Habsburgs: A Pestilence on Europe for 650 years

Subtitled: An Example of the Rich and Powerful Causing Harm to the People.

The dynasty is credited to have been begun by Rudolph I of Germany around 1273 when Rudolph was crowned Holy Roman Emperor [aka King of Germany]. He proceeded to pay off the Pope to obtain recognition, steal land of weaker lords in Bohemia, Austria, southern Germany and other places. Did he help build a nation? No. He was interested only in more power and wealth for himself and his family. In the Diving Comedy, Dante finds Rudolph sitting outside the gates of Purgatory with his contemporaries, who berate him as "he who neglected that which he ought to have done".

Moving along to around 1600 we find Habsburgs in duchies like Styria (part of present day Austria) expelling Protestants and burning books. The famous mathematician and astronomer, Johannes Kepler was one of those expelled from Graz. And the other branch of Habsburgs in Spain were trying to extend & maintain power in the area now Belgium and were fighting the Dutch Protestants who wanted to keep their freedom. In 1618, the Habsburgs start the Thirty Years' War through both prior religious tyranny in Bohemia and their then suppression of the rebellion begun by the second defenestration of Prague in said year. That war involves both branches of the Habsburgs and most of Europe, resulting in the devastation of much of present day Germany.

The Habsburgs proceeded to suppress any development in the current Czech Republic for 200 years. In the late 1700s they participated in the partitions of Poland - more Habsburg lust for power to extinguish freedom.

And in 1914 the Habsburgs started World War I. The Habsburg heir to the imperial throne in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was assassinated. He was not liked by the then Emperor and his wife was treated badly for "low birth". In fact, his heirs, if any, were specifically NOT eligible for the crown. But that didn't stop the Habsburgs from using his assassination as a pretext to grab more land, this time from Serbia. So the deaths of millions were on the Habsburg hands and their lust for power.

Overall, Dante was certainly generous. Had he know the evil and pain caused by that family, certainly Perdition and the Inferno would have been their fate.

Sources: General knowledge, Wikipedia [I could find others to back this one up if I had time], "The Thirty Years' War by Geoffrey Parker, and personal knowledge learned on a visit to Prague and surrounding areas.

PS: yeah, yeah, I know there were probably some "good" Habsburgs. But the main point stands. And as a multi-century and multi-national group of the rich & powerful, I think they are a fitting example of the evil that can befall the common people when they have real power.