The Grand Sophy

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Page


Entry	Notes/questions
	Sancia	Just my opinion. I have never seen the name Sancia in Spanish. However, Sancia is the Italian form for Sancha, an old Castillian name (And I mean Old, like 1100 - 1400). I don't think it would have been in use in the 19^th century. Perhaps Heyer got the name from Donizetti's "Sancia di Castiglia". The opera is about the Spanish Princess, Sancha de Castilla, daughter of King Alfonso. But Donizetti being an Italian, the name , of course, is written using the Italian phonemes.
	Chapter 1
2	It was now two years since the close of the Peninsula War	The War ended with the abdication of Napoleon in March 1814. THEREFORE: The Grand Sophy begins in the spring of 1816.
2-3	Congress of Vienna and escape of Napoleon from Elba	Held from September 1814 to June 1815, the aim of the Congress was to decide upon territorial adjustments in Europe following the Napoleonic Wars and achieve a balance of power in Europe likely to promote peace. All the major powers in Europe were represented. The congress was presided over by Fürst von Metternich, who was also the chief Austrian negotiator. Great Britain was represented by Viscount Castlereagh and the Duke of Wellington. The congress was interrupted by news of the escape of Napoleon from Elba in March 1815. The balance of power established by the congress endured until the unification of Germany in 1871.
3	Mention of Brazil and South America	Several things were going on in 1816. In 1807 the Portuguese Prince Regent (Don Joao) transferred his Court to Brazil, to escape from the Napoleonic invasion. French occupation eventually sparked rebellions among the populace, and provisional juntas were organized in several cities. The junta in Porto, to which other local juntas finally pledged obedience, organized an army and, with British help, was able to defeat a strong French force at Lourinhã on August 21, 1808. After this defeat, the French opened negotiations with the Portuguese and signed the Convention of Sintra, which provided for the evacuation of Junot's forces. The government was placed in the hands of the juntas. In January 1809, the prince regent designated a British officer, William Carr Beresford, to reorganize the Portuguese army, granting him the rank of marshall and commander in chief. The queen died in March 1816, and Joao became King João VI of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves. The new king, who had acquired a court and government in Brazil and a following among the Brazilians, did not immediately return to Portugal, and liberals continued to agitate against the monarchy. In May 1817, General Gomes Freire Andrade was arrested on treason charges and hanged, as were eleven alleged accomplices. Beresford, who was still commander in chief of the Portuguese army, was popularly blamed for the harshness of the sentences, which aggravated unrest in the country. In September 1816 Brazil invaded Uruguay, one of the provinces that used to be part of the Virreinato del Río de la Plata. The British policy aimed at having Uruguay an independent state. Things were not quiet in the rest of South America, either, as the former Spanish colonies were engaged in the Independence Wars (with the full support of England)
7	The Nabob	Describe what a nabob was - or is it common enough not to worry?
8	though I shall always say that to call one's first-born a serpent's tooth...	A reference to Shakespeare's King Lear: How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child.
8	Angouleme	The French monarchy was restored in 1814 when Louis XVIII, brother of the beheaded Louis XVI, became king of France in 1814. His reign, though interrupted for a time by the return of Napoleon in 1815, lasted until 1824. The Duc d'Angouleme was the son of Charles comte d'Artois (Charles X from 1824-30), youngest brother of Louis XVI. The Duc d'Angouleme was married to Marie Therese Charlotte, the daughter and only surviving child of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Sir Horace's reference to being "devilish busy dealing with Angouleme, and all that set" is obviously a reference to the events immediately leading up to the restoration.
