Red City on the Ocean

A Moment from the Past - The Young Duke's First Chess Game

Four carriages entered the southern gate of Paris one after another, each decorated with a coat of arms: a shield crisscrossed with two red stripes. The procession was accompanied by a mounted guard. It was only part of a larger cavalry detachment that remained in the suburbs of Paris. Inside the city, fewer guards were needed.

In one of the carriages sat fourteen-year-old Fernando de Braganza. His father, Fernando the First, second Duke of Braganza, was sitting next to him. The duke was a big man with a face mostly hidden by a thick black beard. He still wore his traveling armor, and a shirt of unexpectedly delicate pink peeked out from under the bright metal. A wide yellow sash was draped over his shoulder – the sign of ducal dignity. He was expected to arrive at this meeting in full regalia. The family carriage went first, followed by carriages with other family members and retinue.

As the wheels slowly tapped on the cobblestones, Paris rose up above the travelers in all its splendor. The streets of three and four-story houses were striking and elegant, the impression spoiled only by the clouds of smoke escaping from chimneys. Here and there the spires of cathedrals could be seen. Even the mills were stunning with exquisite architecture.

Crossing the bridge over the Seine, the travelers began to pass women with heavy baskets in their hands. By the smell, it was clear that they were returning from the shore where fishermen were selling their morning catch. True to the Parisian elegant style, even the commoners' garments were alluring.

Young Fernando's eyes darted everywhere. He saw a young man, a little older than him, sitting on the bank of the river and drawing something with a silver quill on a sheet placed on a small tablet. He realized that the young man was sketching a tall temple with two identical bell towers on each side. At the sight of the temple, Fernando cried out with delight, "Amazingly beautiful! We don't have anything like that. What kind of temple is that, Father?"

Fernando's father squinted out the window and answered, "Notre Dame de Paris, the Notre Dame Cathedral."

Young Fernando had never seen such architecture or artists who simply worked right on the street. As the travelers ventured further into the city, the passers-by, the horsemen, and the nobility looking out of their carriages became even more elegant. Soon the boy saw a crowd staring at some street performers. They tossed up one of their comrades who turned over in mid-air and landed sitting on the neck of his partner. Another artist juggled a dozen colored stones at once, not letting any of them fall to the ground. A man with a bare torso, his head wrapped with a white turban, made a frightful expression and suddenly spewed fire from his mouth. Women and children, squealing with delight, tossed small coins to the artists. Some members of the audience awarded them with loaves of bread, apples, and even a large fish with scales that sparkled in the sun. The gaiety of the people, even those who were dressed as artisans or mourners, was amazing.

Finally, the Fernando family's carriage drove up to a huge estate surrounded by a high stone fence. The carriages rolled into a spacious courtyard in front of a magnificent palace, the corners decorated with two small round towers. Compared to the splendor of Paris that young Fernando had already seen, this was an even more luxurious building. A fountain was flowing in the middle of the courtyard with water falling from scattered spouts. Young Fernando squeezed his eyes shut, blinded by the brilliance of the sun on the water.

Fernando the First, often jealous in matters of honor, whispered at the sight of the other carriages emblazoned with the coats of arms of other aristocratic families, "The Spencers... the Churchills... The Egmonts... Montfort-l'Amorys... Wittelsbachs... Hohenzollerns... Radziwills..."

Young Fernando knew that the highest aristocracy of all Europe would gather at this festive dinner. He wondered why they had made the long journey from Portugal. Judging by the fact that his father, head of one of the noblest families in Portugal, undertook such a long trip, and especially with the whole family, very important issues would most likely be deliberated here. Such meetings usually preceded the meetings of monarchs themselves.