Introducing: Matchlock and the Embassy
By now, you’ve likely heard the news.
On 15 September 2021, Matchlock and the Embassy – the first in a historical fiction series set during the Thirty Years War – will be released to the world. In this blog post here, I’m going to do my best to condense as much information as I can reasonably fit, so that you understand exactly what to expect, and also, if you’re so inclined, how you can get involved.
Matchlock and the Embassy will be available on all formats from 15 September 2021… coming soon to a bookshelf/tablet/kindle/phone near you!
First, let’s talk about the story. Matchlock and the Embassy is set in 1622, and follows the exploits of Matthew Lock, a Dorset native, who travels to the continent in search of answers, after the brutal murder of his parents. Along the way, Lock is forced to depend upon his training, which includes an extensive education in the diplomatic and political arts, courtesy of a father that seemed determined to prepare him for great things. Such lessons would now be put to their greatest test.
As Lock learns very quickly, Europe in 1622 was no place for the weak, the lost, or the uncertain. If he wishes to survive long enough to learn the truth about his parents, Lock will have to liaise with some questionable characters, and cope, as best as he can, with the unpredictable tides of war.
The podcast episode here goes into more detail about the story, so listen to that if you want some info on the people Lock meets, where he travels, and what he gets up to. To make things accessible here though, I think the best way to proceed is by posing some questions.
SPOILER WARNING for minor plot points, setting and characters.
If you want to read this story completely blind, you probably shouldn’t go any further!
Isn’t it lovely? Something else you likely noticed - this is book one in the series called A Thirty Years’ War Story, so expect more Matchlock before the end of 2021!
Let’s structure this by firing some questions my way:
First, what can readers expect from this book?
You might be surprised by the abundance of pikes, but sticking them with the pointy end was still a key part of warfare in the 17th century. It was accompanied by the matchlock musket, a cumbersome, occasionally dangerous firearm that packed a real punch!
They can expect battles from the age of matchlock muskets, which were themselves a curious blend of the modern and medieval. Drawing inspiration from the Ancients, seventeenth century commanders had become innovators, and had developed what we recognise today as the musket drill. This stipulated a detailed set of steps which the civilian could follow, to become a soldier. Thanks to some traumatic events in Lock’s past, he was possessed with an innate determination to master this drill from an early age, and as a consequence, he enjoys a proficiency with the musket that is virtually unmatched.
So Matthew Lock is good at fighting then?
Well, yes, but he’s also an aspiring diplomat, thanks to his education, and his knowledge of history. His father, Sir Charles Lock, was himself an accomplished ambassador, and played a pivotal role in making the Twelve Years Truce possible. For this, Charles was rewarded with a knighthood, and the Locksville Estate in North Dorset. If you’re interested, I envision this fictitious Estate to rest on the grounds of the modern Sherbourne Golf Club, which places it a short ride from the very real Sherbourne Castle.
Matthew Lock is a talker and a fighter?
That’s probably the best way to describe him, yes. The question is, how he’ll use his proficiency in these areas to navigate the tumultuous surroundings of early 1620s Europe, and thus reach the point where he can find his answers.
What was so tumultuous about Europe in the early 1620s?
These red blotches indicate the location of Frederick V’s lands, as the Upper and Lower Palatinate. The more central blotch would be occupied by the Bavarians, while the more westerly blotch was seized by the Spanish.
I'm so glad you asked! In 1618, the Bohemians revolted against Habsburg rule, and chucked the Habsburg officials out the windows of Prague’s Hradschin Castle. Eighteen months later, they offered the Crown of Bohemia to Frederick V, the Elector Palatine. Frederick and his family, based in some sprawling territories along the Rhine and Central Germany, had a long history of opposing the Habsburgs, but this was their most incendiary act of defiance yet. It brought them face to face with the Holy Roman Emperor, and his allies.
Was all of Europe at war?
By 1622, not yet. In fact, Frederick’s ploy did not go particularly well, and it initially looked like his rebellion would be crushed with barely a whimper. His forces were defeated outside of Prague in November 1620, forcing Frederick and his family to flee, eventually residing in The Hague.
But the war didn’t end?
Here’s Frederick V, as the King of Bohemia, a crown he would only hold for a year, which earned him the moniker of Winter King. From early 1621, it was off to exile, but the war did not end there!
It didn’t, because Frederick refused to throw in the towel. The terms which Emperor Ferdinand offered were not particularly generous either – it was supplication or nothing, and it is believed by many that the Emperor made the terms deliberately harsh, in the hope that Frederick would refuse them.
Why would the Emperor do such a thing?
Because the Emperor was heavily in debt to his allies, and since he lacked the coin to pay them, he had to pay them in land, specifically, land he had taken from Frederick along the Rhine. In the Palatinate, Frederick’s patrimony, Spanish and Bavarian soldiers had invaded, and seized virtually all settlements of importance, leaving Frederick, by early 1622, with precious few settlements left. Although Frederick was safe and sound in The Hague, his subjects were not, and they faced the consequences of their liege’s bad decisions, as the new overlords implemented harsh taxes and repressive policies to wrest as much as they could from the land.
