The Prism 2049
mean?”
“I left New York about five years ago, I had enough, France looked more exciting I suppose, I was looking for inspiration” he said laughing.
Frank held Ennis back with one hand whilst he put his head out looking up and down rue du Lappe. They walked back towards rue Charonne and entered by a large iron gate through an arched coach way. They were in a broad courtyard typical of the buildings of the Bastille district. Ellaert pointed to the left where Ennis saw the large window of what was the gallery. They entered and Ennis recognised the artistic style of his friend’s oils that hung on the walls.
“Well it looks like you’re still very productive.”
“There’s plenty of ideas in France today contrary to what you might think.”
“There’s no political problems?” said Ennis looking at the paintings whose message was clearly anti-establishment.
“No, artist’s privilege, or licence, what ever you like,” he said with a wave of his hand laughing. They can they have say free speech and artistic expression.”
He looked through the window left and right making sure that they had not been followed.
“Tell me John,” he lowered his voice, “is it you that they’re after?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Have you been followed?”
“No, that is I’m pretty sure I haven’t.”
“Be very careful John, they can tag you without you knowing it with an invisible nanocell then follow you anywhere, you’ll lead them to your friends and the opposition.”
“I have friends who are helping me.”
“Good, I don’t want to know the details but whatever help you need from me just ask.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Let’s get the coffee going.” He turned towards a percolator and switched it on, then put the fresh croissants on a plate. “I imagine all I’ve heard about you on the media is some kind of machination.”
“Yeah, that’s about it.”
“Listen, maybe your friends haven’t told you but something is going on, I don’t know exactly what, but there’s been a lot of movements going on towards Lachaise. For the last few days there’s been nothing but bus loads of Guards taking up position, it’s not far along rue Charonne about a kilometre from here. Tonight I’m leaving for Monaco, I’d do the same if I was you.”
“Why Monaco?”
“You’d be safe their, it’s neutral.”
“Neutral?”
“In a certain manner of speaking it is. It was always independent and then in the Evian Agreement other territories were added to Monaco.”
“Tell me something about the background to Monaco’s independence then? Monaco seems to have played a strange kind of role in the conflict between France and Algharb.”
He told him how the Côte d’Azur had become a Demilitarised Region, one hundred kilometres long from the Italian frontier in the east to Toulon in the west, a narrow strip of territory only fifteen kilometres at its widest. It had been the scene of fierce fighting around Nice during the uprising when a local militia had been formed under the banner of Autonomy Niçoises, fighting at the same time rebels and the Nationalist forces.
Nice had been attached to France in 1860; it had been part of the Italian province of Piedmont. In 1799 Napoleon had first attached it to France and in 1815 it had been returned to Victor Emanuel. During the Italian wars it chose its attachment to France by referendum.
Under the cease-fire agreement it had been declared a demilitarised zone. Under the terms of the Evian Treaty a referendum had been held when its population had voted for its attachment to the Principality of Monaco refusing the Nationalist government in Paris.
Monaco had become an autonomous region of France after the Prince had failed to produce a male heir to the throne to the chagrin of its inhabitants. The son of the Princess inherited the title of Prince of Monaco without authority until he was restored as head of state following the separation from France.
The Principality of Monaco and the Côte d’Azur was the home of the rich and wealthy who had fled Paris, Algharb, the Greater Levant, Arabia and the Caliphate. It was a cosmopolitan paradise for those who could fulfil the requirements for permanent residence. It was also a haven for many simpler Settlers who provided the needs and services for the wealthy. The Principality bathed in prosperity next to its impoverished neighbour.
Monaco was accused by its neighbours and the Federation of being a haven for financial crime that was nothing new. However Monaco as Algharb enjoyed a particular legal status within the Federation, they were not recognised as independent states, only as autonomous regions of France. They were therefore under the responsibility of Paris who in reality exercised little or no control over the governments of the two regions.
