1 comments about Flags of the Napoleonic Wars (3) (Men-At-Arms Series).

1. For those who have an incklng to study the Napoleonic era with the intent of learning about the flags of Napoleon and his enemies,this book is it. Very beautiful illustrations of the flags of the early 19th century France which were used in conflict against England,Russia and Prussia and others. A historians choice book on the subject.

No comments about Pedro the Cruel of Castile 1350-1369 (The Medieval Mediterranean : Peoples, Economies and Cultures, 400-1453, Vol 6).

No comments about Art and Death at the Spanish Habsburg Court: The Royal Exequies for Philip IV.

No comments about Spanish Baby Names.

No comments about Personal Names Studies of Medieval Europe: Social Identity and Familial Structures (Studies in Medieval Culture).

No comments about New Spain's Far Northern Frontier: Essays on Spain in the American West, 1540-1821.

No comments about Anglo-Americans in Spanish Archives: Lists of Anglo-American Settlers in the Spanish Colonies of America : A Finding Aid.

5 comments about FInding Your Hispanic Roots.

1. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced, this book will help you understand many aspects of Hispanic genealogy. Language, abbreviations, paleography, jurisdictional boundaries and its effects on record keeping, etc... this is THE book to get for researching ancestors in Mexico, Central and South America, and Southern Europe.
   
   This is one of two books I recommend my classes to purchase. The other I recommend, if doing American Research, is THE SOURCE.



2. This was actually a gift for my husband, who is enjoying the resource book. It has been one of his (young)life long goals to find his roots, which has been a struggle: especially with his Mexican roots.
   
   Our wish is that the book will give us excellent leads as to where he can continue his search or where to begin.
   
   Thank you from a very satisfied costomer.



3. By far, the best book for Hispanic Genealogy. Highly recommended for all levels of genealogy.



4. I was a bit disappointed that there was not more about locating genealogy going back from Florida, Cuba and Puerto Rico. Many of the author's suggestions are based on Mexican family research. However I have found some information useful...after all, if you don't learn something new from a book, you must be omnipotent!



5. It was a great place to start learning about Hispanic research, and will continue to be a resource I consult. I've had the opportunity to hear the author lecture-- very informative, and Dr. Ryskamp has amazing experience and knowledge.

2 comments about The Empress, the Queen, and the Nun: Women and Power at the Court of Philip III of Spain (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science).

1. La obra de M. S. Sánchez es un referente obligado para culaquier estudio sobre historia de la mujer. Aquí hace un sugerente análisis sobre la influencia política indirecta de la mujer en la corte barroca española a través de los perfiles de tres mujeres de gran importancia durante el reinado de Felipe III. Interesa no sólo por los datos que aporta, sino también por el esquema teórico y metodológico que plantea.



2. I really enjoyed this glimpse into the lives of the Hapsburg royal women. These women are usually given very little coverage in the history books. Marriage or the convent...that were your choices (if you can call them a free choice). The book is a series of essays, so much of the information is repeated, however, I am keeping the book for my 16th/17th century history collection.

5 comments about The Habsburgs.

1. Agree with reviews that the book is challenging in the way it's organized: around the figures rather than a chronological series of events. This can be confusing, and the family tree is very helpful in sorting out all the Rudolfs, Ferdinands, and Francis'. But I've always found history more interesting this way. Wheatcroft more or less achieves an overall character of the house of Hapsburg, a family that has lasted for the good part of the last millenium, never wavering in the assurance that its members are ordained by God to rule and to serve the people with their best interests. it is the blend of divine right and self-sacrifice that lends the Hapburgs their unique character. The opening of the book reads almost like historical fiction, but this narrative technique never reappears. And because of the scope of the subject, opportunities to delve into any one figure, no matter how important, are rare. But I found the portrayal of the family as a whole satisfactory, and the book can be read as an introduction to any figure interesting enough to warrant further research, such as the ill-fated Don Carlos.



