This survey covers the last two centuries of Habsburg rule from the great - though troubled - years of Maria Theresa and Joseph II, through the turmoil of the Napoleonic era, the long reign of Francis Joseph, when the dramatic nature of Habsburg rule came under increasing pressure and ends with the empire's dramatic disintegration after World War One. Primarily a political narrative, there is also discussion of economic developments, social, ethnic and cultural tensions. A timely examination of this critical period of central European history which enhances our understanding of current events in the Balkans.