Royal Flash

“I was sufficiently recovered from my nervous condition – or else the booze was beginning to work ...

Royal Flash is the second of the Flashman novels. Written in 1970 by George MacDonald Fraser, Fraser based the book on the plot of The Prisoner of Zenda. Set during the Revolutions of 1848 the story is amusing enough. It is set in the fictional Duchy of Strackenz. This makes it the only Flashman novel to be set in a fictitious location. The story sees Flashman fleeing from a police raid on a brothel he was visiting, Flashman meets Lola Montez and Otto von Bismarck. Some years later a tempting offer sees Flashman in Munich. Here Bismarck has him abducted and blackmailed. His mission: to imitate Prince Carl Gustaf, a fictional member of the Danish royal family. Gustaf is to marry Duchess Irma, the ruler of the fictional Duchy of Strackenz. But according to Bismarck the prince has contracted a sexually transmitted disease. This, of course, would be embarrassing if uncovered by his future wife. This turns out to be a lie. In fact the prince is in prison in Jotunberg Castle. Flashman is a doppelgänger of the Prince. He is trained to take his place until the Prince is cured. Accompanied to Strackenz by Bismarck's accomplices, Rudi von Starnberg, Detchard and de Gautet, Flashy weds the Duchess. Shortly afterwards, while out hunting, Flashman finds out that Bismarck meant to double-cross him and kill him. But he turns the tables on his attacker and tortures the information out of him and kills him instead. He is then captured by Strackenzian nationalists and forced to help them storm the Jotunberg Castle. They are successful, but Flashman and von Starnberg fight in the dungeon, with Flashman escapes death. He then goes back to England, with the help of Montez, who robs him along the way.

In Royal Flash we see old Flashy in all his guises. Coward, scoundrel, lover and cheat. He uses his wits and skill to out of all manner of sticky situations. Well researched and full of detail, the mixture of history, humour and adventure makes for a great read.

Book two of Flashman's adventures see him wrapped up with historical figures Lola Montez and Otto von Bismarck.

I admit I needed to look up Lola Montez (Eliza Rosanna Gilbert), who has a detailed write up in Wikipedia. However I think Fraser used some artistic license when Flashman (more than once) refers to her as the most beautiful woman in the world, as most of the Wikipedia photographs don't bear that out, especially the Joseph Heigel portrait.

Again Fraser has done a masterful job of inserting Flashman into historic events, although in this story involves a considerable number of fictional characters and a fictional state between Denmark and Germany where the primary action takes place.

Set initially in London in the years after Flashman's return from Afghanistan (1842-43) where he is biding his time, he meets Rosanna Gilbert in the company of a young Otto von Bismark. Von Bismark takes (of course) a dislike our main character, and other events in which Flashman does little to endear himself to von Bismark, return to do him ill later in the book.

I enjoy the way Fraser writes Flashman's ‘memoirs' - with plenty of self-reflection. Flashman's own self analysis and recognition of poor decision making (he reflects on whether he would have ever been remembered by von Bismark if he had not continued to needle the man); similarly, this interactions with Lola Montez are perhaps cumulative in her final act towards Flashman, who quickly forgets his past actions, living in the moment as he does. Also enjoyable is how such a self-confessed coward, when backed against the wall, commits himself fully, and puts up a better than average fight.

But I have skipped ahead. The majority of the story skips over a gap of several year (later filled by Flashman's Lady, and Flashman and the Mountain of Light) to take place in 1847 & 1848. The plot revolves around the Schleswig–Holstein question - better googled than relying on me explaining it - should you require more than this quote I enjoyed from the book:

“Let me begin by asking you a question,” [von Bismark] says. “What do you know of Schleswig and Holstein?”
“Never even met ‘em,” says I. Rudi laughed aloud, and de Gaulet gave his sidelong smile.
Bismark didn't show any amusement. “They are states,” he said “not persons. I will tell you about them.” And he began to explain what historians call the ‘Schleswig–Holstein question.' I won't bore you with it here, because even diplomats agree it is the most infernally complex affair that ever bedevilled European politics.