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From the 13th to the 20th centuries, Habsburgs ruled much of Central Europe, and for two centuries were rulers of Spain. Through Spain, they acquired lands around the Mediterranean and part of the New World, spreading eastwards to include the Philippines. Reaching from South-East Asia to what is now Ukraine, the Habsburg Empire was truly global. The Habsburg Empire: A Very Short Introduction looks at the history of the Habsburgs from their 10th-century origins in Switzerland, to the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire in 1918. It introduces the pantheon of Habsburg rulers and discusses the lands and kingdoms that made up the Empire and the moments that shaped their history.Less

Napoleon: A Very Short Introduction provides a concise and lively portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte’s character and career, situating him firmly in historical context. It emphasizes the astonishing sense of human possibility—for both good and ill—that Napoleon represented. By his late twenties, Napoleon was already one of the greatest generals in European history. At thirty, he had become absolute master of Europe’s most powerful country. In his early forties, he ruled a European empire more powerful than any since Rome, fighting wars that changed the shape of the continent and brought death to millions. Then everything collapsed, leading him to spend his last years in miserable exile in the South Atlantic.Less