A Heart for Europe [Paperback]

Joanna Bogle (Author), James Bogle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0852441738 | ISBN-13: 978-0852441732

A Heart For Europe - The Lives of Emperor Charles And Empress Zita Of Austria-HungaryJames and Joana Bogle Emperor Charles was the last Hapsburg ruler of the Austrio-Hungarian Empire, now declared Blessed by Pope John Paul II in 2004. The Pope was himself formerly bishop in the once Habsburg-ruled city of Cracow and his baptismal name Karol (meaning Charles) was given in memory of the late Emperor under whom his father had served as an officer in the Imperial army. Married to Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma, Charles inherited the throne of Austria-Hungary in 1916 at the height of World War One upon the death of his uncle, the Emperor Franz Josef. His dedicated efforts to end the war earned him the popular name the Peace-Emperor but led him to an idealistic struggle in the face of impossible odds and an early death in exile on the island of Madeira, after two attempts to regain the Hungarian throne. This book tells of these events set in the context of the wider drama of the twentieth century showing how a great and historically peaceful empire was destroyed by nationalist intrigue leaving the way free for the totalitarian powers that came after until their fall in 1945 and 1989.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Gracewing Publishing (September 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0852441738
• ISBN-13: 978-0852441732
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Story, Difficult Read, November 2, 2008

By 

ProtegeAA "J Anderson" (Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Heart for Europe (Paperback)

I read this book a couple of years ago. I recommend it to anybody who is seriously interested in political theory, monarchy vs democracy, the Catholic Church, Europe, World War I, Communism, and any other cross currents of interest within the above.

The book tells the story of Blessed Charles and Princess Zita, the last Emperor and Empress of Austria-Hungary. It is a story about a deeply religious man who worked very hard for his people...and failed. He was unable to gain peace before the U.S. entered WWI, partially due to the U.S. president's unwillingness to meet with him (as an emperor is unelected). After the war, he was exiled and saw his empire torn apart by nationalism and violence.

The book will change your views of monarchs if you watch a lot of movies and heard the standard liberal line of monarchy=bad.

The only reason I have not rated the book a 5/5 is that it is not very readable. It is academic in nature, not pop-oriented like a Thomas Woods book. Nevertheless, it is an important book considering Blessed Charles may soon be a saint, and definitely one worth praying to in our day.