Under Habsburg Rule 1530-1918
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The Habsburg family emerged as the hereditary rulers of the Czech and Slovak lands in the 16th century. Due to their German Catholic heritage, the family surpressed the Czech Hussite Protestant movement and Czech language and culture. Some Czech artists and composers, such as Bedrich Smetana, composer of Má Vlast, were able to find patronage and develop their talents during the Habsburg Era.
Czechs and Habsburgs alike reverenced the beauty of Moravia and Bohemia, and the collection includes a copy of Stará Praha, a collection of illustrations.
The final powerful Habsburg ruler, the Emperor Franz Josef came to power in 1848 following the supression of a popular revolution against Habsburg rule. Franz Josef ruled for nearly 68 years. His heir to the throne, his nephew, was assassinated while visiting Serbia in 1914, and the assassination led to the chain of events causing World War I.
The headline of the Cas, a Czech newspaper exclaimed: "The heir to the throne and his wife murdered." The Habsburg government managed to maintain its domination over the Czechs and Slovaks until a short time after the death of Franz Josef in 1916, a few months before the end of World War I.
a Czech newspaper
