French Embassy, the Hague (p. 820)

In the French Embassy at the Hague in September 1688, the French Ambassador writes to the King’s cryptographer regarding the sudden reappearance of Eliza and the movements of the Dutch fleet.

“d’Avaux” — Jean-Antoine de Mesmes, Comte d’Avaux was a premier French diplomat and the architect of Louis XIV’s intelligence network in the Dutch Republic. He was famously effective at sowing discord among the Dutch provinces to prevent them from uniting against French interests.

“Monsieur Bonaventure Rossignol, Château Juvisy… cryptanalyst to the Court” — Bonaventure Rossignol and his father Antoine were the most formidable codebreakers of the 17th century. They operated out of a secure estate at Juvisy, where they managed the “Cabinet Noir,” the French government’s secret department for opening and deciphering mail.

“Bonaventure Rossignol” — The Rossignol cryptographers developed the “Great Cipher,” a nomenclator system using hundreds of distinct mathematical codes for syllables rather than letters. It was so sophisticated that it remained unbroken for over two centuries, only being cracked in the 1890s.

“true allegiance lay with the Prince of Orange” — William III of Orange was the Stadtholder of the Netherlands and the lifelong nemesis of Louis XIV. His “allegiance” was the focal point of European Protestant resistance against French Catholic expansionism.

“battlements of the Binnenhof” — The Binnenhof is a complex of Gothic buildings in the center of The Hague that has served as the heart of Dutch politics since the 13th century. It remains the oldest Parliament building in the world still in use.

“Nijmegen” — The Treaty of Nijmegen (1678-1679) ended the Franco-Dutch War. It represented the height of Louis XIV’s power in Europe, though the peace it established was fragile and temporary.

“people of the Palatinate who… have lately fled from that place” — The Devastation of the Palatinate was a brutal scorched-earth campaign ordered by the French to create a “desert” between their borders and their enemies. This campaign turned European public opinion sharply against Louis XIV and created thousands of refugees.

“Eleanor of Saxe-Eisenach” — Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach was a German noblewoman whose life was upended by the shifting alliances of the Holy Roman Empire. Her presence in the Hague underscores how the Dutch Republic became a sanctuary for displaced Protestant royalty.

“Wilhelmina Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach” — Known to history as Caroline of Ansbach, she would eventually become the Queen of Great Britain as the wife of George II. She was highly educated and became a significant patron of Enlightenment figures, including Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.