8	Toulouse	The city of Toulouse was the site of one of the final actions in the Peninsular War. The French General Doult had retreated there in March 1814. The battle took place on the 10^th of April, the participants only afterwards receiving word that it need never have been fought as Napoleon had abdicated four days earlier. A detailed description of the battle and the events leading up to it can be found here http://www.ifbt.co.uk/toulouse.htm
8	Monster at large, Champs de Mars, banks suspending payment, coming over from Brussels	These are all references to March - June 1815, from when Napoleon escaped Elba leading up to the battle of Waterloo. The reference to the Champs de Mars seems to be a reference to the practice of Napoleon during the hundred days. (The Hundred Days are counted from Mar. 20, 1815, when Napoleon arrived in Paris, to June 28, 1815, when Louis XVIII was restored for the second time as king.) The dictionary of Phrase and Fable describes Champs de Mars as: The March meetings held by Clovis and his immediate followers, sometimes as mere pageants for the amusement of the freedmen who came to offer homage to their lord, and pay their annual gifts; sometimes for business purposes, especially when the king wished to consult his warriors about some expedition. The entry for Champs de Mai: The same as the Champs de Mars (q.v.), transferred after 755 to the month of May. Napoleon I. revived these meetings during the "Hundred Days" (June 1st, 1815).
10	Lord Byron's poems	Byron was, by this time, a very famous poet. This was about the time (1816) that he left England for the continent, having finally been involved in one scandal too many. <G> (If you want to read a rather interesting biography of Byron, try this http://www.incompetech.com/authors/byron/ It reduced me to hysterics.)
11	With Stuart in Brussels last year	Check biographical details for Stuart Charles Stuart, GCB, PC, GCTS, 1st Baron Stuart of Rothesay, Count of Machico (1825) and Marquess of Angra do Heroismo, in Portugal - Arms: Stuart of Rothesay - Motto: «Avito Viret Honor», «Nobilis Ira» 1779-1845, diplomat. In 1808 he entered the diplomatic service and became joint charge d'affaires at Madrid. Two years later he was sent as the British envoy to Portugal where he became member of the Regency during the Peninsular Wars. After a short stay on native soil he represented his country at the Hague. Between 1815 and 1824 and again between 1828 and 1831, he held the post as ambassador to Paris. Sir Charles served in a similar capacity at St. Petersburg between 1841 and 1845. More here: http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/lilly/mss/html/stuart.html Son of General Sir Charles Stuart, KB and grandson of John Stuart, KG, 3rd Earl of Bute, Lord Stuart of Rothesay married Lady Elizabeth Margaret Yorke, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Hardwicke.
13	Mistaken for a Yahoo	A reference to Gulliver's Travels by Jonathon Swift. The yahoos were brutish, unsettlingly human-like animals encountered by Gulliver in the land of the Houyhnhnms. The Houyhnhnms were a race of refined, civilised and rational horses, whose company Gulliver far preferred. The yahoos were completely bereft of anything resembling social graces, amongst other things. Detailed explanation here: http://www.jaffebros.com/lee/gulliver/dict/x.html
14	Brussels last year... Wellington	The Battle of Waterloo took place twelve miles south of Brussels, hence Lady Ombersley's concern at the idea of Sophy being there at that time.
15	Carlton House	Carlton House was the official residence of the Prince Regent.
	Chapter 2
18	Brussels with Sir Charles Stuart	Having trouble finding this one
19	Enact Cheltenham tragedies	A pretty well-known Heyer-ism. Explain anyway? According to this site http://www.princeton.edu/~recary/regency.html it probably comes from the fact that "During the Regency period, Cheltenham was apparently home to several not-exactly-first-rate theaters." No sources given, though.
21	Berkeley Square	Check location on Greenwood Map
22	Newmarket	Suffolk.
23	races under the patronage of the Duke of York... Oatlands	Oatlands was in Surrey. It was the country home of the Duke of York, the Prince Regent's next oldest brother.