2. I wanted to read this book as i am getting ready to visit Vienna in April. The book by Mr Wheatcroft is good because his account touches on several things that were really interesting.For example, the author explains the different personalities of the Holy Roman Emperors and Emperors of Austria.He also does a good job in explaining the times in which this emperors reigned which gives you a very good view of the circunstamces at that time. I also enjoyed the motivation behind important buildings for the Habsburgs like El Escorial in Spain and the Catacombs in St Stephen Church in Vienna.For someone who wants an introduction to the Habsburgs is a good books altough it has several flaws. One is that the author " jumps" from one event to another or from one emperor to the other.For example,he'll be talking about Charles V and all of the sudden he starts talking about his sons or future emperors without letting you know about it.I found myself going back several paragraphs to understand why he was doing that.Second, he doesnt really explain how the Holy Roman Empire gets started.He just mentions Charlemagne several times and the reader has to imagine the rest.His account sometimes is fast and sometimes is detailed which forced me to use other books with genealogies to help me understand which emperor is which and where does he come from.The other problem with this book is that it looks like the author thinks that the reader knows a lot of things so he doesnt describe or gives definition to events,people and places that i didnt know.For example, Metternich is mentioned really fast and just by his last name, so if you dont knoe who Metternich is, you'll have to look for him in another book to know who he is.Besides it's flaws, is a good book to get you started.



3. Those who are seeking an magisterial overview of how one dynasty came to control both Spain and parts of German-speaking Europe will be sadly disappointed. There is little analysis that adds any fresh insights.
   
   The writing style does not achieve the easy grace of Alison Weir, Diane Preston or David McCullough. Indeed, the sentence structured is tortured. Look up the genesis of the First World War, and this is what you get: "Although the line of succession had been assured, first to his nephew Franz Ferdinand (although that was to be overturned by the archduke's murder in Sarajevo) and then to his great-nephew, Karl, and eventually Karl's son Otto, Franz Joseph had come to see himself as standing at the end of the line."
   
   This is an unreadable book that should be avoided.



4. This book gives a reasonably coherent overview of a dynasty that was eminent and influential in European politics from the 13th to the early 20th centuries. The author maintains a more or less chronological order of who followed whom and presents a concise history of the events that occurred during their reign. He also presents some insights and facts about the personal characteristics and traits of the more noteworthy Hapsburg (or Habsburg, if you like) rulers. At appropriate places in the text he inserts applicabnle commentary and quotes by contemporary observers. The book also includes numerous paintings as figures throughout the book.
   
   The book is not as bad as some reviewers would lead you to believe. What I liked about it is that (to me, at least) it didn't get bogged down in tedious detail of each Hapsburg generation but gave the major facts and figures in an informative manner. Given that the Hapsburgs wielded power in Spain and Austria at the same time, I thought his treatment was informative without being boring. It would be nice if the author had inserted the applicable figure number for a view of the subject as he presented him (or her) but this is a personal preference.



5. Unlike most histories of the Austian-Spanish-Burgundian-Low Country-Holy Roman Emporers, who were the Habsburgs, this is the story of how they saw themselves (as working for their people at the behest of a Catholic God). Much is made as to how they viewed themselves and how they wanted to be viewed by posterity. In many ways they continued to 'right write' their history in the same manner that the Soviet Union did. It's not always what you put in a story that's important, it's how you present the information in the story that remains.
   
   Beginning with the small castle in Switzerland, the Habsbierge (hawk's mountain), they ruled over parts of Austria (originally Styria) for over 700 years. In between the scrupulously married and made dynastic mergers that would place them on the thrones of Spain (and most of the Western Hemisphere, parts of Africa and India),Portugal,Burgundy (parts of Belgium and the Netherlands), the Palatinate, Tuscany, Venice, Two Sicilies, Austria, Hungary, Bohemia-Moravia, Slovakia,half of Rumania(Transylvania) and most of future-once-Yugoslavia. In addition they married into every royal family in Europe.
   
   In fact, until the Napoleonic Era they never even used a title that refered to Austria, and only began because of the rise of nationalism and the growth of ethnicity. They were always trained to be a caretaker and to present the most benevolent face to their people, 'Empire and Father' was the byword. In the end they were outdone by the multi-ethnic problems of their empire and the changes wrought by the 'Great War'.