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

Book Description
The first English biography of a man that has affected some of the most dramatic and historic events of the 20th century, Otto von Habsburg

Otto von Habsburg became the head of the Habsburg family at nine years old, three years after his father's exile and has spent the last eighty years as a dominant figure in European politics. Refusing to support Hitler, developing a close friendship with F.D. Roosevelt, and becoming a member of European Parliament, he's led quite a fascinating life. Today at ninty, he continues to be active, being one of the strongest advocates for a unified Europe.



About the Author
Gordon Brook Shepherd is the author of many books, including The Austrians: A Thousand-Year Odyssey and Dollfuss.



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"The Austro-Hungarian Empire dominated central Europe until 1918, when the last Habsburg Emperor, Karl, fled into Exile. Karl's death in 1922 made his nine-year-old son Otto head of the Habsburg family, a position he has now held for over eighty years. Born heir presumptive to an empire that stretched from the Tyrol to Transylvania, and from Poland to Sarajevo, Otto von Habsburg's life has both affected and been reflected in some of the most dramatic and historic events of the twentieth century." As a four year old he walked in the funeral procession of the Emperor Franz Josef in 1916. Otto von Habsburg later became the focus of royalist loyalty, a Habsburg restoration attracting considerable political support until the Second World War. Refusing any contact with Hitler (whose code name for the Anschluss was Operation Otto), he fled first to France then America, where he formed a friendship with F. D. Roosevelt. Never living in the past, and always promoting the interests of the peoples of the old empire, he became a highly respected Member of the European Parliament.


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