23	South Hanger	A hanger is a wood located on the side of a steep hill.
26	Green Park	Check location on map
	Chapter 3
27	post-chaise-and-four	Several pictures here, as well as a history of the English Post-Chaise (which the author calls English Coupé, because "it was a coupé"): http://www.giacomo-casanova.de/catour5.htm#HistoryEC
28	Italian greyhound	Find description and/or picture of this type of dog. Both here: http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/italgrey.cfm
31	Merton	Merton, near Wimbledon, is now part of London but would have still been part of Surrey at this time.
31	maypole for a daughter	Need to explain what a maypole is?
40	Mameluke-trained	Information needed. This may throw some light: Napoleon invaded Egypt, which was governed by the Mamelukes. In 1798 he won the Battle of the Pyramids against the Mameluke cavalry. Charging at breakneck speed, the 6,000-strong Mameluke cavalry let out their terrible battle yells, firing at full gallop from their finely bred mounts. "It is said that Napoleon was so impressed by the quality and beauty of the Arab chargers that he could hardly bear to give his artillery the order to fire," Jill writes. Tactically outflanked, the Mamelukes were soundly defeated but they were still, according to Napoleon, "the finest cavalry in the world".
41	Lord Amherst in China,	Lord Amherst was sent as head of an embassy to China in 1816 in an attempt to secure an agreement under which the British could trade in China, the conditions under which trade could be carried out by foreigners in China being severely restricted at that time. Amherst's mission failed to accomplish its objectives.
41	Regent to go back to Lisbon, Marshal Beresford	The Regent referred to is John or Joao, Regent of Portugal. Marshal (Viscount) Beresford was appointed Viceroy of Portugal by John, who remained in Brazil even after his mother (mad Queen Maria) died and he became John VI. (see notes on Chapter 1) William Carr Beresford's short bio: http://www.bartleby.com/65/be/BeresforW.html Picture: http://proni.nics.gov.uk/records/private/ppi/pp000229.htm
42	Cary's translation of Dante	Henry Francis' Cary's blank verse translation of Dante's Divine Comedy was published in 1814. Dante Alighieri wrote the original in Italian in 1306 - 21. It consists of three sections: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Heaven).
42	Lord Byron, the Corsair, Lord Byron's marital difficulties	Lord Byron's wife had asked for a formal separation in February 1816. The Corsair was published in 1814.
42	Waverley	Waverley, published in 1814, was Sir Walter Scott's first published novel.
42	Ruff's Guide to the Turf	A periodical, possibly annual. I haven't been able to find out a great deal about it, but a picture of the Spring 1889 edition is here http://www.collectorsplayingcards.co.uk/images/ephempix/ruffs_book.jpg
43	Say your Collect	A prayer
	Chapter 4
44	In the Melbourne household	A reference to Lady Caroline Lamb?
46	Venetian breakfast, Gunter's	What is a Venetian breakfast? Gunter's - real patisserie. Famous for sweets and ices.
47	Hoare's Bank	Hoare's Bank was one of the main banks in London during the Regency and had been operating at 37 Fleet Street since 1690. Greenwood map: http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/greenwood/map_e6h.html
48	the City	Locate on map
48	Temple Bar	Locate on map
48	curricle, tandem, four-in-hand	Curricle http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?q=curricle&ipht=1&igrph=1&iclr=1&ibw=1&mmW=1&micat=0&imgset=1&stype=simage&search=Search&imgset=1&stype=simage&pg=q
49	High-perch phaeton	Picture here: http://hal.ucr.edu/~cathy/images/i-heid/nh21-2.jpeg
50	Tattersall's	Bother explaining?
51	St Paul's	Find on map
54	the Haymarket	Locate on map
55	Duchess of Richmond's Ball	The Duchess of Richmond's ball was held in Brussels on the evening of the 15^th of June 1815. It was the same day that Napoleon brought his forces secretly into Belgium. The call to arms was sounded later that night.
