The Witch of Cologne

‘Ferdinand.’ The emperor looks up mournfully from the letter, his heart sinking at the thought of the latest scandal his errant nephew might have engineered. ‘I prayed that the Rhenish hunting season might invigorate his manliness, but evidently not. His marriage to the long-suffering Maria of Champagne has served the empire but has done nothing to dampen his temperament.’

Leopold sighs heavily as Samuel glances down at Alphonso’s florid signature.

‘I fear you are right, sire.’

The two men pause for a moment as they reflect on the burdens of familial responsibility. The gentle snore of Samuel’s young son breaks their musing.

‘Is not the inquisitor, Carlos Vicente Solitario, in Cologne in the service of your highness?’ Samuel asks.

‘Of both myself and the Inquisitor-General—he is acting as prosecutor. Archbishop Maximilian Heinrich has been a bitter disappointment and I am forced to cut off a few of those fluttery fingers he is always waving at brattish King Louis.’

‘But what of this Rebecca of the lower Rhinelands?’

‘A mere nobody, a Jewish witch the inquisitor has some obsession with. I have made her my gift to him for being so obedient.’

Oppenheimer strokes his favourite dachshund. If there is one man he loathes at court it is Carlos Vicente Solitario. The Dominican embodies the worst aspects of religious fanaticism and Samuel knows many Sephardic families, some of them conversos, some not, who have suffered at the hands of the notorious inquisitor. It isn’t just the man’s anti-Semitism that rankles; after all, that is commonplace. Every successful Hebrew must learn to live with and work around such ingrained attitudes. It is the palpable ignorance of the man, his belligerent old-world ways which he deliberately cultivates to exploit the emperor’s own remorse about his secret lack of Catholic faith. Religious guilt is Leopold’s Achilles heel and the Spaniard has been quick to take advantage of it.

Alphonso is right to allude to Molière, Samuel thinks to himself, Solitario is indeed a Tartuffe, but one far more extreme and with infinitely more dangerous political ramifications. He glances back down at the scroll. The Court Jew’s ambition is such that he cannot afford enemies. He is able to placate other ambassadors through gifts of jewels or carefully forgotten loans, but Solitario is driven by hatred. And as Samuel knows to his chagrin, hatred is the one emotion impervious to bribery.

The purveyor-general fingers the scarlet cord binding the scroll. This could be an extraordinary opportunity, but only if his next move is the right one.

‘Sire, could it be possible that the youth is genuinely ill, maybe even on his deathbed? He is described as suffering mightily.’

‘The only time I have seen Ferdinand suffer mightily was when he managed to inflict that ridiculous injury upon himself during a jousting competition. He could, of course, be stricken with the pox, in which case ‘tis best he suffers in an insignificant hunting lodge in the Rhineland than here under the eyes of the empire. He sets a bad example, Samuel, you know that.’

‘But his father was a great military hero in the war against the Lutherans.’

‘For which he was awarded the dubious honour of marrying my sister, God rest his soul. Anyway, what are you getting at?’

‘It could be ill-advised to let the son perish when we need heroes to fight against the Hungarians and possibly the Turks.’

‘Save him for later, in other words?’

‘With his father’s name he should attract conscripts.’

‘Possibly. Although Ferdinand on a horse is not an inspiring sight, and he is yet to find his métier with sword, crossbow or arrow despite the best tutors in the empire.’

‘No one need see him in actual combat. We could use the Lutheran tactic and employ the printing press to proclaim his heroism. Sire, the Hapsburgs could do with another hero.’

‘An interesting notion. How does the aspiring poet finish his plea?’

‘“Can the Lion of Judah save the double-headed Eagle’s errant fledgling?” I suspect the witch has some medical training—I have heard she has been in Amsterdam.’

‘Next they will be allowing women to attend the universities. It is too much for one century.’

‘Sire, should I send word to secure her release?’

‘Is there a way I can disguise my own command?’

‘Perhaps if this Alphonso were provided with some secret pledge he could take to the archbishop…?’

‘Perhaps.’

‘And if Maximilian Heinrich were able to muster a defence swiftly and in the utmost confidentiality, the whole business could be over with and the midwife by your nephew’s side as quickly as the swallow flies. Speed and discretion are the objectives in this exercise

. After all, what is the worth of a Jewess’s life next to that of a member of the royal family—unless she is able to save that life?’

‘Samuel, yet again your understanding of my nature astounds me.’