Afterword: The Limits of Loyalty

The dynasty is the oldest theme in Austria's historiography at home and abroad. Such a notion has always provided a focus for authors addressing a popular audience, who employ the dynasty as a vehicle to convey both the structure and the essence of the Monarchy. This concluding chapter explores the dynastic myth and summarizes the ways in which the contributors to this volume have argued that royalism has been underestimated in Austria's historiography.