Geographically and linguistically diverse, by 1789 the Habsburg monarchy had laid the groundwork for a single European polity capable of transcending its unique cultural and historic heritage. Challenging the conventional notion of the Habsburg state and society as peculiarly backward, Charles W. Ingrao traces its emergence as a military and cultural power of enormous influence. In doing so, he unravels a web of social, political, economic and cultural factors that shaped the Habsburg monarchy during the period. Firmly established as the leading survey of the early modern Habsburg monarchy, this third edition incorporates a quarter of a century of new, international scholarship. Extending its narrative reach, Ingrao gives greater attention to 'peripheral' territories, manifestations of high culture, and suggests links between the early modern monarchy and the problems of contemporary Europe. This elegant account of a complex story is accessible to specialists and non-specialists alike.

'The best available introduction to the Habsburg monarchy at its zenith. Perceptive and fluent, it provides a sure guide to the complexity and diversity of the Austrian state, embracing the central institutions at its dynastic heart and the range of territories, from the historic German-imperial core to the newer peripheries that continually refashioned it.' Robert Evans, University of Oxford
'Eloquently written and convincingly argued, this remains the most reliable guide through the complicated Central European landscape from the Thirty Years' War to the Congress of Vienna.' Howard Louthan, University of Minnesota
'Ingrao's commendable survey is a highly accessible and concise introduction to the Habsburg monarchy in the early modern period. Lucid and stimulating, yet also substantial, rigorous, and comprehensive, it is well placed not only to challenge the conventional preconceptions of undergraduates, but the comfortable insularities of more senior scholars as well.' Franz A. J. Szabo, University of Alberta
'Clear, concise, and comprehensive, this is the standard work in English on the Habsburg lands from the existential crisis posed by the Thirty Years' War to the monarchy's reorganisation following the Napoleonic Wars. It offers lucid analysis of the Habsburgs' myriad problems, as well as their military, administrative, and cultural achievements.' Peter H. Wilson, University of Oxford
'… this learned and gracefully written book can be recommended to those interested in any period in the history of one of Europe's great political experiments.' William D. Godsey, H-Net
'… one gets the sense of the living and breathing organism that was the Habsburg state and the society that was composed around it. The third edition is a grand synthesis of what came before the original work and what came after it, and it firmly ensures that The Habsburg Monarchy, 1618-1815 will be the platform from which a whole new generation will dive into scholarship on the subject, remaining the authoritative text on the Habsburg monarchy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.' Caleb Karges, Austrian History Yearbook Vol 52
'In our judgement, this latest edition remains the standard English language work on the history of the early modern Habsburg monarchy, a superb, concise and very readable presentation of its complex political history, that is especially valuable for its expanded coverage of the Bohemian lands, Hungary and, above all, the monarchy's southeastern periphery.' Josef Löffler, Mitteilungen des Instituts für österreichische Geschichtsforschung
'Ingrao's updated survey is concise and a wonderful introduction to the topic. Recommended.' R. K. Byczkiewicz, Choice

Charles Ingrao is Professor Emeritus of History at Purdue University, Indiana. He has held visiting appointments at a number of universities including Brown University, Rhode Island, the University of Cambridge, University of Chicago, University of Washington, Indiana University and multiple universities in Cyprus and New Zealand. He served as editor of the Austrian History Yearbook from 1997–2006. His previous publications include In Quest and Crisis: Emperor Joseph I and the Habsburg Monarchy, 1705–1711 (1979), The Hessian Mercenary State: Ideas, Institutions and Reform under Frederick II, 1760–1785 (1986) and Confronting the Yugoslav Controversies (2009), which he co-authored with Thomas A. Emmert.