Mort Au Tyran (EN)

Foreword

It is the fall of 1809 in Naumburg, Kingdom of Saxony. Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, has allied himself with Russia and Prussia and has a large part of Europe under his control. Only Great Britain and Austria are not making things easy for the general. Although Napoleon brought about many positive developments with his Code Civil, which would still be part of legislation over 200 years later, critical voices were now also being raised in the Confederation of the Rhine. Napoleon, on the other hand, felt secure in his power and his campaigns - until an incident occurred.

And with that being said, welcome to Mort Au Tyran, my first completed novel. In the first foreword, which dates back to November 2023, I was still talking about a novella and secretly doubted that it would really become something. So I'm all the happier to be able to present the finished second draft to you now!

As this is a historical novel, there are a few things I want to make clear up front:
At the end of the book there will be a chapter dedicated to historical inaccuracies, as I've taken a few artistic liberties but don't want to spread misinformation. Especially not in a subject where this can quickly become dangerous (I can recommend the book "Fake History" by Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, which lists 101 such cases).

The chapter will not be published at the end, because who knows how many are still actively reading until then. But as soon as any information is added in the course of the plot that needs clarification, I will update it there. In case the book is already finished while you're reading this, please don't look in until the end. The information chapter will be full of spoilers. Self-explanatory.

Still, if Mort au Tyran ever goes to a publisher, I will of course do my best to iron out these deliberate errors. I've written too pedantic reviews of Kerri Maniscalco's Stalking Jack The Ripper series to allow myself such a slip, haha.

Second point, and almost more importantly, there is content that might be triggering to some people, so here's a quick rundown of trigger warnings.

Death and grief
(some very graphically described) Violence
Murder
Indirect suicidality
Xenophobia

Since I don't want to wait until the acknowledgements, here's a big thank you to Cris for beta-reading in German and Natalia for doing so in English. Also to Adam for the French translations - I swear it will make sense that I desperately needed to know how to say "Die, you bastard" in French in the middle of the night.

Disclaimer: The story is based on true events around 1809. Accordingly, some of the characters' views and convictions are outdated and no longer correspond to today's standards. They in no way reflect the author's convictions. The cities and people described may have existed in geography and history, but their personalities and basic structure may have been altered.

From here on, the more detailed historical context of the book follows, kept as brief as possible. It is not essential for understanding. I've included it anyway, for the fanservice of my history nerds here.

Europe, 1807
After defeating the Russians and Prussians, Napoleon I concludes the Peace of Tilsit. This means that almost all of Europe is under French control, with the exception of Great Britain, among others, on which the general imposes severe economic sanctions in the form of the Continental Blockade.

At the height of his power, Napoleon showed his tyrannical side within his territories: the press and theater were severely restricted and important functionaries of his regime who criticized him were dismissed. Accompanied by a cult of personality around him and a reshaping of the aristocracy, back to France under the Bourbons.

After Napoleon replaces the Spanish king with his own brother Joseph, there are riots in Spain, supported by the British. Although the general opposes this, he is forced to withdraw again at the beginning of 1809 without much success.

Almost simultaneously, the Fifth War of Coalition begins when Austria, currently part of a coalition partly financed by the British, invades Bavaria in 1809. Although Germany largely supported its neighbor and nationalist-motivated resistance against the occupying forces arose (see, for example, The Black Troop or Joseph Görres in northern Germany), the regime still managed to firmly bind the Confederation of the Rhine and Prussia to itself.

After Napoleon conquered parts of Austria (and at the same time suffered his first real defeat at Aspern-Essling), the Peace of Schönbrunn was signed at Schönbrunn Palace in October 1809, where Austria ceded some territories to France.

Despite his massive success, even the feared general Napoleon knows that his life as the most powerful man in Europe will always be sought after. And an event in October 1809 makes him particularly aware of this once again...