This is the first accessible and comprehensive history of the early modern Habsburg monarchy to appear in any language. Professor Ingrao challenges the conventional notion of Habsburg state and society as peculiarly backward by tracing its emergence as a military and cultural power of enormous influence, with a large and growing population, progressive judicial and educational systems and a sizeable industrial base. The Habsburg monarchy was undeniably different from other European polities: geography and linguistic diversity made this inevitable, but by 1789 the Habsburg peoples were already beginnning to nurture a common, anational identity that transcended their particular cultural or historic heritage. Professor Ingrao unravels the web of social, political, economic and cultural factors that shaped the Habsburg monarchy during this period, and presents this complex story in a way that is both authoritative and accessible to non-specialists.