A late Habsburg 'World Empire'

A Late Habsburg World Empire

With a POD after 1815 but before 1914 have the Habsburgs create an empire the equivalent of that of the Ottomans or the Russians

- - -

An old favourite is to continue the Crimean War, have Austrian involvement result in annexation of the Western Ukraine, perhaps protectorate status over the Eastern half, and go from there.

Given that LATER PODs are unlikely to succeed, unless one goes with an Austrian victory in 1866 (swap commanders on the Bohemian and Italian fronts for a start) then other potential PODs really are looking to see if we can achieve this aim BEFORE 1855

1848 ? This seems to me to be the only one, though possibly in the elimination of ANY major disturbances and its keeping of the empire together in its former form. If Ferdinand of France lives yet, protests against Louis Philippe may result only his abdication in favour of his popular son, and the revolts don't spread across Europe, so that by some unspecified future event the result we want for the Habsburgs could come about


Best Regards
Grey Wolf

1848 POD.
Revolts in Austria are far milder, perhaps due to pre-revolutionary liberalization. In OTL Italian War of Independence #1, Piedmont-Sardinia stands alone. Austrian armies are far more succesfull, and over a few years, they conquer most of western Italy. France is forced to intervene and fight a bloody war against Austria in the early 1860s, eventually establishing a protectorate over Piedmont and Sardinia.
Austria goes through extensive military reforms, encorporating the Papal States and conquering much of southern Germany during the failed Prussian attempt to unify their country.
In 1880, Franz Joseph I is proclaimed Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope. This eentually leads to a major war between the Holy Roman Empire and the Russo-Balkans, but Austria wins due to Franco-American catholic support.
The End.

What about nationalism in the other areas of the Habsburg empire

Finagle them into the rest of Germany.

Any way of them inheriting Prussia?

Maybe if you have a post-Napoleonic massive territorial feud in eastern Europe. Say Russia and Prussia banging each other to death...