Vienna - Empire, Dynasty and Dream

Episode
Vienna - Empire, Dynasty and Dream - Episode 1
Broadcast Info
2016 (58 mins)
Description
The first episode begins nearly 2,000 years ago when the Romans established the fortress of Vindobona in 15BC; built to defend Rome from the hostile Germanic tribes to the north. But when Rome fell to the Goths, Vandals and Huns, Vienna was plunged into the Dark ages. The only remnant of Roman civilization that remained was the fanatical belief in the new religion - Christianity. Centuries later, faith re-ignited the city. It became the base for invasions into the infidel lands of the south and east and also for the Habsburgs, a Swiss German family who had emerged from the religious conflicts and the bloody dynastic wars of the Middle Ages. They chose Vienna to become the centre, the headquarters and the fulcrum of power in Europe. Choosing diplomacy over the battlefield, the Emperor Maximilian I brokered some of the biggest dynastic matches in European history and created an empire that included South America, Spain, Italy and much of Central Europe. From Maximilian onwards, the history of the Habsburgs was the history of Europe. They became a warrior dynasty that formed Europe’s front line in the struggle to defend Christendom from the Ottoman Islamic advance, and the Catholic Church from the Protestant revolutionaries that plotted to destroy it. This is the story of how Vienna became the beating heartbeat of Europe and how a unique mix of influences provided the foundations to the world we know today.
Genre
History; Architecture; Culture; Religion

How to cite this record

The Open University, "Vienna - Empire, Dynasty and Dream". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/226959 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)