The Red Prince: The Secret Lives of a Habsburg Archduke by Timothy Snyder (PDF)

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Wilhelm Von Habsburg wore the uniform of the Austrian officer, the court regalia of a Habsburg archduke, the simple suit of a Parisian exile, the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and, every so often, a dress. He could handle a saber, a pistol, a rudder, or a golf club; he handled women by necessity and men for pleasure. He spoke the Italian of his archduchess mother, the German of his archduke father, the English of his British royal friends, the Polish of the country his father wished to rule, and the Ukrainian of the land Wilhelm wished to rule himself. In this exhilarating narrative history, prize-winning historian Timothy D. Snyder offers an indelible portrait of an aristocrat whose life personifies the wrenching upheavals of the first half of the twentieth century, as the rule of empire gave way to the new politics of nationalism. Coming of age during the First World War, Wilhelm repudiated his family to fight alongside Ukrainian peasants in hopes that he would become their king. When this dream collapsed he became, by turns, an ally of German imperialists, a notorious French lover, an angry Austrian monarchist, a calm opponent of Hitler, and a British spy against Stalin. Played out in Europe’s glittering capitals and bloody battlefields, in extravagant ski resorts and dank prison cells, The Red Prince captures an extraordinary moment in the history of Europe, in which the old order of the past was giving way to an undefined future-and in which everything, including identity itself, seemed up for grabs.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Foreign Affairs””Not often does scholarly history soar and entrap like a fine historical novel, but here it does…. The book’s real triumph is how it carries the reader from the gilt and pomp of the nineteenth century; through the dawn of a new century in war, the salacious lives of the high-born royal outcasts in 1930s Paris, and the shadow politics of Nazi Germany; and ultimately to the crushing weigh of Soviet occupation in postwar Eastern Europe. Snyder embeds all of this in a shrewd, sharp framing of the larger history before and during Wilhelm’s life, ending with thought-provoking reflections on the links to the present.”Adam Zamoyski, “Spectator””””Snyder is probably the most intelligent and sensitive historian working on East Central Europe today, and he is eminently fitted for the task of telling this tale. He has unearthed a wealth of unknown material and fascinating detail….A wonderful book, a gripping read full of surprises and memorable vignettes, which fills a gap in our knowledge and provides an accessible introduction to a badly neglected area of European history.” “Seattle Times””Deeply researched and beautifully written, “The Red Prince” captures in shimmering colors the death of old Europe and the continent’s descent into barbarism. It abounds with a cast of unforgettable characters, from bloodthirsty nationalist strongmen and shady conspirators to alluring demimondaines and debauched nobles. Snyder, an award-winning historian at Yale University, has written a compelling biography as well as a vivid depiction of an era and offers insightful observations on the mutability of personal and national identity.”Mark Mazower, “Guardian””There are few historians who possess Timothy Snyder’s winning combination of languages, stylish story-telling, and analytic insight; in “The Red Prince,” he has produced a gem…. He is a sensitive writer, with a novelist’s feel for language.””Telegraph””A vivid portrait of a vanished world… superb, being both prodigiously researched and elegantly written.” About the Author Timothy Snyder is the Housum Professor of History at Yale University and a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. He received his doctorate from the University of Oxford in 1997, where he was a British Marshall Scholar. Before joining the faculty at Yale in 2001, he held fellowships in Paris, Vienna, and Warsaw, and an Academy Scholarship at Harvard. He has spent some ten years in Europe, and speaks five and reads ten European languages. Among his publications are several award-winning books, all of which have been translated: Nationalism, Marxism, and Modern Central Europe: A Biography of Kazimierz Kelles-Krauz; The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569-1999; Sketches from a Secret War: A Polish Artist’s Mission to Liberate Soviet Ukraine; The Red Prince: The Secret Lives of a Habsburg Archduke; On Tyranny; and The Road to Unfreedom. He has written for publications including the New York Review of Books, the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, the Times Literary Supplement, Nation, the New Republic, the International Herald Tribune, and the Wall Street Journal.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Perfect copy! Arrived quickly! great transaction!

⭐The Red Prince is subtitled The Secret Lives of a Habsburg Archduke, but this is a biography of far more than one individual. This able work by Timothy Snyder does much to illuminate the history of Ukraine and Central and Eastern Europe during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.When Wilhelm von Habsburg was born in 1895 he was a minor member of a minor branch of the Habsburg Dynasty, which had been a dominating force in European politics for 500 years. Wilhelm’s immediate family were not in the main line of succession and thus lived out of the public eye as much as was possible for people known as Imperial and Royal Archdukes and Archduchesses. Wilhelm’s father seems to have originated a family streak of rebelliousness, when he apparently began to make plans to establish himself as King of Poland before that country had even regained its independence. Wilhelm, as his father’s youngest son, had to go further afield to rebel, and he chose the province of Ukraine, a region divided between Russia and Austria-Hungary. Before and during World War I Wilhelm was an advocate for Ukrainian independence and for some surprisingly left wing politics, and during the tumultuous period after World War I at one point seemed poised to become the country’s King. Conflict between Poland and the Soviet Union put an end to hopes for Ukrainian independence, and Wilhelm was relegated to the life of a playboy in Paris, enjoying love affairs with both sexes until a financial scandal forced him to return to Austria. Then during the 1930s and 1940s Wilhelm dabbled in right wing politics, switched to anti-Nazi activities during World War II, and then in the early years of the Cold War apparently worked with Western countries spying on the Soviet Union. This led to his arrest and imprisonment by the Soviets, and he died in prison in 1948.However colorful his life, Wilhelm von Hapsburg would not have merited a biography solely on his own account. He apparently left few letters or other written records, and there seem to be very few photographs as well. What makes The Red Prince so important is the good coverage Snyder provides of the complicated history of Ukraine. The region slipped back and forth between Austria-Hungary, Poland, and the Soviet Union until finally gaining independence in 1991. Snyder draws many excellent parallels between the nationalist politics pre- and post- World Wars I and II, the political turmoil that has plagued the former Soviet Union and its satellites since the end of the Cold War, and the kind of universal supra-nationalistic politics practiced by the Habsburgs and now by the European Union. The coverage of the Orange Revolution of 2004, when Ukraine took a decisive turn away from dictatorship towards democracy, is especially interesting.Although Wilhelm himself seems to have left few written records, so that readers will not feel they know much about him personally, Snyder was able to recreate the lives of his parents, siblings, nieces and nephews and other relations. He reveals them to have been interesting and intelligent people with independent views, a far cry from the habitual stereotype of the Habsburgs as insufferably inbred mediocrities. Snyder also gives some fascinating portraits of some of Wilhelm’s associates like Trebitsch Lincoln, who deserves a biography of his own, though it would probably be considered too bizarre to be true.

