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Agatha Christie made train-based crimes very well known & very popular. This was not a problem as she based her fiction on real events; spies really did travel by Orient Express and some actual murders really did take place on board!
What I did not know of was a case involving the Spanish Duchess of Marchena, Maria del Pilar de Muguiro (1889-1981). She had married Francisco Maria de Borbón, Duke de Marchena (1861-1923) and cousin of King Alfonso XII, in 1886 in Madrid. Francisco was mentally unstable and violent, but owing to his royal status, divorce was impossible.
The Duchess, reputed to be one of the richest women in Spain, was travelling on the Orient Express in 1889. After leaving Paris, she appeared in the saloon with a swollen face, having been assaulted by her own husband. Another passenger, Basil Zaharoff, came to her aid and had the authorities arrest the violent Duke.
This Basil Zaharoff turned out to be a VERY wealthy, leading Greek arms dealer and a close colleague of world leaders like British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, Greek Prime Minister Venizelos and Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Zaharoff had a dodgy reputation, selling inadequate equipment to both sides of each war, at the same time. But he was rarely charged in court with bribery etc.
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The other view was that the dealer and his lover had quickly been established in a Paris palace, after the Duke was firmly locked up. The Duchess had three daughters, all born in Paris and all after the entry of the Duke in the asylum. The title of Duchess of Marchena would pass to the eldest of her daughters, as promised by King of Spain Alfonso XIII before her remarriage. In any case Zaharoff acknowledged they were his daughters and always treated them as his own, so the best of both worlds for the daughters.
By the late C19th, most European countries were connected by rail, yet train travel was often dirty, unreliable and with tricky border crossings. It was Belgian Georges Nagel-mackers who fell in love with the popular Pullman sleeper cars in the USA: clean, comfortable, hotel-like passenger cars designed for long trips. With the Belle Epoque starting to bloom, Nagelmackers saw an untapped demand for a new kind of travel, one that would combine glamour and luxury. So using the Pullman model, Pullman set about designing a sumptuous sleeper train in Europe.
By 1873 Nagelmackers formed his own company, Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. His huge vision was one that would sweep passengers from Paris to Constantinople in luxurious sleeper cars, without having to stop at 8 national borders. But the vision required a powerful patron, and King Leopold II of Belgium was that man. The CIWL soon provided top quality catering and accommodation in the form of sleeper carriages, saloon carriages and dining cars. The lavish menu was matched with Bordeaux and Burgundy wines and quality French champagne. And the crystal glasses and silver cutlery impressed even the wealthy.
The Orient Express was revolutionary for the Belle Epoque cosmopolitans. A trip on the Orient Express quickly became a must for monarchs, millionaires and anyone who wanted to be part of European high society. This was the train’s golden age! Convenient intercontinental transport, yes, but important for royalty, diplomacy, luxury and romance. Royals eg Prince of Wales and Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, were regulars. As were Kings Leopold II of Belgium & Ferdinand I of Bulgaria. Then monarchs and aristocrats were joined by politicians, adventurers like Lawrence of Arabia, and famous figures from the arts. Elegance was mandatory, with a rigid protocol observed aboard in dress & behaviour.
By 1873 Nagelmackers formed his own company, Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. His huge vision was one that would sweep passengers from Paris to Constantinople in luxurious sleeper cars, without having to stop at 8 national borders. But the vision required a powerful patron, and King Leopold II of Belgium was that man. The CIWL soon provided top quality catering and accommodation in the form of sleeper carriages, saloon carriages and dining cars. The lavish menu was matched with Bordeaux and Burgundy wines and quality French champagne. And the crystal glasses and silver cutlery impressed even the wealthy.
The Orient Express was revolutionary for the Belle Epoque cosmopolitans. A trip on the Orient Express quickly became a must for monarchs, millionaires and anyone who wanted to be part of European high society. This was the train’s golden age! Convenient intercontinental transport, yes, but important for royalty, diplomacy, luxury and romance. Royals eg Prince of Wales and Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, were regulars. As were Kings Leopold II of Belgium & Ferdinand I of Bulgaria. Then monarchs and aristocrats were joined by politicians, adventurers like Lawrence of Arabia, and famous figures from the arts. Elegance was mandatory, with a rigid protocol observed aboard in dress & behaviour.
Orient Express saloon car
shared by all the guests on board, 1889
National Geographic History
Orient Express arrived every day at the fine Budapest’s Keleti Station. And when they chose Constantinople as the last stop in 1880s, the train left to continue on the journey eastward several times a week. Constantinople began to attract a new crowd: the ennobled and the monied classes of Europe. At first there were no hotels in the city that could meet the high standards of these Orient Express passengers. So Compagnie Internationale de Wagon Lits bought Pera Palace Hotel. The Compagnie picked guests up from the train terminus in Istanbul and got them accommodated in this, the classiest hotel. It was the first building to have electricity, elevators, and bathrooms with the only running hot water in the city. Tall spacious rooms were lit by magnificent chandeliers.
Agatha Christie made train-based crimes very well known & very popular. This was not a problem as she based her fiction on real events; spies really did travel by Orient Express and some actual murders really did take place on board!
What I did not know of was a case involving the Spanish Duchess of Marchena, Maria del Pilar de Muguiro (1889-1981). She had married Francisco Maria de Borbón, Duke de Marchena (1861-1923) and cousin of King Alfonso XII, in 1886 in Madrid. Francisco was mentally unstable and violent, but owing to his royal status, divorce was impossible.
The Duchess, reputed to be one of the richest women in Spain, was travelling on the Orient Express in 1889. After leaving Paris, she appeared in the saloon with a swollen face, having been assaulted by her own husband. Another passenger, Basil Zaharoff, came to her aid and had the authorities arrest the violent Duke.
This Basil Zaharoff turned out to be a VERY wealthy, leading Greek arms dealer and a close colleague of world leaders like British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, Greek Prime Minister Venizelos and Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Zaharoff had a dodgy reputation, selling inadequate equipment to both sides of each war, at the same time. But he was rarely charged in court with bribery etc.
Duchess of Marchena married Sir Basil Zaharoff in in 1924
a second marriage for each of them.
Historians all agree the Duchess was married in 1924 to Sir Basil Zaharoff, but there is no agreement on how close their friendship had been since the 1889 violent attack on the train. One view was that they had met briefly at the initial meeting, and only slowly had a love story developed, eventually ending in marriage when the Duke of Marchena died in a psychiatric asylum in 1923.
The other view was that the dealer and his lover had quickly been established in a Paris palace, after the Duke was firmly locked up. The Duchess had three daughters, all born in Paris and all after the entry of the Duke in the asylum. The title of Duchess of Marchena would pass to the eldest of her daughters, as promised by King of Spain Alfonso XIII before her remarriage. In any case Zaharoff acknowledged they were his daughters and always treated them as his own, so the best of both worlds for the daughters.