The Mad King

The Mad King is a nonfiction book on the life of King Pieter I and the political power struggles of his time.

His court was one of political intrigue, not only within the country but in the neighboring region as well. While Brunant was by no means a political power, the though of a monarch being controlled by rival factions and power-hungry courtiers seemed to arouse concern among Europe's elite.

The "Queen" of Brunant
In the 1770s, the king fell in love with courtier Anna Harington, and she soon responded to his advances, hoping she could become Queen and bear him an heir. To her dismay the King had little interest in her apart from sexual, and his declining mental health meant that he would not likely produce an heir. But in this she saw greater opportunity, why be simply content as the king's lover when she could so easily influence his rule. The heavily distrustful Pieter soon came to confide only in her and together with her secret lover, Guard Captain Emil van Houten, was in effective control of the throne.

Soon enough there were some in the close circle who felt it might be better to altogether be rid of Pieter and install someone stronger to remove the image of a puppet king, while keeping enough power. Adriaan Holten, the Libertan husband of the king's daughter was considered as was Pieter's former wife, Matilde d'Este. Unlike in Russia, where Tsar Peter III was successfully deposed, there was no strong and popular man that could be rallier around, much less one with the cunning or tact to rule the nation. Therefore it was decided Pieter had to be kept, for his death would have meant the rule of a cousin and the total downfall of Harington and other close confidants.

Enter the Doctor
The only other person who had as much contact with the king as Blanchart was his physician, Wilfried Saks. With much close contact he was able to persuade the king of Blanchart's attempt as seizing power with the military and slowly gained way into his feeble mind. But, like others before him, this was not some grandiose plan but yet another attempt at gaining an increase in standing and prestige in court. Soon enough Saks was able to convince the king to arrest Blanchart and purge the guard in 1780. This period would become difficult for the military, as many Guardsman remained loyal to their deposed commanders and others saw the weakness of the king and began to lose respect for him.