	Chapter 5
59	Brook Street	Locate on map
60	Phaeton	Pictures here: http://www.printsgeorge.com/Prints-Carriage%20Prints3.htm
62	Sedan-chairs, crossing-sweepers	Need to explain these?
64	Astley's amphitheatre	Details Located at 687 Westminster Bridge Road, Lambeth Had a variety of incarnations between 1791 and 1893 http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~a0fs000/1800/0801.html Was known as (Astley's) Royal Amphitheatre during this time. A picture of the interior in 1809 http://www.printsgeorge.com/Jane_Austen-Astley's.htm
65	ventre a terre	Belly to the ground?
65	barouche	for list
66	the great intriguante (about Countess Lieven)	Intrigante \In`tri`gante"\, n. [F.] A female intriguer.
67	Pyrenees... old Soult	Marshal Nicolas Soult was regarded as one of Napoleon's ablest Marshals. He was Napoleon's chief of staff during the hundred days in March-June 1815. In 1813 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armees d`Espagne et des Pyrenees and fought at the Battle of the Pyrenees in July-August 1813.
68	Jackson's saloon	Details
68	Juno (reference to Sophy)	Explain the reference?
70	Whinyate's rockets	Captain Edward C. Whinyate's Troop / Royal (Horse) Artillery fired 52 rockets in addition to conventional ammunition during the battle of Waterloo.
	Chapter 6
72	What can little T.O. do? Why drive a phaeton and two! Can little T.O do no more? Yes, drive a phaeton and four!... Tommy Onslow	Not sure about this.
73	High-perch phaeton	See chapter 4
74	Four Horse Club	Need to explain?
77	Friday-faced creature	A Heyer-ism?
82	She overturned me in a gig once...	Description of gig?
82	The Stanhope Gate	The gate on the Eastern side of Hyde Park
	Chapter 7
89	Daffy Club, Cribb's Parlour, Bloombury Pet, Black Diamond, Mayfair Marvel	References to???
96	Picadilly	Find on map
96	St James's Street	Locate on map
96	The Bow window, Mr. Brummell obliged to go abroad, Whites	Details
97	Pall Mall	Locate on map
	Chapter 8
101	Jamaica	Jamaica was a British colony from 1655 to 1962. Mention plantations and slave trade?
104	Statutes. Nolumus leges Angliae mutari	nolumus leges Angliae mutari ["We do not wish the laws of England to be changed" (Latin)]. At the parliament of Merton under Henry III prealtes objected to the legitimization of bastards due to their parents' subsequent marriage, but the barons refused to cede ("Nolumus leges Angliae mutari" was their famous reply). Thus the statute of Merton enshrined this rule in law. The very first English Act of Parliament was the Statute of Merton, passed in 1235, during the reign of Henry III. See historical context here: http://www.heraldica.org/topics/royalty/legmatsub.htm See original document here: http://www.unipissing.ca/department/history/2155/kingsans.htm
105	Nelson	A veiled reference to Nelson and Emma Hamilton?
107	Dante's Inferno, Uberti	Inferno (Hell) is one of the three parts of Dante's Divine Comedy, the other two being Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Heaven). Reference to Uberti???
107	Palladian villa	The Palladian style of architecture became popular in England during the 18^th Century. Palladianism was inspired by the work of the great Italian architect Andrea Palladio and was partly a reaction against the more ostentatious Baroque style. Bath contains some excellent examples of the Palladian style. And example of an entire street can be found here: http://www.bath-and-cotswold-guided-tours.co.uk/ps.htm
108-109	Various Spanish phrases: Bien entendido Com' esta? De seguro Valgamé Pechero marienda	Translations: Bien entendido: Well understood Com'esta?: How are you? - correct form would be ¿Cómo está? (might be dialect ? Check) De seguro: Surely (check context - word construction sounds awkward) Valgamé (Accent is wrong. Should be Válgame) Means oh dear! Pechero - Hist. Commoner, plebeian Marienda (correct form is merienda). Light snack taken in the afternoon. In some places, midday meal.
