regshoe

Louis's dad, the Baron de Ripperda, is definitely anti-Jacobite. I was simplifying his position a bit in the review... so, Louis's grandad was a Spanish noble who fell out with Spain for unexplained reasons; he went to the Netherlands and married a Dutch woman who was related to William of Orange—she is Ripperda's mother, and that connection probably explains his anti-Jacobitism! Ripperda returns to Spain after the death of Louis XIV of France (in 1715) causes some 'political changes'; he's received happily by the court but it's suggested he is an enemy of Cardinal Alberoni, who (IIRC) was behind the Spanish involvement in the '19; the '19 itself isn't mentioned directly, but Ripperda is elevated to a more important position at the Spanish court after Alberoni is dismissed (which I understand happened due to the failure of his plans, including the '19) and influences King Philip of Spain towards a more pro-Hanoverian policy. Now he's working to keep the Spanish on, and influence the Austrians towards, the Hanoverian side. There's a lot of complicated politics in this book...