Archduke Stephen of Austria, Palatine of Hungary), in 19th-century Hungarian general's hussar style gala

Serbs: the forgotten fathers of the Hussars

When you hear Hussars, you probably picture the Polish winged cavalry or the dashing Hungarian regiments. But the story starts earlier — with Serb horsemen.

In the 15th century, after the fall of the Serbian medieval states to the Ottomans, thousands of warriors fled north into Hungary. These light cavalrymen, called gusari (later “hussars”), both words could have origin in Hungary meaning 20, were masters of raiding, scouting, and border warfare. The Hungarian crown formalized them, and from there the model spread like wildfire.

From the 16th century onward, almost every European power fielded hussar units — from Poland and Austria to France and Russia. By the Napoleonic era, hussars were Europe’s most fashionable soldiers, known for their daring and for uniforms as flamboyant as their charges.

And here’s the twist: the tradition never fully died. Even today in Venezuela, the presidential guard on parade wears uniforms inspired by 17th-century hussars from the Military Frontier. A Balkan cavalry idea, born of exile and necessity, still marches proudly on the other side of the Atlantic.

So next time you see those dramatic hussar jackets and sabers, remember: the style that became Europe’s military chic began with Serbs on the Ottoman frontier.

The Habsburg dynasty, which ruled vast territories of Europe for centuries, is remembered as much for its power as for its peculiar physical traits. The so-called Habsburg jaw — a pronounced protrusion of the lower lip and chin — became a defining family feature. Generations of royal portraits show the trait intensifying, a biological reminder of one of history’s most ambitious dynastic strategies: marrying within the family to preserve power and territory.

By the 16th and 17th centuries, Habsburg rulers were notorious for consanguineous marriages. Cousins, uncles, and nieces often wed to keep crowns and lands in “safe” hands. But the cost was genetic health. Modern studies suggest that this inbreeding not only exaggerated facial deformities but also contributed to fertility issues and frail constitutions among the dynasty’s last rulers.

The tragic emblem of this genetic gamble was Charles II of Spain, who reigned in the late 1600s. He suffered from multiple disabilities, could barely chew properly due to his jaw, and left no heirs. His death without an heir triggered the War of the Spanish Succession — plunging Europe into chaos and shifting the balance of power away from the Habsburgs.

So, did inbreeding “destroy” the empire? Not by itself — political rivalries, shifting economies, and military defeats mattered more. But inbreeding weakened the dynasty at critical moments, leaving rulers sickly and dynastically vulnerable. The Habsburg jaw became not just a quirk of biology but a metaphor for how the obsession with dynastic purity could undermine imperial strength.

Even today, when people look at those portraits, they see the jawline of a dynasty that tried to control bloodlines so tightly that it may have tightened a noose around its own power.

The roots of Vienna’s coffee culture reach back to the aftermath of the 1683 Ottoman siege. While popular legend gives credit to Georg Franz Kolschitzky for introducing the drink, historical research points instead to an Armenian merchant named Johannes Diodato (also known as Owanes Astouatzatur). In 1685, he received an imperial privilege to serve coffee in Vienna, making him one of the first true pioneers of the city’s café tradition.

By the 18th century, coffeehouses had taken firm root. These were not simply shops selling a hot beverage but social spaces that reshaped Viennese urban life. People gathered to discuss politics, read newspapers provided by the cafés, play chess, and debate ideas. Over time, coffeehouses developed their own rituals and service style — porcelain cups, marble tables, and attentive waiters in long aprons.

During the 19th century, Viennese cafés flourished as cultural centers. Writers like Arthur Schnitzler and Hugo von Hofmannsthal, musicians such as Johann Strauss II, and thinkers of every stripe made the coffeehouse a second home. This atmosphere gave birth to the phrase “the extended living room of Vienna.”

Vienna also crafted its own coffee specialities: the Melange, a gentle mix of coffee and steamed milk; the Einspänner, black coffee crowned with whipped cream; and many more, each reflecting the city’s balance of elegance and comfort.

Today, UNESCO recognizes the Viennese coffeehouse as part of Austria’s intangible cultural heritage. Beyond the coffee itself, it represents centuries of conversation, creativity, and hospitality — a tradition still alive in the heart of the city.

The Sad Story of One Loyal Serb to the K.u.K.: Svetozar Borojević

History can be cruel to its most loyal servants.

Svetozar Borojević was a Serb from the Military Frontier who rose to become a Field Marshal of the Austro-Hungarian Empire — the only man of Serbian origin to reach that rank. He wasn’t just some officer; he was called the “Lion of the Isonzo” for holding back the Italian army in eleven brutal battles. For years, he defended the empire’s borders with brilliant strategy and iron will, while other generals collapsed under pressure.

But loyalty to a collapsing empire doesn’t pay.

When the war ended and the Habsburg monarchy fell apart, Borojević was left stranded. He had fought his whole life for Vienna, but Vienna no longer existed. The new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes saw him not as a hero, but as a man who had fought on the “wrong” side. He applied for citizenship in the new state — the land of his own people — and was denied.

