By late 1626, Emperor Ferdinand was riding high. But this season of triumph was not enough. Ferdinand had bigger dreams than the mere destruction of his enemies. He imagined a new world order, where threats to the Habsburg dynasty ceased to exist, and the Catholic Church bloomed. Sound too tyrannical and storybook to be true? Judge for yourself. After turning down the best opportunity for a German peace in summer 1627, it was hard to avoid the impression that the Habsburgs were going for broke, and aimed at nothing less than total victory. To create their supremacy under the force of so many Habsburg levies, the dynasty would have to ignore many ill-omens on the way. Perhaps the greatest ill-omen of all was the idea that the Emperor could only push Europe so far, before it united against him. The lesson was heard, but it was not learned.
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