Uh ... I'm sorry if this is obvious, but I think Vetinari's patricianship is designed for running a city-state like Ankh-Morpork, not a whole country.
Incidentally - and to change the subject completely (yes, I'm good at that - sorry)... here's a question about patricians. It's pretty obvious that Lorenzo the Kind is a reference to Lorenzo de' Medici (aka Lorenzo il magnifico, or "The Magnificent" - which, in Lorenzo's case, was justified). I think we can presume that Vetinari's surname, too, comes from the surname "Medici".
But then, where do Lord Winder and Mad Lord Snapcase come in - who are they a reference to? *curious* Of course there have been many paranoid, suspicious, and even crazy rulers in every country. Snapcase, we are told, elected his favorite horse as an advisor - so this is undoutbedly a reference to Caligula, a thoroughly nasty Roman emperor. But what about Winder?
Come to think of it, why the names "Snapcase" and "Winder"? That's what I was trying to ask. *shrug* I presume that "Snapcase" is a reference to someone snapping a case shut - maybe a case of snuff? Snapcase reminds me of the "powdered wig" Georgian era, roughly 1707-1820 or so. He even takes snuff in "Night Watch", and snaps his case shut. If that's the reference, then it's appropriate. I've read a little on the Georgian monarchs, and they all struck me as nasty (especially to their own family) and either incompetent or mad, or at least "eccentric".
(The portrayal of George IV in "Blackadder" seems to seal the deal, and it's also very funny).
What's your view? I'm curious...
Incidentally - and to change the subject completely (yes, I'm good at that - sorry)... here's a question about patricians. It's pretty obvious that Lorenzo the Kind is a reference to Lorenzo de' Medici (aka Lorenzo il magnifico, or "The Magnificent" - which, in Lorenzo's case, was justified). I think we can presume that Vetinari's surname, too, comes from the surname "Medici".
But then, where do Lord Winder and Mad Lord Snapcase come in - who are they a reference to? *curious* Of course there have been many paranoid, suspicious, and even crazy rulers in every country. Snapcase, we are told, elected his favorite horse as an advisor - so this is undoutbedly a reference to Caligula, a thoroughly nasty Roman emperor. But what about Winder?
Come to think of it, why the names "Snapcase" and "Winder"? That's what I was trying to ask. *shrug* I presume that "Snapcase" is a reference to someone snapping a case shut - maybe a case of snuff? Snapcase reminds me of the "powdered wig" Georgian era, roughly 1707-1820 or so. He even takes snuff in "Night Watch", and snaps his case shut. If that's the reference, then it's appropriate. I've read a little on the Georgian monarchs, and they all struck me as nasty (especially to their own family) and either incompetent or mad, or at least "eccentric".
(The portrayal of George IV in "Blackadder" seems to seal the deal, and it's also very funny).What's your view? I'm curious...
