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Curated playlist

Grand masters of the Order of the Golden Fleece

  • Charles V, Holy Roman EmperorCharles V was born during a ball in Ghent in 1500. He ruled more of the world than any Christian monarch before.
  • Francis II, Holy Roman EmperorOn August 6, 1806, Francis II ended the Holy Roman Empire with a single signed declaration. He was its last emperor.
  • Philip V of SpainA singer performed every night to calm Philip V of Spain. Farinelli's arias eased the king's manic depression.
  • Ferdinand VIISpain's people called Ferdinand VII "the Desired One" before they came to call him the Criminal King.
  • Maximilian I, Holy Roman EmperorMaximilian I was Holy Roman Emperor for years but was never crowned by a Pope. He held the title from 1508 to 1519.
  • Joseph II, Holy Roman EmperorEmperor Joseph II issued over 6,000 edicts and 11,000 new laws, yet many subjects came to loathe him.
  • Philip II of SpainPhilip II of Spain ruled the largest empire in the world while his treasury went bankrupt five times.
  • Leopold II, Holy Roman EmperorLeopold II abolished the death penalty in Tuscany in 1786. Historians call it the first permanent abolition.
  • Charles II of SpainCharles II of Spain ruled an empire that circled the globe, yet one historian wrote that "from the day of his birth, they were waiting for his death". He was king from 1665 to 1700. He was also the last monarch of the House of Habsburg,…
  • Charles IV of SpainNapoleon forced Charles IV of Spain and his son to abdicate at Bayonne in 1808.
  • Franz Joseph IOn the evening of the 21st of November 1916, inside Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Emperor Franz Joseph I gave his valet a final instruction. "Tomorrow morning, at half past three." Those were his last words. He was 86 years old. Franz…
  • Alfonso XIIIAlfonso XIII was carried on a silver tray to Spain's prime minister, already a king.
  • Otto von HabsburgOtto von Habsburg, born to be emperor, spent nearly half a century in exile from Austria.

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