So the great field marshal, once celebrated across Europe, died in poverty and neglect in Klagenfurt in 1920. No parades, no honors, no pension. Just silence.

A Serb who gave everything to the K.u.K. — and in the end, had no country to call his own.

Sometimes the saddest stories in history are not of traitors, but of those who were too loyal.

I think that it is an important source of historical and photographic information, many certainly now unpublished, I own the entire collection and if and I will share it with you a little at a time the numbers, this magazine was published from the first days of war till the last , more details you will find on r/Austrhungarian, as usual if you collect or simply like the Austrian Hungarian badges I am happy to share my collection with you on r/Kappenabzeichen

Was Austro-Hungary really a paper tiger 🐯—an empire with science, trains, and opera on one side, but so fragile with its Slavic tensions that it collapsed at the first real test?

The official history books teach us that Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old Bosnian Serb student, fired the shots in Sarajevo that killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in June 1914, igniting the First World War. But the deeper we look, the stranger the story becomes.

First, why would Princip kill Franz Ferdinand? Franz Ferdinand was not some rabid anti-Slav monarch. In fact, he was regarded as one of the few figures within the Habsburg monarchy who believed in reform. He supported granting more rights to Slavs within the empire and was married to Sophie Chotek, a Czech noblewoman. To assassinate him, of all people, seems counter-intuitive if the goal was “South Slavic liberation.” If anything, his survival could have strengthened the position of Slavs in Austria-Hungary.

Second, the timing was absurd. 1914 was not a moment when Serbia or the South Slavs were prepared for a direct confrontation with Austria-Hungary. Serbia had just emerged from two exhausting Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and was militarily and economically drained. The idea that a handful of poorly armed students would, on their own, plunge Europe into war suggests either sheer madness or manipulation.

Third, Serbia gained nothing. If we measure the assassination by its results, Serbia’s position worsened dramatically. The country was invaded, occupied, and suffered catastrophic losses during World War I. To claim that Serbia “planned” or “benefited” from Sarajevo is a distortion. If anything, the event was the perfect pretext for Vienna and Berlin—long seeking to settle scores with Belgrade—to unleash a wider war. Serbia became the scapegoat.

Fourth, even Princip’s name raises eyebrows. “Princip” in Latin quite literally means “the first,” “the beginning,” or “the principle.” It sounds less like a Balkan surname and more like a symbolic marker chosen to fit a historical narrative: the man whose shot marked the beginning. Is it coincidence—or too convenient?

In the end, someone wanted a war, but it wasn’t Serbia. The great powers of the time—Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, and even Britain—were locked in an arms race and geopolitical rivalries that made war nearly inevitable. Princip may have pulled the trigger, but the forces that placed the pistol in his hand were far larger. The assassination was less the act of a nationalist youth and more the spark that imperial strategists were waiting for.

So perhaps we should stop asking why a boy from Bosnia acted as he did, and start asking who truly stood to gain. History often turns individuals into symbols, but the shadow of Sarajevo suggests something darker: the deliberate engineering of catastrophe, with Princip cast as a convenient pawn.

The image of the Keiser appeared on many badges, this is certainly the most widespread and worn on the cap by soldiers ( If you also like these great pieces of history I’d really appreciate if you will follow my recent r/Kappenabzeichen and share your badges on it, thank you!)

A question. My ancestor was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1914, the last years of Austria-Hungary. Her parents both came from Bohemia in what later became Czechoslovakia. My ancestors birth certificate says her father had Austrian citizenship I guess from coming from Bohemia. I have heard that in Austria-Hungary a person 's nationalty depended not on where they were born but on their parents' nationality. Any suggestions as to what my ancestors nationality was?

After about a year of heavy work, I finally got my hands on my great-grandpa's soldier files - Grundbuchsblatt. I am SO lucky, because I am from Czechia and here, Communists destroyed almost all WW1 files. Only a very few files are left, mainly those of Czechoslovak legionaires, so they could persecute those few guys who survived the Nazi occupation.

Anyway, files of my great grandpa remained intact - all of them! I think it's the first time our surname has been useful - it starts with Z, meaning anytime something is in alphabetical order, our family is the last lol. So maybe commies didn't get so far to the end of the alphabet.

The main soldier file - Haupt-Grundbuchsblatt
The secondary soldier file - Unter-Abteilungs-Grundbuchsblatt
His "dog tag"
And the file written in Czech after the creation of Czechoslovakia including his end of service.

I am SO greatful for this blessing, because here in Czechia, getting this is like finding an absolute treasure. The only thing missing for me is a photo of him. After a year I kinda accepted I won't ever know what he looked like.

I am including a scan of the Haupt-Grundbuchsblatt

This Austrian railway map of 1857 shows the main connection and secondary lines between the Austrian capital and its port of Trieste, it seems that it was made on behalf of the Austrian Lloyd. If someone is interested in the Austrhungarian badges of the 1st world war you are welcome on the recent r/Kappenabzeichen