October 3, 2004 saw what appeared to many to be a very strange thing: Emperor-King Charles of Austria-Hungary, last Habsburg to rule in Central Europe and wartime foe of the United States, was raised to the altars of the Church as a Blessed by St. John Paul II. But odd as this appeared, the real story of the “Peace Emperor” and his just as remarkable wife reads like a combination of a suspense thriller, Greek tragedy, and hagiography.
The inheritor of a tradition of Catholic monarchy dating back to the Roman Empire, Bl. Charles struggled to update it sufficiently to survive in the modern world. A brave soldier coming to the throne during a war whose start he had no part in, he risked everything to bring the bloody conflict to an end. Betrayed on all sides by allies, enemies, and subjects, his deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, the Sacred Heart, and the Virgin Mary helped him to avoid hating those who wronged him.
Devoted to his wife and children, Charles succeeded, with the help of his loving Empress, in leading a good Catholic family life despite everything. In a life filled with signs and miracles before and after his death, Bl. Charles managed to combine a life of deep piety with intense practicality. After his death, his wife and children continued his work—her cause for beatification is now being considered.
In these pages, prolific Catholic author Charles Coulombe brings to bear his vast erudition, affection for Catholic monarchy, and assorted contacts close to the Hapsburg family, through his residence in Austria in the production of a biography of a man whose thrilling and event-filled life story deserves to be better known.
- Author:
- Charles A. Coulombe
- Pages:
- 264
- Publication Date:
- 9/23/20
- Imprint:
- TAN Books
- SKU:
- 2679
- Product Format:
- Hardcover
- Height:
- 8.50
- Width:
- 5.50
3 Reviews
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A Fresh Look at the Monarchy
Charles A. Coulombe, in his book on Blessed Charles of Austria, has created the portrait of a man who was both truly a servant of God and a servant of man. His humility and devotion to duty were shining lights in the darkness of modernism and secularization. Sadly that light was unable to pierce through the tide of change that would alter his homeland and indeed all of Europe, but that did not stop his legacy from being a light for us today. In this post-modern world, the idea of a righteous and holy monarch is foreign and something that is often scoffed at, however Couolombe has been able to illuminate just how the monarchy is a religious vocation and how the Christian monarch is duty bound to build God's kingdom on earth. After reading about the holy lives of Charles and his wife Zita (who rode the tides of history much longer than her husband) I was blessed with a new understanding and appreciate of what a monarch is, was, and should be. This book should be read by all students of history and all who are interested in the lives of modern saints.
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Comprehensive book on an inspiring man!
This book seems very thorough! I loved learning about Blessed Karl, who was so inspiring and heroic!
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Blessed Charles of Austria
A man with God on his mind and in his heart during the time of war.
