This chapter is for bookworms! A proper investigation, whether today or in the past, cannot rely solely on oral information, even if it comes from reliable and trustworthy sources like Father Franz or Doctor van Swieten. Sooner or later, Archduchess Marianne must immerse herself in the contemporary academic knowledge about superstition and folk beliefs — […]
Doctor van Swieten’s range of expertise far transcended his specific medical field. Among his many activities, he reorganised public health care and education, headed the Imperial Library, and relaxed the censorship rules. That is why Archduchess Marianne gladly engages in a long, satisfying conversation with him about the nature and mechanics of superstition. Since the […]
So far, Archduchess Marianne has been quite alone in her investigation, with the exception of Amalia and Father Franz, her initial supporters and sources of inspiration. Now she finds a new collaborator of similar disposition in the person of the court physician Doctor van Swieten. Marianne’s instinctive repulsion towards the ignorant gossip surrounding Princess Schwarzenberg […]
The brief, charming scene of the sisters whispering conspiratorially is contrasted with a rather awkward conversation with Joseph at the dinner table. Archduchess Marianne’s relationship with her brother Joseph (born 1741) had long been marked by veiled tension. Both were intelligent and studious, though Marianne, with her superior intellect and remarkable memory, consistently outperformed her […]
Although religious but not superstitious, Archduchess Marianne sees the fragmentary information surrounding Princess Schwarzenberg as little more than senseless rumour. When the Imperial family gathers for an official court event, she seizes a moment to draw Amalia into her investigation, giving her a small task. Dinners and suppers formed an important part of the daily […]
Let me be honest — this chapter reflects my own professional hesitations. As an experienced researcher, my first demand of myself is that any traits or actions I attribute to my characters must be historically relevant and psychologically credible. All my own questions here were projected onto my protagonist: Why would an imperial princess involve […]
To provide a slight counterbalance to the deeply introspective nature of the chapter, let us cast a brief glance at the family entertainments. The Imperial children were involved in public events from an early age. They participated in gala occasions at court and in religious ceremonies, and they gave formal audiences to ambassadors. A steady […]
Archduchess Marianne has noticed a gap in the document and begins to consider how she might plausibly explain it. More generally, this reflects the twofold methodological problem that runs throughout the plot: first, how she becomes aware of a source or witness; and second, how she gains access to that source or witness. The variety […]
Archduchess Marianne’s thrilling adventure in the underground burial crypt of the Schwarzenbergs is over, and she is back at her desk reading the first written document related to the case — the excerpt from the funeral register obtained from Brother Aloïs. Keeping accounts of baptisms, weddings, and funerals was one of the principal duties of […]
The available information on the burial crypt of the Schwarzenbergs proved to be rather fragmentary. To the best of my knowledge, it was located near the altar of St Nicholas of Tolentino in the Augustinian Church and was in use from 1682 to 1789. By the spring of 1757, the crypt had become the final […]
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