One of my particular pleasures in historical research is tracing family ties between the people involved. Such bonds of relationship, however distant, often reveal astonishing connections that can shape how a problem or situation was perceived. My readers have probably noticed the intricate web of kinship within the narrative. Even if it sometimes feels confusing […]
During the reflective discussion at the heart of the maze, Father Franz advises Archduchess Marianne to trust her intuition and follow the inner logic of events. A distinct pattern of roughly ten-year leaps back in time is beginning to emerge in her investigation — a pattern that, originating from my own research, also forms the […]
In this chapter, Archduchess Marianne and Father Franz explore the maze in the Schönbrunn park. This marvellous structure of four quadrants and a central pavilion was gradually developed between 1700 and 1740 and can be seen in the famous painting by Bernardo Bellotto, completed in 1760. The intricate network of walkways between tall hedges created […]
Researching Prince Schwarzenberg’s death and the Princess’s alleged role in it, Archduchess Marianne — although reluctantly — has to delve into their marital relations. After more than a decade of living apart, the House of Schwarzenberg stood on the brink of extinction. Then, as if out of the blue, the long-estranged couple — both already […]
One important thread running through the narrative is Marianne’s tense relationship with her mother. To untangle this web of contradictory feelings and, ideally, to find their cause, was one of the keen aims of my research. From the very beginning, it was clear that without understanding the dynamics of this essential bond between mother and […]
Christina of Oldenburg was born sometime in November 1521. By birth, she was a Princess of Denmark, the daughter of King Christian II. Through her mother, Isabella of Austria, she was the matrilineal niece of Emperors Charles V and Ferdinand I. By her two marriages, she became one of the most prominently connected ladies of […]
Joanna of Castile, the nominal Queen of Castile and Aragon, was born on 6th November 1479. She was the daughter of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. Through her marriage to Archduke Philip, called the Handsome, she became the ancestress of all subsequent Habsburg rulers. Although she was the rightful […]
Archduke Leopold Johann died on 4 November 1716. Quite unaccustomed to the Habsburgs, his parents, Emperor Charles VI and Empress Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, were not closely related and therefore could expect to have healthy children. After seven years of marriage, their hope was finally fulfilled. True, the baby seemed rather fragile and slightly deformed […]
2 November has an unusually high concentration of archduchesses born on this day. Moving backwards in time, they were as follows:Maria Antonia, the youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa, was born on 2 November 1755. Known in history as Marie Antoinette, the tragic Queen of France, her personality and life have been the subject of […]
I am surprised myself not to have introduced Princess Trautson earlier, despite her being one of the central figures of the narrative since its very first page. It is high time to correct that unfortunate omission. Karolina Magdalena, Freiin Hager von Altensteig, was born in 1701, and was therefore fifty-six years old at the time […]
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