On the 26th day of October, 1585, the barriers of the Porte Saint Antoine, one of the gates to Paris, were still closed at half past ten in the morning. Thousands of Parisians poured in from every quarter to witness the execution of Salcede, a Spaniard who had been found guilty of attemted assassination against the royal family. Rumours of plots, counter-plots, and threatened revolt filled the air as the people waited patiently for the gates to open.

Rumours of War by Allan Mallinson

1826: Napoleon Bonaparte is dead, the Congress of Vienna's work is done, and there is peace in Europe. However, in Portugal there is the scent of civil war in the air following the death of King John VI. Newly returned from India, Matthew Hervey joins a party of officers sent to make an assessment and lend support to the Portuguese queen.