109	The Prado	Refers to? Palace? Not the museum?!
109	Don Quixote by Cervantes Quevedo Espinel Montelban Lope de Vega - El Fénix de España	Spanish writers. Need details Quevedo y Villegas, Francisco Gómez de poet and master satirist of Spain's Golden Age, who, as a virtuoso of language, is unequaled in Spanish literature. Espinel, Vicente (baptized Dec. 28, 1550, Ronda, Málaga, Spain--d. Feb. 4, 1624, Madrid), Spanish writer and musician remembered chiefly for his picaresque novel La vida del Escudero Marcos de Obregón... Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de Spanish novelist, playwright, and poet, the creator of Don Quixote (1605) and the most important and celebrated figure in Spanish literature. His novel Don Quixote has been translated, in whole or... Lope de Vega: in full Lope Félix De Vega Carpio, byname The Phoenix Of Spain, Spanish El Fénix De España b. Nov. 25, 1562, Madrid d. Aug. 27, 1635, Madrid outstanding dramatist of the Spanish Golden Age, author of as many as 1,800 plays and several hundred shorter dramatic pieces, of which 431 plays and 50 shorter pieces are extant. http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/7/0,5716,76917+1+74952,00.html
110	Madrusta to Sophie	Correct form "madrastra" . Means "step-mother"
111	Carolinian Cowper	Cowper was an 18^th Century (?) poet beloved of Jane Austen and mentioned in at least one of her novels. Carolinian refers to?
114	Lotions of the Ladies of Denmark	A real face cream?
115	En verdad	Truly. Awkward word construction. Usual form at least nowadays is "de verdad". Only exception I can think of is the Gospel
	Chapter 9
124	Band of the Scots Greys	Real?
124	Pandian pipes	Description
125	Queen Mab, Titania	Explain?
130	Toss into the Serpentine	Small river at Hyde Park. http://web.wt.net/~whebel/serpentine1.jpg
131	Farmer George	Nickname for George III
132	The evening star, love's harbinger	From Book XI of Milton's Paradise Lost.
	Chapter 10
136	Chelsea Gardens	Location?
136	The Piazza	Real?
137	a great gaby	Gabey: a foolish fellow -(According to the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811)
138	The Stanhope Gate	Location?
146	Goldhanger, Bear Alley, Fleet Lane	Location? Significance?
	Chapter 11
	Cork Oak	Does the cork oak grow in the Southern Provinces of Spain? At least it does grow in Portugal http://corbis.altavista.com/referrals/av_image_details.asp?linkid=2623&imageid=10750996
	Ballata	Tree in Jamaica. What is it like?
	"Daffodils that come before the swallow dares!"	From Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale
	Lending money to minors	What was the law like?
	Rundell and Bridge - Jewellers	Rundell & Bridge, Jewellers & Goldsmith, 32, Ludgate-hill Crown goldsmiths
	Bear Alley	Where was that
	Turnip	Slang
	Doxy	Doxies: she beggars, wenchs, whores (Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue)
	Chapter 12
211	El Moro	The Moor. Was he for real?
211	Blue ruin	Gin. Cant
219	To tow the family out of the River Tick	Tick: to run o'tick; take up goods upon trust, to run in debt (Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue)
	Chapter 13
231	Leveller - floored	Boxing cant. Leveller: A hit which knocks the opponent level (to the floor). Floored: having been hit and knocked to the floor.
	Star - hotel at Henrietta Street	Details if it was for real. This hotel is not listed in my 1813 Boyle's Court Guide. (Which of course has no bearing on whether it existed in 1816.)
(185)	Bertram - a play	A tragic play by Charles Robert Maturin. The title role was played by Edmund Kean.
	Piazza	Piazza: in Covent Garden. About the only "restaurant" where a lady could go out to dinner, other than certain hotels. A favorite for before or after the opera or play at Covent Garden theater.
