Characters
You will find pronunciations below when helpful.
SPOILER ALERT: The Appendix may contain revealing information.
The Von Reiser’s
Alexsander Jakob “Jim” Wallner von Rieser
Alexsander Yacob Vallner von Reeser
Father: Otto Jakob Friedrich von Rieser
Mother: Alexsandra Maria Theresa Hapsburg
Brother: Otto Alexsander Wallner von Rieser (Deceased ill)
Maternal Cousin: Claude Maier, Vienna
Paternal Cousin: Leopold von Rieser, Wals – suburb of Salzburg
The Von Grünne’s
Franz Josef Stephen von Grünne (cousin and closest friend)
Father: Franz Josef Stephen von Grünne
Mother: Anna maria Theresa Hapsburg (Alexsandra’s sister)
Uncle: Josef Stephen Otto von Grünne (Deceased WWI)
Kurt von Schuschnigg, Chancellor of Austria, cousin
Kurt von shoosh-nik
Classmates, Colleagues, Allies
Stella Matutina, Feldkirch, Austria:
Karl Stecher, Austria, Hapsburg lineage (likely a distant cousin), close friend
Wilhelm von Dorn, Bavarian, close friend
Leopold (Deceased WWI)
Müller or Mule (Deceased WWI)
Josef (Deceased WWI)
Cambridge, England (Alexsander):
Henry S. Fletcher III, close friend
The Earl, close friend
Freudenhäusern or House of Pleasure
Freud en housen
Evangeline Le Chabanais AKA Evangeline Allard, Alexsander’s Fiancé
Reneé Le Chabanais, Eva’s closest friend
André, financial partner with Reneé, friends to both ladies, bouncer
Ida Frisch & Sara Mann, working girls of Jewish descent. Taken to Lichtenstein by Alexsander. Posing as servants both choose to stay in service.
Olga, working girl, personal maid to Reneé.
Count Jacques Laurent III, Paris, close friend to Reneé and Eva.
Le Chabanais in Paris
Madame Josephine master trainer to Evangeline and Reneé.
Madame Louise governs the business, extremely cruel.
Estates and Staff
Innsbruck Estate – Currently overseen by staff of the von Grünne family. They were unable to go with the family to Vaduz, due to an ill family member.
Otto is acting as Butler.
The Meadow Estate (Die Wiesen Estate) – Outside Mayrhofen
All staff are with the families in Vaduz, Lichtenstein. The long-time caretakers are overseeing the property and acting as staff for Alexsander and company. The origin of their position with the family is explained in book one.
Head Caretaker – Klaus Bauer
Wife – Greta Bauer
Children – Elsa, Otto, Maria, Jakob, Alexsander
The Vaduz Estate – Vaduz, Lichtenstein
Butler - Freidrich Liberman
Head Housekeeper - Malka Donov Liberman
Head Housekeeper (Alexsander) - Frieda Liberman
Chauffeur – Joseph (Deceased)
Cook’s helper - Ida Frisch
Evangeline’s lady’s maid - Sara Mann
Munich, Germany – Estate is closed currently. Formerly being utilized when the group were professors at the University. Then it became the perfect location to keep an eye on the transition with the Nazi’s taking over the country.
Jesuit School, Cathedrals, Church, Abbey
Stella Matutina – Located in Feldkirch, Austria
Brother Joseph, Brother Peter, Brother Paul
Cathedral of St. James – Herrengasse (Men’s Alley) Innsbruck
Brandburg Catholic Church – Brandburg above Mayrhofen
Cathedral of St. Florin/St. Florinkirche – Vaduz, Lichtenstein
Parish Priest Josef Henny 1932 – 1960
Säben Abbey - a Benedictine nunnery near Klausen, Northern Italy (formerly Austria, Pre WWI) Evangeline’s birthplace
Paris – Brother Stephen, Brother Gabriel
Nazi’s
Baron von Froelichsthal – The Chancellor’s private secretary.
