*Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube* – ‘Let others wage war: thou, happy Austria, marry’.

Wikipedia [doesn't say too much on the topic][1]; but it's a frequently repeated historical anecdotal phrase.

What exactly was the origin of this foreign policy in Austria; and why was Austria special among other European powers (including other Hapsburgs) that they both tried and succeeded in it?


  [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France%E2%80%93Habsburg_rivalry