 3
Great video
Undoubtedly, the best history channel on YouTube right now. Thank you for your amazing work!
5:45 that right there is what makes an analysis jump from good to brilliant.
To point out that even a decisive victory to retake valuable provinces (all positive indicators) may not lead to a wise conclusion because this could force the central power of a State to live on a precarious or even counterproductive balance is worthy to be named wisdom.
In Austria's defence, it must be said that giving away too much ground after winning a war could have been easily interpreted as a sign of weakness therefore an invitation to another conflict soon after.
In my opinion they could have settled things for a while by splitting the Italian provinces, handing Lombardy to the Kingdom of Sardinia in exchange for the recognition of the Habsburg rule over Venetia (far easier to control and defend due to its proximity to Austrian lands), effectively "bribing" the Savoyard King in the face of the Italian cause. (but probably Cavour would have never allowed this)
I love coming back to this channel. Your visual maps and narrative style keep me engaged and to add, as an American, European history is just so much more interesting than American ngl lol
Another great and interesting video
Your videos are exceptional. Glad you are getting the praise, viewership and popularity you deserve. Looking forward to your next video.
Quite a stellar documentary, very enlightening, thank you!
Another excellent video, Mr. Old Britannia. I appreciate the frequent releases!
Interesting video. I think it shows nothing is inevitable. With men like schwarzwnberg you could see their visions of the world maintaining themselves. The demise of an old order and the rise of democracy is no sure guarantee. Great statesman though.
Interesting fact. Schwarzenberg's honoury citizenship of Budapest was revoked by the local government in 2011.
Holding gas hostage to benefit themselves a puppet for Washington weak woke bitchessss
Great video! May I ask what editing software you use in making these artpieces? 🙂
Very well made documentary on the Habsburg empire post-Napoleonic wars.
Thank you Old Britannia for the in depth coverage on this topic.
amazing content. would love to hear more about the austrian empire.
Great Video. Plus Will you do a Video on The Union between Sweden and Norway?👍
PLEAAAAAASE do an episode on the oriental crisis and the diplomacy behind it
Very very nice video. It's notable to what degree Austria continued to be bound by the system set up by Metternich in his triumph at Vienna. Having a vital interest in Italian, German, and Balkan affairs simultaneously is all good and well, but total defeat on any of these fronts could spell doom for the Habsburg state, which had always had a greater difficulty marshaling her resources than, say, France or Britain. Austria was thus left in the position of fighting on three diplomatic fronts simultaneously.
I think that it does explain why Austria could ill afford to pull out of Italy. Defeat would mean not just the loss of the rich province of Lombardy-Venezia, but also the loss of any Austrian influence in Tuscany, the Two Sicilies, and the small Italian states. Furthermore, it would almost certainly lead to further designs on Austrian territories – South Tyrol, the Austrian Riviera, and possibly the whole of Dalmatia.
My boy on a roll 🔥🔥🔥
Amazing work,would love a video on William Pitt The Younger
Always awesome videos, keep it up!!!
wish you had more videos
Opulence is always the beginning of the end for Great empires.
Sounds like he was a ruthless dictator.
Damn, your video Quality has Increased a lot
The biggest mistake of Russian diplomacy is saving Austrian empire.
Great video . I imagine you'll be receiving some new viewers soon with the release of victoria 3 coming up.
Interesting
I really love your coverage of excellent statesmen. More if you may please
Funny how Russia saved Austria in 1848 only to be left alone during the crimean war.
By the way it would be cool to see something about Bismarck politics or 1890s alliances (how Russia shifted from a pro-german to a pro-french state)
another fascinating installment. if only you were around during my history a level
I came looking for coal and I found diamonds. Awesome video and great channel
I work at a hotel in Cesky Krumlov, where he was born. A Schwarzenberger Grenadier Guard has guarded the castle well into the communism period, being dissolved in 1948. Nowadays it is reinstated as a reenactment group and reenacts in the castle from time to time.
6:25 cool video, but there was no Budapest in 1848
Your videos are awesome, keep making more of this quality content!
How was 1790 and especially 1850 a better time for austria than 1815?
Enjoyed the video but could I make one small and I hope supportive correction. The Constituent Assembly of 1848-9 was held in Kremsier, not Kresmier.
Schwarzenbergs had Palace in bohemian crown they are still here and one of schwarzenberg Karel was Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
I can't be the only one that read the title as "Schwarzenegger's Triumph" =D
Kinda tangential, but I've recently been wondering what would have happened if Austria helped with Russia in the Crimean War.
B.A.S.E.D.!!! I love this period of the Austrian Empire being a Habsburg fanatic although marred by a Germanisation policy. I was genuinely fascinated by this guy but doubly so now. Thank You so much for this exposition, if only he lived another couple decades.
I haven't read Kahn's book, but Macartney's "The Habsburg Empire 1790-1918" is a strong contender for the best book on the history of the late Habsburg Empire from roughly the end of Maria Theresa's reign to WWI. Definitively give it a read.
One book recently translated to english is the monumental biography of Empress Maria Theresa by Barbara Stollberg-Rillinger, without a doubt the best book on the subject.
There are two other books useful to those interested in austrian diplomacy in the XIX century: "Metternich: Strategist and visionary" by Wolfram Siemann and "The Grand Strategy of the Habsburg Empire" by Aaron Wess Mitchell.
Regarding Austria-Hungary in WWI, there are a few: "The First World War and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy 1914-1918" by Manfried Rauchensteiner, "The Passing of the Hapsburg Monarchy 1914-1918" by Arthur J. May and Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I" by Alexander Watson.
Also, another book that's worth reading is Perry Anderson's "Lineages of the Absolutist State". It has a chapter dedicated to the austrian monarchy and how it worked, comparing and contrasting its customs and institutions to those of other absolute monarchies, analyzing the complexities of the Habsburg dominions and attempting to explain why it fell the way it did.
0:45 I don't necessarily see WW1 happen the way it did if this would have come to pass as Germany wouldn't have interfered in the Balkan mess the way Austria did. Thus not angering the Russians to much and perhaps, with Bismarck on the Helm, signing some sort of Alliance with them and perhaps the newly established Italy.
Thumbs up for the video! The interesting thing to me always was how Ferdinand I. is portrait. You for example use the words "invalid" and "disabled". And that's exactely how i learned about him back in history class in school. He was born with a hydrocephalus rickets and epillepsy. And everyhwere he is depicted as unable as a ruler and basically as mentally disabled.
On the other hand he managed to speak 5 languages played 2 instruments, was very talented in drawing, proficient in riding, fencing and shooting and very interested in technological inventions and technological progress in general as well as very interested in gardening and agricultur.
When he give his rule to his nephew (he actually never abdicated and had the title of "Kaiser" until is death) and went to bohemia, he became pretty sucessfull in managing the properties he had there. That made him quite rich and all that was inherited by Franz Josef and was the base of his wealth.
Good video
Glory to Italy and Italians 🇮🇹
I don't want to nitpick, and it's a bit too late anyway, but the name of the town where the constitution was drafted is Kremsier (Czech: Kroměříž). 🙂 Great video, though. Felix of Schwarzenberg doesn't get the recognition he deserves. Certainly not here in Czechia, where he was born and is buried. So thank you for that.