⭐I enjoyed this book because in national histories taught at schools in Poland or Ukraine the role of the Habsburgs in national independence movements is usually omitted and ignored. What is also omitted are the struggles for independence in neighboring Slavic countries. In that sense the book was somewhat illuminating. On the other hand I found Wilhelm himself rather unprepared for any serious political leadership. The story of Polish and Ukrainian post WWI emerging independence presented in this book seems short and simplified. Referring to Galicia as a legitimate geographical entity seemed to me some sort of a joke, or at least something that I am not used to. The author didn’t do a good job at presenting the issue of Ukraine/Poland border disputes clearly; statistics and demographics are not mentioned, and historical background is also missing. Someone reading that “Poland decided to keep Western Galicia”, a statement that suggests Poland occupying Ukrainian lands, would be surprised to know that Poland’s old capital Krakow is indeed in Western Galicia. The federalist plan of marshal Pilsudski is not mentioned in the book. Cultural differences between eastern and western Ukraine are barely mentioned.Generally, my impression was that the book was addressed to a broader audience and therefore is simply lacking depth. I don’t mind the author’s pro-Habsburg and pro-Ukrainian sympathies or sentiments (which I might even partially share!) but would like much more detailed information.

⭐Fascinating survey of the widespread influence of the Hapsburg dynasty on eastern Europe, depicted in the life of this relatively unknown figure in modern European history. It is surprising how much influence the Hapsburg family had on the outcome of World War II and ultimately the “Cold War.”

⭐Snyder has brilliantly captured the end of the Habsburg era, the demise of the monarchy in Europe and the convulsive transition to nationalism that was Europe in the 20th century. Wonderfully researched and yet written in novel-like fashion, this is a book that is hard to put down. Snyder is in that select group of historians such as Robert Massie and Barbara Tuchman who know their history and know how to write in a superbly engaging fashion. Highly recommended!

⭐Timothy Snyder once again does not disappoint!! I am 68 years old and never really had a grip on the obscure causes – and consequences of WWI. This book gives incredible insight to anyone who would like a deeper understanding of the world wars. Also a great read!!

⭐The writer gives a good background of what growing up “royal” was like in the Hapsburg dynasty, but the main character is too shallow to care about as he becomes entangled in his travails. Actually, others in his family are more memorable individuals. The author is much better as a straightforward historian in “Bloodlands,” a seminal work in the history of who killed whom and why in Central and Eastern Europe during the 1930s through to the 1950s.

⭐While the story itself is interesting, the author does not write in a way that compels the reader to really understand what this man was like; it reads like a textbook rather than a biography. The historical context is interesting, but the reader never gets a sense of what the Archduke was really like as a human being. This book would have succeeded better as a study of the Hapsburgs in Poland and Ukraine generally rather than story focused on an individual.

⭐A fascinating account which never pretends to be comprehensive of life in and around part of the declining Habsburg Empire through the early part of the 20th century hung on the framework of the extraordinary lives and identities of a minor and otherwise forgotten troubled member of the family. Immensely entertaining it frees the imagination to wonder how things were and how things might have been in this long-suffering region of Europe and is particularly poignant in mid-2014 after all that has occurred and may yet be in the future for Ukraine. An essential but easy read whereas the equally excellent Bloodlands is also essential but could hardly be described as an easy read.

⭐I had already read this book, and I am now reasing again. Excellent historical perspective.

⭐very happy

⭐EXCELLENT BIOGRAPHY

⭐I was truly amazed by this book, after reading the Bloodlands by the same author covering much the same timespan on a wider canvas.The first realisation was the brewery owned by the family involved now has its products i my fridge.It can be hard to put yourself in the mindset of a man who wakes up one day thinking I’ll make myself available to be king of Poland and my brother for the Ukraine. By far the most interesting and enligtning part was the interwar years in Paris home to many exiles the role of Karl of Austria a figure largely forgoten like Austria in general overwhelmed,in all histories by its larger Northern neighbour and everybody knows the Kaiser ended his days in Holland.I may be a prodouct of the English education system which treats the eastern half of our continent as a sideshow. All in all I enjoyed the book,but am still no lover of aristocrats in all the smugness this jubilee year our aristos would do well to note not all things stay the same.

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