Part I. Strategic characteristics of the Habsburg Empire
Empire of the Danube: the geography of Habsburg power
Damnosa hereditas: Habsburg people and state
"Si Vis Pacem": Habsburg war and strategy
Part II. Habsburg frontier defense "systems"
Harvest of briars: Turks, Russians, and the southeastern frontier
"The monster": Prussia and the northwestern frontier
Teufelfranzosen: France and the western frontier
Part III. Zenith, decline, and legacy
Barricades of time: Metternich and the Habsburg system at its peak
Between hammer and anvil: eclipse of the Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg legacy: taming chaos
Epilogue: Habsburg lessons.
