The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 24: London to Berlin

In Short

This volume chronicles the restless wanderings of Giacomo Casanova as he flees a debt-ridden London, traverses the courts and inns of the German states, and makes his way toward Prussia and the Russian frontier. Driven by financial necessity and a habitual reliance on his own wits, he maneuvers through high-society drawing rooms, low-life schemes, and brief, volatile love affairs. The book endures for its clear-eyed, unvarnished depiction of Enlightenment Europe, offering an intimate glimpse into the daily survival, social stratification, and precarious fortunes of an incorrigible eighteenth-century rogue.

The Story

The narrative opens in the grim aftermath of Casanova's legal and financial troubles in London. Narrowly escaping prison after being falsely accused of perjury, he encounters a rogues' gallery of creditors, fraudsters, and destitute aristocrats. Among them is Bottarelli, a disgraced former monk turned opportunistic pamphleteer, living in utter squalor with his ragged family. Undeterred by the constant threat of bailiffs, Casanova attempts to rescue a distressed Swiss family from a local debtor's prison by discharging their debts. In doing so, he falls deeply in love with the daughter, Sara. His hopes of accompanying her to Switzerland and settling into respectable domesticity crumble when Sara gently refuses his affection, leaving him heartbroken and facing financial ruin.

With his resources all but exhausted, Casanova sells his remaining valuables—diamond crosses, gold snuff-boxes, and tailored coats—to satisfy his local debts. Retaining only a faithful servant, Jarbe, he flees London just ahead of a fraudulent bill-of-exchange scheme that threatens his life and freedom. Stricken with a severe illness, he journeys across the Continent to Wesel, where a sympathetic young physician nurses him back to health over several weeks.

Once recovered, Casanova resumes his journey through the German principalities. In Brunswick, he encounters old acquaintances from the theater, dines with local nobility, and navigates the delicate amorous affairs of his companion Redegonde, who catches the eye of the Hereditary Prince. Casanova's reputation as an inventor of successful state lotteries leads him to Berlin, where he engages with Calsabigi, an associate trapped in a failing lottery enterprise, and attempts to assist a distressed Frenchwoman trapped in a predatory legal agreement.

In Berlin, Casanova secures an audience with Frederick the Great. Confronted by the formidable monarch on a parade ground, he relies on his quick intellect to debate theories of taxation and the mathematics of state lotteries, temporarily earning the king's curiosity. Recognizing that Prussia offers little long-term profit, he pushes farther east into Courland. In Mitau, he ingeniously rebranded himself as a practical administrative consultant to the local Duke. Accompanied by Lambert, an uneducated but mathematically gifted companion, Casanova undertakes a two-week survey of local iron and copper mines. Designing canals and proposing structural reforms to boost production, he satisfies the Duke, accepts a sum of four hundred albertsthalers for his services, and sets out once more toward Riga and St. Petersburg.

How It Unfolds

Flight from the capital Plagued by debts, hostile legal suits, and predatory creditors in London, Casanova sells off his personal luxury items to settle his accounts. He dispatches his servant Jarbe to gather his remaining belongings while he makes a midnight escape across the English Channel.

A slow recovery Arriving on the Continent weak and suffering from a severe physical collapse, Casanova places himself under the care of a gentle young doctor in Wesel. Through weeks of strict regimen and confinement, he recovers his health while reflecting gloomily on his depleted fortune.

Passage through Brunswick Restored to vigor, Casanova travels to Brunswick, where he reconnects with theatrical managers, former lovers, and local nobility. He watches as his companion Redegonde secures the favors of the Hereditary Prince, while he himself barely manages to maintain the appearance of an affluent gentleman.

Audience with a king In Berlin, Casanova meets Frederick the Great during military reviews at Potsdam. When pressed by the monarch on economic matters, he improvises an intricate discourse on taxation and chance, defending the mechanics of public lotteries.