Guido Schmidt – Austrian Foreign Minister
Franz von Papen – German Ambassador to Austria
Edmund Glaise-Horstenau – Minister of Home Security (police)
Neustadter Stuermer – Minister of the Interior
Artur von Seyss-Inquart – State Councillor
Zernatto – General Secretary
Chancellor Schuschnigg’s personal bodyguard
Ulrich – Hilter youth who divulged secrets at the Freudenhäusen.
Gerhard Schmidt – Antagonist
Emerging Characters
Anna Rose Maria von Wolf, clairvoyant, and channel for Anna of Tyrol – Münster, Austria
Count Jacques Laurent III – French aristocrat, entangled with Reneé.
Count Victor Amadeus Savoy – Italian minor nobility, Evangeline’s illegitimate father.
Minor Characters
The Eigners – Golda, Gideon, Geula and their parents.
Rabbi – Paris
Vienna Group – Jewish group escaping Vienna to Alexsander’s sanctuary in Paris.
Other Locations
Vienna, Austria – Apartment/rooms across from the Chancellory where Karl is currently staying. Wilhelm is in the Nazi headquarters there. The sewers beneath Vienna contain the stotters. Cousin Claude Maier has a home in the city.
Karl Stecher is from Kufstein, Austria. His estate is located just outside of town.
Wilhelm von Dorn - is from Rosenheim, Germany. His parents relocated there from Austria before he was born.
Anna or Anna of Tyrol - has a large estate on the edge of Münster, Austria.
Graz is linked to Amalia.
Linz - is the town where the Jewish group meet up with Henry and Franz to leave the country.
Culture and Terminology
Foods
Spätzle (S-pätz-le) - is a special kind of egg noodle that is often enjoyed as a side dish with gravies or sauces but also the main ingredient in other dishes like the famous Käsespätzle.
Käsespätzle (keh-zuh-shpet-sluh) - hot spätzle and grated cheese such as Emmentaler or granular cheese are layered alternately and finally topped with fried onions. After adding each layer, the käsespätzle is baked until all the cheese is melted.
Küchen (koo-khən) - Most Kuchen have eggs, flour and sugar as common ingredients while also, but not always, including some fat.
Semmel - this bread roll is a small, usually round or oblong individual loaf of bread served as a meal accompaniment.
Klöße (kløːsə) - are also large dumplings, steamed or boiled in hot water, made of dough from grated raw or mashed potatoes, eggs and flour.
Tafelspitz (TAH-fuhl-shpits) - is boiled veal or beef in broth, served with a mix of minced apples and horseradish.
Zimtschnecke (Zimt-schne-cke) - Cinnamon rolls
Phrases
Zum Wohl (Zum Whole) - It is often heard in friendly social settings and adds a touch of warmth to the toast. This phrase is an excellent choice to celebrate personal achievements or special moments with close friends.
Strotter - It is primarily associated with those people who lived in Vienna's underground until the middle of the 20th century and for whom slogging was their livelihood. Strotter is sometimes understood as a synonym for a vagabond.
Juliabkommen ("July Agreement") - was an agreement—officially, a gentleman's agreement—between the Federal State of Austria and Nazi Germany signed on 11 July 1936. The agreement was not initially published. It was negotiated by the German ambassador, Franz von Papen, and the Austrian chancellor, Kurt von Schuschnigg.
Putsch (pooch) - a plotted revolt or attempt to overthrow a government, especially one that depends upon suddenness and speed.
Titles
Gräf & Gräfen (In formal settings, “graf” should be pronounced as [græf]. Remember to enunciate the ‘gr’ sound and emphasize the ‘a.’) - Graf (feminine: Gräfin) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "countess").
Herr ([hɛɹ], where the “ɹ” represents the English “r” sound) – meaning sir.
Archduchess - Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: Erzherzog, feminine form: Erzherzogin) was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within the former Holy Roman Empire (962–1806), which was below that of Emperor, and roughly equal to King, Prince-Archbishop, Grand prince and Grand Duke, but above that of a Sovereign Prince and Duke.
The territory ruled by an archduke or archduchess was called an archduchy. All remaining archduchies ceased to exist in 1918. The current head of the House of Habsburg is Karl von Habsburg.
Miscellaneous
Graf & Stift C12 Sp 8 & Sp 9 Automobiles 1937/1938