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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Scotland's Religious Tensions

In ‘To the Reader’ Meldrum writes as follows ‘Scotland was being threatened by religious tensions’.  Meldrum then proceeds to take us quickly through four decades of religious tensions. This episode will explain the religious changes Scotland experienced during the early modern period. 

The Pre-Reformation Catholic Church

Before 1560 Scotland was a Catholic country and, as such, it was part of a wider European Catholic culture.  The monarch was the secular leader with some religious responsibilities towards their subjects but the head of the Catholic Church in all religious matters was the Papal See in Rome.

The Scottish Reformation

The interesting aspect of the Scottish Reformation, that is to say Scotland’s transition from a Catholic to a Protestant country was that it was mainly a legislative affair where conflict was limited. It also marked a move away from the Auld Alliance with France, a formal treaty which ended in 1560, and a move towards a more formal relationship with England.

Episcopacy and Presbyterianism

There was an emerging division over the form of discipline to be instilled within the church. Was the church to be run by Bishops or was there further need for reformation, similar to the Calvinist reformations in Europe? The stage was set for a battle between Episcopacy, which advocated a church run by Bishops with the oversight of the monarch and Presbyterianism which drew its inspiration from John Calvin in Switzerland and which advocated church discipline through a series of church courts.

What was life like for a Scottish minister, like Robert Meldrum, in the 1670s?

His primary roles within the church would have been the reading of scriptures to his congregation and the administering of communion and to perform the sacraments of baptism, marriage and funeral rites.

The next episode will explore Stuart London.

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We are introduced to La Garde Ecossaise by our narrator Robert Meldrum who is the main voice of the novels.  Meldrum becomes a member of the Garde in the 1670s and later becomes their notary and archivist.

We are introduced to the 1715 Jacobite rising.

From the outset, Meldrum reveals his reasons for writing the book; i.e the adverse impact of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion on the Franco-British relationship.

We are introduced to France's role in the 1715 rebellion

What was the role of France in the 1715 rebellion and why, after the 1715 rising, had the Franco-British relationship taken a turn for the worse?

We are introduced to Whigs and Jacobites 

What did it mean to be ‘a Whig’?  What did it mean to be a ‘Jacobite’? The politics of Britain in the early eighteenth century was dominated by these two factions which were reflected in the political parties that had already emerged in England and Scotland before the Act of Union in 1707. We will revisit these political and religious fault lines throughout the novels so it is best to introduce them at this early stage.

We are introduced to Franco-British communities during the seventeenth century 

French immigrant communities in Britain and Ireland, as well as British immigrant communities in France.  These immigrant communities could be found at all levels of society and in several professions.

In future podcasts we will delve more deeply into these Franco-British and Franco-Irish communities in greater detail, as well as Jacobites and Williamites, Whigs and Tories.

I look forward to joining you again next week for the next episode of the La Garde Ecossaise podcast where we will explore religious controversy and war in seventeenth century Scotland.

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Introduction

Hello and a very warm welcome to the La Garde Ecossaise podcast.  This is the official podcast of the La Garde Ecossaise novels hosted by me, Dr Kirsteen M MacKenzie.

I am so glad that you have taken the time to join me as I discuss the novels in greater depth and the historical events which inspired them.

This podcast is for those of you who are enjoying the novels and want to learn a little bit more about the history behind the novels.

This podcast is also for students studying early modern history courses at college or university. Indeed, the novels purposefully cover many of the key events of the seventeenth century, events that are covered in many survey courses on the seventeenth century.  I like to think of the book as a textbook for an early modern history course, masquerading as a historical fiction novel.The podcasts will closely mirror the contents of each chapter and will explore the real people and events mentioned within them.  The podcast is also available as a videocast on YouTube with interesting and helpful visuals.  There are also subtitles on YouTube for those who are hard of hearing.  You will find transcripts of these podcasts on the La Garde Ecossaise blogs. 

Although the characters are fictional, many of the events are not and I have tried to cover as much ground as I can in each novel whilst keeping the book informative and entertaining.

The series La Garde Ecossaise is a seven-book series. Each book will explore the life of one of six elite soldiers that served Louis XIV between 1643 and 1715.  It is through these six very different lives and individual journeys that the interesting and vast expanse of seventeenth century history will be explored.

 See the website www.lagardeecossaise.net for further details.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Welcome to the La Garde Ecossaise podcast where we will take a journey together through early modern history. I am so glad that you have taken the time to join me as I discuss the novels in greater depth and the historical events which inspired them.

This podcast is for those of you who are enjoying the novels and want to learn a little bit more about the history behind the novels. This podcast is also for students studying early modern history courses at college or university. Indeed, the novels purposefully cover many of the key events of the seventeenth century, events that are covered in many survey courses on the seventeenth century.  I like to think of the book as a textbook for an early modern history course, masquerading as a historical fiction novel.

The podcasts will closely mirror the contents of each chapter and will explore the real people and events mentioned within them.  The podcast is also available as a videocast on YouTube with interesting and helpful visuals.  There are also subtitles on YouTube for those who are hard of hearing.  You will find transcripts of these podcasts on the La Garde Ecossaise blogs.

Although the characters are fictional, many of the events are not and I have tried to cover as much ground as I can in each novel whilst keeping the book informative and entertaining. I aim to tease out fact from fiction for you and in doing so introduce you to this fascinating period of history.

The series La Garde Ecossaise is a seven-book series. Each book will explore the life of one of six elite soldiers that served Louis XIV between 1643 and 1715.  It is through these six very different lives and individual journeys that the interesting and vast expanse of seventeenth century history will be explored.

 See the website www.lagardeecossaise.net for further details.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm