The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 26: Spain

In this lively memoir, a quick‑witted Venetian finds himself hurled out of Vienna after a gambling accusation spirals into a dangerous confrontation with the city’s Statthalter. The narrator’s sharp tongue and restless spirit turn a simple expulsion order into a dramatic showdown, complete with accusations of theft, a denied petition, and a barely restrained urge for revenge. His vivid description of the bustling Austrian court captures the tension between personal liberty and the oppressive hand of the law.

Undeterred, he turns to Prince Kaunitz and the Venetian ambassador, pleading for protection while the bureaucratic machinery grinds on. Their curt responses and whispered negotiations reveal a network of power that the exile must navigate if he hopes to continue his wanderings. The episode sets the stage for his onward journey toward Spain, promising the same blend of intrigue, romance, and daring that defines his legendary adventures.