	Don John of Austria	(1546-78), Spanish general, natural son of the Emperor Charles V, was born at Ratisbon. Appointed when only twenty-two by Philip II commander of the forces against the rebel Moors of Granada, he triumphantly subdued them. As generalissimo of the combined fleets of Spain and Italy he gained a great naval victory over the Turkish fleet in the Gulf of Lepanto (1571). He commanded an expedition against the Moors in Africa, and took Tunis and Biserta. In 1576 he became governor of the Netherlands.
	Chapter 14
237	Serpentine. "Throw body into the Serpentine river"	Find out reference
	White / Whatier's	Details?
247	Astley's Amphitheatre	See previous entry
	Typhoid / typhus	What was de difference? Typhoid: Typhoid fever is contracted when people eat food or drink water that has been infected with *Salmonella typhi. It is recognized by the sudden onset of sustained fever, severe headache, nausea and severe loss of appetite. It is sometimes accompanied by hoarse cough and constipation or diarrhoea. Case-fatality rates of 10% can be reduced to less than 1% with appropriate antibiotic therapy More here: http://www.who.int/inf-fs/en/fact149.html Typhus: It is a rickettsial disease with variable onset, but is often characterised by the sudden appearance of headaches, chills, prostration, high fever, coughing and severe muscular pain. The case-fatality rate is between 1% and 20%. The causative agent, Rickettsia prowazekii*, is transmitted by the human body louse. People are infected by rubbing louse faecal matter or crushed lice into the bite wound or through scratching More here: http://www.who.int/inf-fs/en/fact162.html
255	Succession houses	What are they? See explanation here: /quietgent/architec.htm
255	Pinery	What is it? Pine is short for pineapple, so maybe it's a plantation of pineapples?
	Chapter 15
	"Surprise is the essence of attack"	Reference. Which General?
	Lepanto - context?	Occupied by the Turks in 1498, Lepanto is chiefly celebrated for the victory which the combined papal, Spanish, Venetian, and Genoese fleets, under Don John of Austria, gained over the Turkish fleet on 7 Oct., 1571, putting an end to the Turk power in the Mediterranean. More here: http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Alley/5443/lepanto.htm Cervantes lost his hand at Lepanto, earning for him the nickname "Manco de Lepanto"
274	Majadero: to stay in one place is majadero	Adjective meaning stupid, idiot, fool
	embotado	Dull, blunt (check use, I think it's not right)
279	Drop him	Meaning
279	Drew his claret	Claret: fig. blood. Eg. I tapped his claret. Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue
	Chapter 16
	Marmian - O woman in our hours of ease!	From Marmion by Sir Walter Scott. Canto vi. Stanza 30.
293	Mill you down
	Holbein / Hoppner	Painter. Details
	Chapter 18
	¡Madre de Dios! Su conducta es perversa Moza de cocina Infinitamente De una vez Convenientemente Estilo	Mother of God! Your behaviour is wicked Kitchen maid Infinitely At once Conveniently Style
	Lo! As a careful housewife runs to catch One of her feather'd creatures broke away	Opening line of Shalespeare's Sonnet CXLIII
	Amor ch'a null amato amar perdona	Italian. Quot - Ref Dante Inferno - Canto V v. 102. Love, that denial takes from none belov1d. Amor, ch1 a null1 amato amar perdona.
	Lope de Vega La Hermosura de Angélica Galatea (book)	La Hermosura de Angélica (Angélica's Beauty). Epich poem by Lope de Vega, written in 1602. It follows Ariosto's line. Ariosto wrote a poem called Orlando Furioso. Orlando and half the men in the poems are madly in love with Angélica, a beautiful Arab princess. Félix Lope de Vega Carpio (1562-1635) is one of the first and more representative poets in the XVII Century (Spanish Golden Age). More here: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09354b.htm La Galatea (1585), by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Several contemporary poets become characters of La Galatea (such as Laýnez, Figueroa, Montalvo, Padilla, Maldonado, Dantisco, etc.)