The Fortune Hunter

The two decades after Waterloo marked the great age of foreign fortune hunters in England. Each year brought a new influx of impecunious Continental noblemen to the worlds richest country, and the more brides they carried off, the more alarmed society became. The most colourful of these men was Prince Hermann von Pckler-Muskau (1785-1871), remembered today as Germanys finest landscape gardener. In the mid-1820s, however, his efforts to turn his estate into a magnificent park came close to bankrupting him. To save his legacy his wife Lucie devised an unusual plan: they would divorce so that Pckler could marry an heiress who would finance further landscaping and, after a decent interval, be cajoled into accepting Lucies continued residence. In September 1826, his marriage dissolved, Pckler set off for London.

'Bowman has trawled deep in the archives to brush the dust off Prince Pueckler's portrait and restore him to us as a man of singular charm, culture and good humour... Bowman, a scrupulous historian with an eye for lively detail, performs a splendid job.' --Literary Review 'An entertaining story intelligently and fluently retold.' --Times Literary Supplement '[A] sprightly and engaging book of more than anecdotal interest.' --Spectator

Peter James Bowman studied Modern Languages at Oxford University and completed a PhD on the German novelist Theodor Fontane at Cambridge University. A translator and independent scholar, he lives in Ely, Cambridgeshire.

The two decades after Waterloo marked the great age of foreign fortune hunters in England. Each year brought a new influx of impecunious Continental noblemen to the worlds richest country, and the more brides they carried off, the more alarmed society became. The most colourful of these men was Prince Hermann von Pckler-Muskau (1785-1871), remembered today as Germanys finest landscape gardener. In the mid-1820s, however, his efforts to turn his estate into a magnificent park came close to bankrupting him. To save his legacy his wife Lucie devised an unusual plan: they would divorce so that Pckler could marry an heiress who would finance further landscaping and, after a decent interval, be cajoled into accepting Lucies continued residence. In September 1826, his marriage dissolved, Pckler set off for London.

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