Don Pedro de
Toledo and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Mission
By J.M.
Aucoin
When
I sat down and came up with
Honor
Among Thieves (Hope & Steel series), I knew I wanted it
in the 17
th Century, a historical adventure in the vein of
Alexandre Dumas’
Three Musketeers and Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s
Captain Alatriste.
I
also knew that I wanted it situated in an exciting time, but one not
too well known to the modern reader. I found that time in France
during the early 17th Century, a couple of decades before
Dumas’ famous Musketeers fought for king and country.
Changing
Political Climate
The
European political landscape was starting to change. France was
recovering
from decades of religious civil war and the Low Countries (aka
United Providences) constant rebellion was starting to take a heavy
toll on Spain’s military and royal coffers.
Henry
IV of France was very much in favor of seeing the Dutch and Spanish
go at each other’s throats for as long as possible. So much so that
he had supplied the United Providences with some money, and allowed a
large number of volunteers fight for the Dutch. But the Dutch tired
from war almost as much as Spain did. The Low Countries were in
shambles from the fighting, and Archduke Albert was prepared for
peace with Spain.
But
seeing an opportunity to both win the gratitude and friendship of the
United Providences and stick it to Spain, Henry decided France would
act as the mediator between the two warring parties. He sent
President Jeannin as his representative and arranged a defensive
alliance with the United Providences.
Meanwhile,
the Nuncio and some Jesuits at the French court assured Spain that
Henry IV could be persuaded to abandon his protestant, Dutch friends
(and possibly even go to war against the Dutch).
You
really need to question what these guys at court were on to think
this. Not only was Henry not interested in being buddies with Spain,
but he was actually toying with the idea of declaring war on them.
Henry hated Spain and, more so, hated the Hapsburgs who had done all
they could to thwart Henry from ascending to the French throne.
Sure,
Henry went from being a Huguenot to a Catholic, back to a Huguenot to
back to a Catholic, but those transitions were always about survival
and political advancement. With the crown on his head and a
recovering military and economy at his back, Henry was in a prime
position to enact a little revenge on Spain.
Don
Pedro watching (probably awkwardly) as King Henry IV plays with his
children
Don
Pedro vs. Henry IV
Still,
King Phillip III of Spain and his advisors believed in the
intelligence that Henry could be swayed. And so
Don
Pedro de Toledo Osorio y Colonna, fifth Marquis of Villafranca,
cousin to Henry’s wife, Queen Marie de Medici, and one of the great
lords of Spain, was sent to Paris on a special mission: secure an
alliance with France via a double marriage.
Again,
you have to wonder what Spain was on to think this would work. If
Henry wanted to go battle against Spain, there was not a snow ball
chance in hell he was going to let his own flesh and blood mix with
Hapsburgs. Not to mention if he accepted the terms, he would’ve
been sending his daughter to Madrid as a hostage more so than to be a
loving wife.
(I
guess the intelligence in “intelligence gathering” was more of a
recommendation than a rule back then.)
Right
off the bat, “negotiations” started off poorly for Don Pedro. In
his first audience with the king, Don Pedro mentioned that Phillip
III would gladly negotiate on the basis of the double marriage
proposal made to him, to which Henry rebuked: “What proposals?”
Don
Pedro even tried flattery and vanity as a way to win Henry IV’s
favor. As the king’s servant walked by with the royal sword, Don
Pedro bent to a knee and kissed the blade, stating: “I’m a happy
man; I hold in my hands, the sword of the bravest king in the world!”
Don
Pedro kissing King Henry IV’s ass
sword
When
flattery failed, Don Pedro turned to good ol’ fashion threats.
During a heated argument with Henry, Don Pedro said that France’s
friendship with the Dutch may provoke Phillip III to war. Henry, ever
the witty fellow, retorted, “Let your master have a care. I should
be in the saddle before his foot touched the stirrup.”
Amazingly,
Don Pedro attempted to acquire a Franco-Spanish alliance for eight
whole months. He got help from his cousin, Queen Marie de Medici,
though using her as an ally probably did as much bad as it did good.
He also attempted to fan old embers of hate between the Catholics and
Protestants, but both sides were exhausted at the thought of new,
civil war. He tried every avenue he could think of, but each time he
was met with insult or rebuke by Henry.
Henry’s
resolve was a mountain, and all the Don Pedro’s bluster wasn’t
going to move Henry from his stance.
The
Backdrop for Honor
Among Thieves
Don Pedro’s mission to secure an alliance with France is the
historical backdrop for
Honor
Among Thieves. His motives and actions are the kindling for
what becomes a daring plot for Darion Delerue and Jacquelyna
Brocquart. A fictional conspiracy is interwoven with the political
intrigue of Don Pedro’s visit, and quickly there becomes more at
stake than just alliances.
About Honor
Among Thieves
Darion Delerue, former soldier turned
highwayman, has only two things of value—the hope in his heart and
the steel at his side. After a heist on a royal ambassador goes
wrong, Darion is thrown into a political plot to undermine the crown,
pitting his old life as an honorable soldier against his new life as
a thief and bandit. His actions could send France back into civil
war.
Honor
Among Thieves is inspired
by the high adventure of The
Three Musketeers and
the gritty swashbuckling of the Captain Alatriste series. J.M. Aucoin
weaves a gripping tale of daring sword-play and political
intrigue, with superb historical detail of 17th Century
France that’ll have readers wanting to draw their rapiers and
fight for glory!
About
J.M. Aucoin
Author.
Fencer. Sometimes actor. Full-time nerd. J.M. Aucoin is the product
of when a five-year-old boy who fell in love with reruns of Guy
William’s Zorro grows
into a mostly functional adult. He now spends his time writing
swashbucklers and historical adventure stories, and has an
(un)healthy obsession with The
Three Musketeers.
When
not writing, he practices historical fencing, crafts historical
outfits, and covers the Boston Bruins for the award-winning blog Days
of Y’Orr. For more info visit J.M. Aucoin’s
website and blog.
You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Goodreads and YouTube.
