I Read Books: The Puppet Crown
The Puppet Crown
A 1901 Harold McGrath Ruritanian romance, perhaps best remembered for the lost 1915 film that was made based on it. In some 19th century shenanigans by Austria and the German Confederation, Leopold is made king of a pocket kingdom, over the slightly better claim of his cousin Josef who rules the dukedom next door. Leopold, unpopular, decides to raise money to improve the city. His friend, formerly the British Minister but now retiring, offers to buy the loan. As he explains, Josef has rich friends who might purchase them. As much of the Cabinet and Diet are opposed to Leopold, they would manipulate events so the kingdom cannot repay when due in 10 years time, causing Leopold to default, be deposed by Austria and the Confederation, and replaced by Josef.
In a confused way it turns out the consols (a type of bond) have already been sold, but the British Minister in fact had had his agents buy 4 million crowns worth out of 5 million, cutting off the plot, as he can choose not to present the consols, or allow them to be renewed when due. He then gives his faithful bulldog to Leopold’s daughter the Princess, laments that he and his son are estranged and retires to Britain.
Almost ten years later two men enter the kingdom, one English, another American. The son of the (now deceased) British Minister is incognito, but not as incognito as he hopes and immediately people start trying to get the consols off him. He’s following the final wishes of his father, to do with the consols whatever Leopold wants.
Leopold is ill, on the verge of death. And the various plots to discredit him are all ancillary to the duchess (daughter of Josef) who has subverted the army, other than the Cuirassiers, who are foreign mercenaries. Though even their colonel turns out to be bad, the chief villain! He of course is a disgraced former nobleman who hopes by these actions to regain his former etc etc
The American and Englishmen are both former soldiers, and get mistaken for one another and caught up in various plots both aimed at them and not. The American meets the Princess and her bulldog approves of him. Sadly she’s due to marry Frederick, another cousin, though he’s missing, expected daily. Then the American and Englishman are kidnapped, and taken over the border, where the Duchess’s people try to learn where the consols are, eventually succeeding when the Englishman falls in love with the mysterious woman who controls the chateau.
When I race through it like this, it sounds pretty exciting, moving quickly between meeting with mysterious and beautiful women, threatening police inspectors, sword fights, desperate horse rides, evil plots etc. It’s not as pacy as it sounds, in 1901 writers were happy to spend three pages introducing a character only for him to spend the majority of the book slowly dying (Leopold) or a similar amount of time about how a character doesn’t understand he’s falling in love, and desperately holding onto his honour.
Anyway, a lot of betrayal and a tragic ending for just about everyone.
Read This: A fine example of an old-school Edwardian-era
adventure novel
Don’t Read This: There are other, more interesting, better
known Edwardian-era adventure novels if you’re looking for an example.
Out Of Copyright: And available online.
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