If a power wishes to subdue a region, what can it do? Order its armies to annex it? Carve up the region into parts that are subsequently ruled by different great powers, or create new principalities as a tool for indirect power influence? Why not use ideology and economic strength to rule that same region instead? This book demonstrates how the European powers of the 16th-19th centuries oscillated between these different stances in their attitude towards the Balkans, while, at the same time, leaving enough space for the smaller regional players - states and individuals alike - to exercise their local power and influence. (Series: History: Research and Science / Geschichte: Forschung und Wissenschaft - Vol. 38) *** "The focus of these works is Ottoman, Habsburg, and Russian power and influence in the Balkans. . . . the pieces are well researched and address topics that not only shed light on the history of these three empires, but also, more generally, are important in understanding the issue of power in the early and modern periods. Recommended." - Choice, Vol. 51, No. 07, March 2014