1278-1556 CE
From 1278 to 1556 CE, the Austrians proved that marriage could conquer more than war — Rudolf of Habsburg seizing Alpine duchies from a Bohemian king, his descendants collecting crowns through weddings and funerals until Charles V ruled an empire on which the sun never set. "Let others wage war; you, happy Austria, marry" became their motto, though they proved capable enough at warfare when brides were unavailable.