Largest possible Austrian Empire?

This Thread lays out the most likely way to get the Largest Habsburg State(s). Philip and Mary have a couple sons. This secures England and, with English Resources now on Philip's Side, the Habsburgs Smash the Dutch Revolt. Press a weak but still existing claim on France and seize that throne as well. People can whine about 'Salic Law' all they want, if Spain has the Military Power it will be a minor annoyance. No law is Absolute. Then, using these resources the Habsburgs destroy the Protestants in Germany and establish a Centralized Holy Roman Empire.

There you go, a collection of Habsburg states now control All of Western Europe, a major chunk of Northern and Eastern Europe which they can gradually expand their influence on, perhaps eventually getting a Habsburg Elected the the Throne of Poland-Lithuania, and they control the entirety of the New World. An Empire Larger than any ever seen before or since.
 
It seems I made a mistake; I wanted to see what would be the largest Empire with a PoD after the siege of Vienna, not before. The OP has been edited accordingly. :eek:
 
1) Austria beats Prussia during the wars of German unification, eventually restores the German Confederation back to Empire. Or

2) No Schlieffen Plan. Germany focuses on fighting Russia during WW1, masking Austria-Hungary's problems; Romania joins the CPs and Italy remains neutral. CP victory, Triple Austro-Hungarian-Polish crown with a German/Austrian condominium in Ukraine and occupation troops in Serbia, Albania and Montenegro.
 
1) Austria beats Prussia during the wars of German unification, eventually restores the German Confederation back to Empire.

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You can certainly wreck Prussia if things go a bit different in the 18th century, so you don't have to make Austria face down 19th century Prussia.
 
Yeah just Austria win against Prussia in the war of Austrian Succesion and Maria being her usual (righteously so)pissed self dismembers Brandenburg from Frederick's crown. Placing a more reliable house in charge. Placing Frederick and his house back in Prussia proper. She also occupies Bavaria and through some arm twisting trades them the Austrian Netherlands for Bavarias crown.
 
Yeah just Austria win against Prussia in the war of Austrian Succesion and Maria being her usual (righteously so)pissed self dismembers Brandenburg from Frederick's crown. Placing a more reliable house in charge. Placing Frederick and his house back in Prussia proper. She also occupies Bavaria and through some arm twisting trades them the Austrian Netherlands for Bavarias crown.

This is fairly interesting. A defeated Hohenzollern stuck in Prussia proper (would they keep calling themselves "Kings"?) and a new dynasty (?) inserted in the Electorate of Brandenburg (the heart of Prussian power) would pretty much cut off the Hohenzollern at the knees (we would probably see the Wittlesbachs become the Habsburg nemesis instead). We would also possibly not see the Partition of Poland (or at least it would look very different since Prussia would no longer be a major power).

In terms of enlarging the empire - how about the Austrians continuing expansion south after the Siege of Belgrade? Annexing Bosnia much MUCH earlier (and settling it with Germans), making Serbia a crown-land of the Empire, heading east to add Moldavia and Wallachia to Hungary then and going down into Albania and OTL Macedonia or even more perhaps? The Habsburgs always seemed so obsessed with Italy, maybe if they weren't they could expand elsewhere.
 
Well, Italians are fellow Catholics, the areas you mention are mostly Greek Orthodoxers and Muslims...
 
Austrian armies managed to penetrate fairly deep into the Ottoman Balkans several times after the Siege of Vienna. While they never came as close to Constantinople as the Russians did later on, it would be intriguing to see what the Austrians would do with the Balkans if they managed to take Constantinople at some point in history. I somehow doubt that they`d annex the whole of the liberated Balkans.
 
If not annex the entire Balkans then at least Bosnia/Serbia and parts of OTL Romania. As for the rest they do - about a hundred years EARLIER than in OTL - is basically put princelings on the crowns of a Balkanized Balkans (filled with smaller states - Montenegro, Albania, a smaller Bulgraria, Republic of Ragusa, etc.) all with Austria as the hegemonic power.
Well, Italians are fellow Catholics, the areas you mention are mostly Greek Orthodoxers and Muslims...

Yes, but the Italians always thought of Austrian rule as interlopers and conquerers and the Italians were constantly rebelling. In the Balkans they might be seen as deliverers from Ottoman rule.
 
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Yes, but the Italians always thought of Austrian rule as interlopers and conquerers and the Italians were constantly rebelling. In the Balkans they might be seen as deliverers from Ottoman rule.

Not everywhere though, Trieste was a part of the Habsburg Lands since 1382, Fiume (now Rijeka) since 1388, Pordenone (in Friuli) even since 1288; though these were a part of the Habsburg Hereditary Lands well before the Austrian Habsburgs/Habsburg-Lorraine managed to expand further in the Italian peninsula.
 
There's a possibility something like this could happen...Catharine the Great wanted to restore the Byzantine Empire and take Constantinople for Russia. Austria would be quite happy to jump on board for Bosnia I'm sure, and probably Serbia as well - it was not til the age of nationalism that 'slavism' became a thing and Russia saw herself as defender of slavs. I think the sticking point might be the Moldavia/Walachia, since both wanted it. Maybe a partition or something? However, France could use the war as a chance to meddle in central Europe.
 
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