The Origins of the Novel Series

Out of all these international connections the Franco-British connection was the most dominant and this is where the origins of the novels lie.

Where did John Hamilton come from?

I will now say something briefly about the origins of the main character in the novel, Lieutenant-General John Hamilton.  When we are first introduced to John Hamilton, he is a shadowy and intimidating figure and before we formally meet Hamilton we know that for some people the ‘lieutenant-colonel’ is a terrifying figure.  Gaston, the hapless master meal miller, who attempts a rather poor heist, is utterly terrified by the prospect of being reprimanded by the ‘lieutenant-colonel’.[1]

When we meet John Hamilton for the first time it is through the eyes of Robert Meldrum who is overcome by Hamilton’s sheer physical size.  Meldrum describes Hamilton for us, explaining that Hamilton is 6 foot four inches tall, which, for the seventeenth century, is an immense height.

To put it into context, the Swiss Guards, who were considered to be Louis XIVs tallest men, were to be at least six feet tall. For other guards, specifications were much lower around five foot five.

As Meldrum continues to state that Hamilton had large hands, an exceptionally broad back, large shoulders, and chest.  We find out in later chapters that Hamilton weighs at least 250 pounds with a muscular and athletic build and exceptional strength.  Hamilton’s stature easily intimidates friends and foes alike.

[1] MacKenzie, La Garde Ecossaise 34.

Thank you for joining me for series 1 of the podcast for the La Garde Ecossaise Novels and I look forward to welcoming you to series two in the near future.

Au revoir, a bientôt !

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Geography and Borders

The country we know today as France was shaped considerably during the French Revolution in 1789.  The author L.P. Hartley once declared that ‘The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there’[1] and this can be applied to pre-revolutionary France, known in French as the Ancien Regime or Old Regime in English. If you looked at a map of France at the beginning of Louis XIVs reign around 1643 the first thing that you would notice is that it is not quite the ‘hexagon’ shape we are all familiar with today.

1. John Tosh, The Pursuit of History (London, 2009) p.9.

The French State and Provincial France

Old Regime France was divided into provinces each with their own regional capitals and some with their own parliaments or Estates which gathered the local political ruling classes to discuss the issues of the day. Historian E.N. Williams has called old regime France a ‘federation of provinces’.[1]

[1] Williams, The Ancien Regime in Europe 162.

The King and the Three Estates

Before the French Revolution in 1789 French society was structured into three estates, or three social classes, with the King at the top of the social hierarchy. Below the monarchy there was the first estate, the clergy, the second estate, the nobility and by far the most numerous, the third estate which comprised of everyone else, from the wealthy Bourgeoise to urban dwellers such as shopkeepers and publicans to the dirt poor and rural peasantry.

The Auberge: the melting pot of society

As Meldrum travels through rural France he eats and stays in inns or auberges.  Indeed, throughout the novel there is a recurrence of inns as a meeting place for the characters.  Robert Meldrum’s first encounter with John Hamilton takes place in an Auberge in Marly on the outskirts of Paris. But what was it like to be a visitor to an inn in France in the 1670s?  What sights and smells would have greeted you?

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London as a Commercial, Financial and Industial Centre

The London which Robert Meldrum visited in 1672 was a vibrant, cosmopolitan, commercial, industrial and financial centre and was one of the most populous and industrious centres in Europe. It was also the centre of political power in England.

London: A Cosmopolitan City

London was a major global hub which attracted people for all over the world who settled in the city during the seventeenth century thereby helping it to become the city it is today.  It was also a melting pot of different races, cultures, religions, and nationalities.  Whilst viewing the city from his boat sailing town the Thames, Robert Meldrum may have seen a variety of people, including the Huguenots, Jews, Scots, the Irish, the Ottomans and Africans.

London in the Seventeenth Century: A Place of Conspiracy and Revolution

Whilst Robert Meldrum is sailing up the Thames in his water taxi to Lambeth Palace he recalls some of the most momentous historical events to take place in London, including the execution of King Charles I and Colonel Thomas Blood's theft of the Crown Jewels, as well as some of London’s most historical landmarks such as the Tower of London, the Palace of Westminster, the Banqueting House in Whitehall and Lambeth Palace.  Meldrum also reflects upon London after the Great Fire in 1666.

Historiography Easter Egg 1: Recollections, years and decades after events took place

I look forward to joining you again next week for the next episode of the La Garde Ecossaise Historical Fiction podcast where we will explore early modern France.

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