The Habsburgs are the most famous dynasty in continental Europe.
In this Very Short Introduction Martin Rady.
Reaching from South-East Asia to what is now Ukraine, the Habsburg Empire was truly global.
Through the Spanish connection, they acquired lands around the Mediterranean and a chunk of the New World, spreading eastwards to include the Philippines.
From the thirteenth to the twentieth centuries, they ruled much of Central Europe, and for two centuries were also rulers of Spain.
The Habsburgs are the most famous dynasty in continental Europe