Chapter 5 – Two Princesses Schwarzenberg – Who’s Who?

So — with Amalia’s message to Marianne, the strange matter concerning Princess Schwarzenberg seems settled, does it not? And yet, for an attentive mind, subtle anomalies begin to surface, allowing the intrigue to take its first, tentative step forward.

However, in the spring of 1757 there were two Princesses of Schwarzenberg (both deceased) to whom one might refer. To avoid potential misunderstanding, let us review the persons involved.

At the time of the narrative, the Schwarzenberg family consisted of the incumbent Prince (born in 1722, only indirectly presented in the story) and his seven young children, among whom his daughter Theresa is mentioned as Amalia’s friend and playmate. The children’s mother, born in 1721 as Princess Liechtenstein, had died several years before 1757 and therefore does not feature in the narrative. Yet during her lifetime she held the title of Princess Schwarzenberg — a fact that may cause confusion, especially in the disorienting tangle of aristocratic titles, branches and names. Nevertheless, the centre of the intrigue is not she, but her mother-in-law Eleonora (1682–1741), born Princess Lobkowitz.

By now, the reader has likely recognised that Madame Trautson is at cross purposes here and has mistakenly been speaking of the wrong person. Her little error will be clarified in the forthcoming chapter.