The industrial consultant Moving on to Courland, Casanova presents himself to the Duke as an expert in resource management and mining operations. Assisted by Lambert, a mathematically talented young man, he surveys state-owned iron and copper mines, drafts structural plans for canal systems, and collects a handsome fee before heading toward Russia.

The People

• Giacomo Casanova, the protagonist, is an endlessly resourceful Venetian traveler who wants to maintain a life of luxury, intellectual freedom, and romantic conquest. Stymied by sudden poverty and legal threats, he repeatedly uses his quick wit, charm, and audacity to transform himself from a fleeing debtor into a respected advisor.
• Sara, a young Swiss woman, wants to preserve her independence and honor while dealing with her father's severe debts in London. Though deeply affectionate toward Casanova, she resists his proposals of marriage, realizing the instability of his nature.
• Bottarelli, a renegade Italian monk turned desperate London pamphleteer, wants only to feed his impoverished family by any means available. His willingness to commit perjury for money reflects the grim economic underbelly of the city.
• Calsabigi, an Italian projector living in Berlin, wants to run a profitable state lottery but finds himself overwhelmed by heavy debts and the king's skepticism.
• Frederick the Great, the King of Prussia, wants rigorous practical efficiency in all affairs of state. He engages Casanova with sharp, skeptical questioning, probing the traveler's theories on finance and governance.
• Lambert, an uneducated Lorrainer who lied about his background to secure employment, wants to earn a living through his aptitude for mathematics. He becomes Casanova's loyal assistant, executing precise technical plans for mine improvements despite his lack of formal education.

In Its Own Voice

"I felt as if I should like to know Bottarelli, and begged Goudar to take me to him, and Martinelli, happening to call just then, said he would come with us."

Casanova seeks out the impoverished pamphleteer who had previously given false witness against him, curious to observe the man's miserable living conditions firsthand.

"In the month I had spent with the Hanoverians I had dissipated the whole of the sum resulting from the sale of the precious stones, and I found that I was in debt to the amount of four hundred guineas."

Realizing the extent of his ruin in London, Casanova calculates his losses before selling off his fine clothing and gold snuff-boxes to clear his name.

"I made a rapid review of the situation, and found myself much in the same position as an actor of the improvised comedy of the Italians, who is greeted by the hisses of the gods if he stops short a moment."

Faced with unexpected questions from Frederick the Great, Casanova relies on his theatrical instincts to deliver an immediate, convincing discourse on political economy.

What It's Really About

Beneath the narrative of romantic pursuits and high-society dinners, this volume explores the precarious reality of eighteenth-century social mobility. Casanova's journey demonstrates how easily an elite status grounded in appearance, display, and personal credit can collapse into immediate poverty. The text functions as a sharp study in self-invention, where an individual's intellect, grasp of human psychology, and verbal agility are the primary tools against total ruin. Through his observations of destitute aristocrats, predatory bankers, and cynical monarchs, Casanova reveals a European class structure that is both rigid in its legal authority and completely transactional at its core.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers a vibrant, unfiltered journey into the lived experience of the eighteenth century, far removed from polished historical textbooks. Readers who enjoy classic picaresque tales, historical memoirs, or social history will find Casanova's voice remarkably direct, pragmatic, and modern. He does not posture as a moralist; instead, he details his misadventures, financial errors, and opportunistic improvisations with disarming candor.

The narrative does present specific reading challenges. Readers must navigate historical currency systems, obsolete legal structures, and archaic diplomatic terms. Furthermore, period attitudes toward class, gender, and personal relationships reflect the social norms of the 1700s and can feel uncomfortably mercenary to modern sensibilities. Yet the sheer pace of the narrative, combined with vivid sketches of figures ranging from street-level fraudsters to Frederick the Great, makes it a captivating portrait of an era. Casanova's sheer resilience—his ability to pick himself up from a sickbed or a bankruptcy and immediately scheme his way into a royal audience—leaves a lasting impression of human resourcefulness.