There is a lot of information to unpack here - and several kingdoms to traipse through - however, the author does a fantastic job of breaking it all down.
From the beginning, diving through many of the different ups and downs, there is something for everyone in this book. Get to know some of the major players within the European kingdoms, and their different issues as they try to navigate the political landscapes.

Well done, fabulous - one of my favorite reads of the year

Well researched and exceptionally readable, this is an excellent overview of the history of Central Europe.

Rady does a good job of creating a narrative that makes the information (of which there is a LOT) easily digestible and compelling, and he ranges around in a way that feels both approachable for those new to the subject and worthy for those who come in with a bit more background.

I do wish the distribution had been a bit different. Less time spent on Ancient Rome and WWI and WWII, as these are time periods in which there is plenty of information available elsewhere about the region. Since the book was created to shine light on a neglected area, geographically speaking, in the framework of western history, I would have preferred that more of the book was devoted to the time periods about which this is actually true.

We all know what was going on in this area during the World Wars, and it makes sense that this was included for completeness’ sake, but I would have preferred Rady allot more real estate in the book for the period of 1400 to 1900, which is where this area has truly suffered from a lack of attention compared to other parts of the western world when it comes to how history is taught.

The late HRE is particularly neglected in most historical curricula, and it’s a fascinating time period for the region. Rady certainly discusses it, but I would have liked to see more of this, and also of the fascinating situation unfolding in the area in the mid-late 1800s, which could easily have been achieved by including less from time periods which have been well-documented broadly.

Still, Rady has a lovely narrative nonfiction writing style, and the research is excellent.

First of all this has nothing to do with China. The Kingdoms that Rady writes about are those in Central Europe.
It begins with those provinces of the Roman Empire that were south of the Danube, After the fall of Rome, many of the countries that survived, such as parts of the Holy Roman Empire, Poland, Lithuania and later Prussia and the Hapsburg (Austria).

He then goes thru the history of how the different empires grew and disappeared until Austro-Hungary and the German Empire controlled most of the area that we think of as Central Europe. Well written and explained.