The Habsburgs
And a bit about the Valois …

Who are the Habsburgs?
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 principal European dynasty
15 th – 20 th c.
named after ancestral Castle Habsburg in Aargau,
Switzerland

History of the Habsburgs
 1273 – Count Rudolf of
Habsburg becomes
German king Rudolf I
– gives Austria and Styria to his two sons = origin of
Habsburgs in Austria
Austria Styria

History of the Habsburgs
 1452 – Habsburgs gain position of Holy Roman
Emperor when king
Frederick V is crowned
Emperor Frederick III
– title remains in family until
HRE’s dissolution in 1806

History of the Habsburgs
 Habsburgs then gain land/power through marriage:
–
– began with Austria then added Netherlands, Luxembourg, Burgundy, duchy of Milan, Sicily, Naples, Sardinia, Spain (& its New
World possessions)

Charles V (r. 1519-1556): high point of habsburg power

Charles abdicates in 1556 & divides the lands
Philip II:
Spanish Habsburgs
(ruled to 1700)
Ferdinand I:
Austrian Habsburgs
(ruled to1918)
Philip II’s land
Ferdinand I’s land

Philip II’s Empire

French Dynasties

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Carolingians = 800-987
Capets = 987-1328
Valois = 1328-1589
Bourbons = 1589-1793

Habsburg-Valois Wars series of wars between the 2 dynasties (German & French), 1522-1559
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 fighting over land in Italy (fighting often took place on Italian soil)
1522 – France vs. Charles V over control of Milan
–
Habsburg victory, France has to cede Italian lands to Habsburgs
1542-1544 – France vs. Charles V
1552 – France allies itself with German princes opposed to Charles V
 France gains several states from H.R.E.
–
France begins attacking Spanish Habsburg settlements and fleets in
New World
1557-1559 – war resumes
1559 – Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis – Spain (Habsburgs) win