The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Empire of Austria; Its Rise and Present
Power, by John S. C. Abbott

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: The Empire of Austria; Its Rise and Present Power

Author: John S. C. Abbott

Release Date: June 15, 2005 [eBook #16070]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EMPIRE OF AUSTRIA; ITS RISE
AND PRESENT POWER***

E-text prepared by Curtis Weyant, David King, and the Project Gutenberg
Online Distributed Proofreading Team from page images generously made
available by the Making of America Collection of the University of
Michigan Library (http://www.hti.umich.edu/m/moagrp/)

Note: Images of the original pages are available through the Making of
America Collection of the University of Michigan Library. See
http://www.hti.umich.edu/m/moagrp/

The Monarchies of Continental Europe

THE EMPIRE OF AUSTRIA; ITS RISE AND PRESENT POWER

by

JOHN S. C. ABBOTT

New York;
Published by Mason Brothers,
Cincinnati: Rickey, Mallory & Co.
Stereotyped by
Thomas B. Smith,
82 & 84 Beekman St.
Printed By
C. A. Alvord.
15 Vandewater St.

1859

PREFACE

The studies of the author of this work, for the last ten years, in
writing the "History of Napoleon Bonaparte," and "The French Revolution
of 1789," have necessarily made him quite familiar with the monarchies
of Europe. He has met with so much that was strange and romantic in
their career, that he has been interested to undertake, as it were, a
_biography_ of the Monarchies of Continental Europe--their birth,
education, exploits, progress and present condition. He has commenced
with Austria.

There are abundant materials for this work. The Life of Austria embraces
all that is wild and wonderful in history; her early struggles for
aggrandizement--the fierce strife with the Turks, as wave after wave of
Moslem invasion rolled up the Danube--the long conflicts and bloody
persecutions of the Reformation--the thirty years' religious war--the
meteoric career of Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XII. shooting athwart
the lurid storms of battle--the intrigues of Popes--the enormous pride,
power and e