The business capital of Monaco was Nice with its six hundred thousand inhabitants whilst Monte-Carlo was the economic and administrative capital. Capital had flooded into Monaco after its status had been endorsed by Brussels. The Côte d’Azur remained the playground for the wealthy and the stars. Nice-Monte-Carlo outshone Beirut as the capital of the Mediterranean.
“As you see it’s a bit of a long story but interesting.”
“But how did Monaco and Nice get together?”
“As you can imagine the history of Monaco and Nice is fairly complicated. If we start in the middle of the 19th century, Nice still belonged to Italy. But King Immanuel, sold Nice to Napoleon III in exchange for French financial and military help,” explained Frank.
“I see, very democratic.”
“As a matter of fact yes, because the Niçoises were allowed to vote, even though Garibaldi, who was born in Nice, urged them to vote no. Apparently the voting booths were manned by units of the French army,” he laughed, “I suppose this may have affected the outcome.”
“Nothing like a little bit of friendly persuasion.”
“It was all a tug of war between France and the Italian states. In 1792, the French Army had invaded Savoy and the County of Nice. Then Nice asked that the County become French and the department of the Alpes Maritimes was created. At the same moment Monaco asked to be attached to France and so Monaco, Menton and Roquebrune were joined to the Republic.”
“Perhaps the Italian connection explains why France was reluctant to take over Monaco.”
“Maybe, but there were many changes that followed.”
“Okay, let me continue.”
“Sure.”
“It wasn’t so simple. After the Napoleonic wars, Nice was returned to the King of Sardinia. Monaco was once again under its Prince.”
“When did Nice become French then?”
“That was in 1860, Nice, with the disputed territories of Menton and Roquebrune, were ceded to France by the King of Sardinia. It was in return for the military help given to him to win over the Italian province of Milan. France then recognized the sovereignty of Monaco and gave the Prince the title of Most Serene Highness. Monaco in return abandoning all its claims on Menton and Roquebrune.”
“Complicated,” said Ennis bewildered by nineteenth century European history. "What happened to the princes then?”
“Actually that goes back to the French Revolution when Monaco was annexed by France and the wife of Joseph Grimaldi was guillotined. After, when Napoleon was finally defeated, the first Treaty of Paris in 1814 restored pre-revolutionary rights to Monaco and the Grimaldi family, then putting Monaco under the protectorate of the King of Sardinia under the treaty of Vienna in 1815.”
“That’s back to the Italian princes.”
“Right, but in 1848, Menton and Roquebrune declared themselves free cities under the protectorate of Sardinia making them part of the district of Nice.
“When Prince Charles came to the throne, he gave the towns of Menton and Roquebrune to France and because of that the Principality lost eighty percent of its territory, on the other hand its independence was recognized.”
“At least the Grimaldis survived.”
“Yes, they were pretty good at that. I suppose you could say that Monaco’s history is that of the Grimaldi family. In 1918 the treaty with France stated that should the Grimaldis die out, Monaco would become an autonomous state of France.”
“That’s what has happened today?”
“One of the useful articles of the treaty of 1918, from France’s point of view, was that Monaco promised France not to cede all or part of the principality to any power other than France, which in part explains the independence of Monaco today.”
“Is the Prince the absolute ruler?”
“No, back in 1911, Prince Albert I promulgated the first Constitution, which shared legislative power between the Prince and a National Council elected by universal suffrage. However substantial powers remained in Prince’s hands.”
“So that’s why France doesn’t interfere too much.”
“No. In 2002 the government of Monaco changed the law to ensure that if the Prince was childless, then the Princesses or their children could inherit the throne. Before it barely covered a couple of square kilometres and was not a full member of the Federation. Residence permits were given to wealthy Federation citizens, those who could justify an obligatory minimum of three months annual residence by purchase or rental of a residence at the astronomical prices of the principality.”
“Right, so I suppose as long as long as things stay calm and there’s no political interference in Algharb. It’s a kind of safe haven.”
“The Prince of Monaco has an ambiguous attitude towards the Renaissance Party in Paris. He