From the 13th century till the end of World War I, a Habsburg ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire with Vienna as its capital city. For a couple of centuries, another branch of the family ruled the Spanish empire with Madrid as its capital city. No other royal dynasty has a record that can match that of the Habsburgs. By way of a thought-provoking memorial, the crypt of the Capuchin church in the center of Vienna has the coffins of 149 members of the Habsburg family, twelve of them emperors.
