The Uncrowned Emperor: The Life and Times of Otto von Habsburg

Rating:
Summary: Typically (Good But Slanty) Brook-Shepherd
Review: Brook-Shepherd's latest Habsburg effort is all him, colorful phrases and all. A large portion of the book actually summarizes much of the happenings in his previous works, THE LAST EMPRESS and THE LAST HABSBURG, though he manages (no doubt somewhat through new interviews with Otto as well as material he may have held back) enough new anecdotes to keep that material fresh for returning readers. He does tend as in his other works to interpret the words and behaviors of Habsburg "enemies" in an extremely unflattering light, whether these were overt and obvious or not. The relatively smaller amount of space devoted to them here ends up sharpening the somewhat villainous characterizations. This once again betrays bias on behalf of the Habsburg family, that B-S himself finally admits to here, at least. I am speaking mainly of Admiral Horthy and Kurt Schuschnigg, who at crucial junctures in post WW I Hungarian and Austrian history, did not step aside in the face of de facto restoration attempts by Otto's father and himself, respectively. Objective histories of these interwar countries, as well as Kurt Schuschnigg's THE BRUTAL TAKEOVER and Horthy's MEMOIRS ("ERINNERUNGEN") would give the reader, at a minimum, a more balanced picture of the difficulties and (sometimes conflicting) motivations faced by these men.

The last part of the book deals with Otto's Pan-Europeanism as well as the ups and downs of his family life and his children's personal and political fortunes. Combined with his efforts earlier, it makes an interesting and convincing case that Otto genuinely is and always was concerned with Europe's well-being in general, and that of his father's former subjects in particular, with recovering the Habsburg crowns a secondary concern.

Brook-Shepherd continues the annoying habit of holding back more info on interesting tidbits that need expounding upon. Two examples from this book are Horthy's insistence on seeing Otto while on his deathbed after WW II, and a visit from Austro-Fascist strongman Prince Starhemberg while in exile to discuss restoration possibilities. One if not both of these incidents were tantalizingly mentioned in footnote in THE LAST EMPRESS, but just as briefly mentioned here. My suspicion continues that these are deliberately not more fully discussed because the details would conflict with other, more speculative parts of the text.

These considerations aside, though--overall, UE is very enjoyable. For the Austrian history buff who craves information about the fallen dynasty after their thrones were lost, Brook-Shepherd remains the only game in town. Fortunately, he doesn't abuse the monopoly. As usual, he delivers a book that due to its style is a very breezy, informative, and sometimes emotional read.

Rating:
Summary: Not a very involving biography
Review: I found this book dry; yet overly sympathetic to its subject, without a historian's objectivity. Oddly, despite the author's admiration for Otto the statesman, we never learn much about Otto, the inner man. A balanced biography should have both sides of the story. I, too, noticed many of the errors cited by the other reviewer...While I could appreciate some of the information (particularly about Emperor Karl's attempt to regain the Hungarian throne), I didn't really enjoy the book, and it didn't make my keeper shelf.


Rating:
Summary: An interesting subject, but a book riddled with errors
Review: In his introduction, Gordon Brook-Shepherd boasts that an Austrian critic once claimed that Brook-Shepherd "knew more about Austria and the Austrians than any living Englishman." After reading "Uncrowned Emperor," I find that claim to be *very* dubious. This book is absolutely riddled with factual errors, both concerning Austria and other European countries.

Among the most glaring . . .
p. 24: Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on June 28, 1914, not June 26, 1914. Although the difference is slight, this date is known to almost every schoolboy in Austria.
p. 31: Empress Zita's brother Sixtus fought for the Belgians in World War I, not the French. This is significant because of Sixtus's efforts to mediate a peace settlement with Austria.
p. 33: During the course of fighting in World War I, German troops had no "final retreat--back to the homeland." They withdrew in an orderly fashion after the armistice was signed. On November 11, 1918, German troops, though weakened, were still on French soil.
p. 80: During the Weimar Republic, there was no such thing as a "Democratic Conservative Party." The Democratic Party was not conservative, and the conservative party (DNVP) was not democratic.

Brook-Shepherd also has problems with first names.
-- Thomas (or Tomas) Masaryk, not Jan Masaryk, was the founder and first president of Czechoslovakia. This error is notable both because it is repeated several times and because Thomas (or Tomas) Masaryk was largely responsible for the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire. Jan Masaryk was Czechoslovak foreign minister after 1945.
-- The regent of the Kingdom of Hungary was Miklos Horthy, not Niklos Horthy.
-- The former chancellor of Germany is Helmut Kohl, not Helmuth Kohl.

The editors should have caught all of these errors.

Another problem with this biography is that the writing is extremely uncritical. It is clear that Brook-Shepherd is much to close to his subject to be objective, and at times he veers into overt monarchism. Additionally, his constant asides and parenthetical comments are a distraction. This reviewer wishes for a more scholarly rigorous and objective study of Otto von Habsburg.

Rating:
Summary: Typically (Good But Slanty) Brook-Shepherd
Review: This is a fine biography of a man who, but for a World War, might have been an Emperor and King. Otto von Hapsburg, born in 1912,was the son of the last Emperor of Austria-Hungary. His parents were overthrown in late 1918 and young Otto, whose own memories of his childhood are astonishingly vivid, began a life of exile.

Otto had every right to be bitter over the hand fate dealt him, but we see very little of such an emotion in his life. Instead, we see a man whose dedication to Austria and Hungary (and later to all of Europe) never wavered. He stood by his homelands and was their most fervent advocate even in the dark days of World War II and the Cold War. He was ambitious yet honorable, as we see repeatedly when he refused to have anything to do with Hitler, for example.

Otto's most important contributions came towards the end of his life, when he became one of the first members of the European Parliament. For twenty years he was a steadfast advocate of greater European unity, but within a setting in which tradition, custom, and above all established religion were not ignored. He was also a devoted family man, marrying rather late in life and fathering a large brood of children.

So although Otto von Hapsburg did not achieve the status he was born to, he nevertheless made a positive contribution to the world, something his ancestors, many of whom held more power but had far less stature, would certainly be proud of.

Rating:
Summary: Born to Be Emperor
Review: This is a fine biography of a man who, but for a World War, might have been an Emperor and King. Otto von Hapsburg, born in 1912,was the son of the last Emperor of Austria-Hungary. His parents were overthrown in late 1918 and young Otto, whose own memories of his childhood are astonishingly vivid, began a life of exile.

Otto had every right to be bitter over the hand fate dealt him, but we see very little of such an emotion in his life. Instead, we see a man whose dedication to Austria and Hungary (and later to all of Europe) never wavered. He stood by his homelands and was their most fervent advocate even in the dark days of World War II and the Cold War. He was ambitious yet honorable, as we see repeatedly when he refused to have anything to do with Hitler, for example.

Otto's most important contributions came towards the end of his life, when he became one of the first members of the European Parliament. For twenty years he was a steadfast advocate of greater European unity, but within a setting in which tradition, custom, and above all established religion were not ignored. He was also a devoted family man, marrying rather late in life and fathering a large brood of children.

So although Otto von Hapsburg did not achieve the status he was born to, he nevertheless made a positive contribution to the world, something his ancestors, many of whom held more power but had far less stature, would certainly be proud of.