How did Frederick continue the fight, if he was in The Hague?
He fought on through those allies that did enlist men in his name. These included figures who were somewhat hopeless, like Ernst of Mansfeld, but also minor German figures, like Christian of Brunswick. A handful of Frederick’s settlements were also garrisoned by English soldiers, who had travelled from Britain.
King James I and VI was at war with the Holy Roman Emperor?
He was not. But as his daughter Elizabeth was married to Frederick, he was honour bound to do something to help his son in law. This help took the form of allowing volunteers to muster, and then travel to the continent.
Why was King James so determined to remain aloof from the war?
King James I and VI did not make war on the Habsburgs, but he did connect himself to the rebel Frederick via a marriage with his daughter, Elizabeth. When that couple fell foul of the Habsburgs, James’ subjects became determined to act, even if their King would not.
King James envisioned himself as something of a peacemaker – he had played an active role in other peace initiatives, such as that Twelve Years Truce between the Spanish and Dutch in 1609, as we saw. King James also believed that he could balance Catholics and Protestants together with alliances. This idea had moved him to approve the marriage of his daughter to Frederick, but to conclude the equivalent Catholic alliance with Spain, between the Spanish Infanta and his son, Prince Charles, King James knew he needed to maintain peace between Britain and the Spanish. This peace would be difficult to maintain, because the Spanish were of the same extended Habsburg family as Emperor Ferdinand, and had played an active role in ravaging Frederick’s lands.
It sounds complicated.
It was, but it was also straightforward in other respects. King James wanted peace, above all, but his very alliance arrangements jeopardised this peace, and meant that he was caught between a rock and a hard place. Rather than come down definitively one way or another, King James elected instead to permit volunteers to go to Germany, and protect what they could. Any support he did promise to them quickly evaporated though, and those soldiers were soon left abandoned.
Did that detachment of volunteers have much success despite this?
Remarkably, yes. They got to Frederick’s lands before the Spanish, and seized some important strategic positions, most notably in the fortress town of Manheim, which commands the crossing at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar Rivers. They also took Frankenthal, a fortress town on the left bank of the Rhine.
Were they not demoralised after their King abandoned them?
They probably were a bit miffed, but these men were also of solid convictions. They believed it was their duty to defend the honour of the English princess, and it is likely they also had little love for the Habsburgs, or the King’s Spanish Match idea. More importantly though, many were professionals and hardened veterans of other campaigns, and they were led by one of Britain’s foremost commanders, Sir Horace Vere.
I love this logo, in fact I love it so much, I even injected it into our merch store, so you can your own t-shirt/hoody/tote-bag with this very logo emblazoned upon it! Click here to browse our merch store for more!
How is all this relevant to Matthew Lock?
This is Sir Horace Vere, accomplished veteran commander of English and Dutch armies, and a key player in the first few decades of 17th century warfare. He also happened to be the godfather to Matthew Lock!
Good question! First and foremost, it helps to place 1622 in context. At that point, the Habsburgs had seized virtually all of Frederick’s possessions, but the English bastions still held out. Frankenthal was among these, and the commander at Frankenthal, Sir Vere, was of particular interest to Matthew Lock, as Vere was Lock’s godfather.
Aha, I understand, so Lock must travel to Frankenthal to speak with Sir Vere, in the hopes of learning something about his parents?
That’s the gist of Lock’s mission, but it’s complicated by another development. You may recall I mentioned the Twelve Years Truce of 1609. As the name implies, by 1621, the war between Spain and the Dutch was back on in earnest. Fortunately for the Spanish, they’d spent the months before the resumption of war occupying several strategic crossings and portions of land leading up to the Dutch border.
The Spanish and Dutch are fighting; the Emperor and exiled Elector are fighting – it sounds like an awful mess for Matthew Lock to navigate!
Beware of the black masks! The vizard, that distinctive attire of the Black Prince’s agents, still creeps me out even 400 years later!
It certainly was! Lock will have to depend on some unlikely allies if he’s to succeed, including an exiled Irishman, Flynn O’Toole, but let’s not spoil too much! Lock also has a choice – he can remain aloof from the developing conflicts, or he can involve himself in the struggle while on his personal mission. Along the way, of course, the war wasn’t the only thing he had to be wary of. The Black Prince has an eye on him too, and his masked agents are never far behind…
*****
Matchlock and the Embassy will be released on Wednesday 15 September 2021, but if you can’t wait that long, join our Facebook group to get yourself an Advanced Reader Copy. If you’d like to know how our Patreon will connect to Matchlock, and how you can guarantee yourself all future Matchlock releases, then have a read of this blog post here.
Otherwise, thanksss for reading history friend, and I hope to see you among the ranks of Matchlock Ambassadors soon!
