Commentary: The Making of Five Images of the Habsburg Monarchy: Before Nation There Was Agglutination

Thirty years ago, R. J. W. E vans , in the preface to his influential work, The Making of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1550–1700 , outlined what he saw as needed in the study of this complex subject. The three themes to which he pointed and then addressed in the 450 packed pages that followed were: “a consistent account of the Central European Counter Reformation,” “a balanced view of the Monarchy as a whole,” and “an understanding of intellectual evolution from the Renaissance to the Baroque.” Over the last three decades, numerous historians have taken Evans's lead and contributed to a deeper and more variegated image of the histories of the lands of the Central European Habsburgs. Pieces by five of these historians comprise the forum under discussion here.