Tea at Trianon: The Ludwig Conspiracy

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, November 10, 2013

The Ludwig Conspiracy

Ludwig II by Gabriel Schachinger

The enigmatic King Ludwig II of Bavaria and his fairytale castles are at the heart of this latest mystery by German author Oliver Pötzsch. In The Ludwig Conspiracy, a mild-mannered rare book collector named Steven Lukas is given the lost journal of one of Ludwig’s closest friends. The journal, written in code, is said to contain the truth about Ludwig’s mysterious death. Steven soon finds himself hunted by several shady characters who appear to be set upon stealing the diary from him. He is rescued from a violent death by an attractive young art detective, Sara Lengfeld, with whom he joins forces in order to piece together the King’s last days.

As Steven and Sara travel throughout Bavaria exploring Ludwig’s marvelous castles, they are chased by both the police and the members of an Arthurian-obsessed cult. In the meantime, Steven is brought closer not only to the secrets of the king but to the secrets of his own family history. Amid the suspenseful, lively and humorous narrative, the author offers a poignant depiction of the Dream King, shedding a great deal of light into the magical world of his creation. Ludwig’s attempt to withdraw from modernity into the romantic past led to his destruction but greatly benefitted his people in the long run. For anyone who has traveled in Bavaria, the novel will help you to mentally return there, so vivid are the descriptions. For those planning to visit Ludwig’s castles someday, The Ludwig Conspiracy is an excellent guide, as well as a gripping story.

This review originally appeared in the November 2013 edition of the Historical Novels Review.

(*NOTE: This book was sent to me by the Historical Novel Society in exchange for my honest opinion.)

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