Turnaround for the Empire

As the Holy Roman Empire fell to shambles, the Habsburgs tried their hardest to maintain control over as much as possible. The more adequately named German Empire consisted of almost 300 independent states, most of which were made of no more than a city. In order to gain power, they extended eastward and overtook the Bohemian Estates. The Czechs and Slavs mounted a strong defense in order to defend their Protestant beliefs, but were defeated by Austria/Hungary at the Battle of the White Mountain. With the newly acquired resources, the Habsburgs managed to mold some of the shattered state into a modestly sized empire.