After Prince Schwarzenberg’s death at Brandeis Castle, his body was transported to Prague, where a post-mortem examination was carried out. During it, the bullet was removed, and, according to custom, the heart and viscera were placed in separate urns. The body was then embalmed. A week later, the Prince’s coffin arrived in Vienna and was […]
Every now and then, a mysterious side figure slips into the narrative – Käsebier. Even the name, meaning Cheesebeer, sounds peculiar enough. Yet he was a real historical person – Christian Andreas Käsebier (c. 1710 – after 1757), the son of a tailor who rose to notoriety as a thief, burglar, and leader of a […]
According to the investigation report, those present at the site of Prince Schwarzenberg’s accident were thoroughly questioned. Three of them stand out for their direct impressions, which encompass the crucial moments of the tragic event — all authentic and grounded in first-hand observation. The first, Johann Georg Reinhard, identified as “the hunting master in the […]
Few researchers are as fortunate as those for whom half the work has already been done by diligent predecessors. In the investigation into Prince Schwarzenberg’s death, an official commission was established, whose efforts proved remarkably thorough. I have become acquainted with its original materials only through reliable secondary sources, yet the information they convey is […]
By this chapter, I faced the problem of how to introduce the County of Rantzau into the narrative. Without giving away any spoilers, I can reveal that this small, remote, and seemingly insignificant borderland plays quite a role in the intrigue. However, for literary purposes, its mention had to appear as casual as possible — […]
As the author, I was truly delighted to provide my protagonist with something as tangible as a map of the alleged crime scene. The engraving of Brandeis Castle and its surroundings, dating from 1640, is found in the 21-volume Topographia Germaniae by the engraver and publisher Matthäus Merian (1593–1650) and the geographer Martin Zeiller (1589–1661). […]
The Chinoiserie Room at Hetzendorf The small Chinoiserie cabinet in the Palace of Hetzendorf, where the conversation between father and daughter takes place, is one of the most brilliant examples of 18th-century Oriental interiors. It was designed by Nicolo Pacassi, though probably influenced by the earlier work of François Cuvilliés. My description of the cabinet […]
The Empress’s cancelled birthday On 13 May 1757, Maria Theresa turned forty years old – an occasion that under normal circumstances would have been publicly celebrated. However, following the devastating defeat at Prague only a few days earlier, she refused any celebration of her birthday and did not accept even private congratulations from her children. […]
As for the place names in the narrative, a complex triple question made me rack my brain. Many of the locations are situated in what is now the Czech Republic; yet the fictional characters who speak about them or live there are German speakers; and finally, the novel itself is written in English for an […]
The anxious fears of the company at the dinner table in the previous chapter sadly came true when news of the Battle of Prague on 6 May reached Vienna: the Austrians had been forced to retreat into the city, which was then placed under siege by King Friedrich’s troops. The course of the battle and […]
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