The story of a young Louis XIV on his journey to become the most powerful monarch in Europe, from his battles with the fronde through his development into the Sun King. Historical and fictional characters guide us in a world of betrayal and political maneuvering, revealing Versailles in all its glory and brutality.
The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.
Duchess Henriette becomes suddenly ill when she returns from a visit to her brother in England. They fear she might have been poisoned, so King Louis XIV shuts all access To Versailles.
Louis believes to triumph diplomatically when his queen Henriette negotiates an alliance with England against the Dutch for cash and a guard for her brother, English king Charles II, but when William of Orange personally comes question the Stuart 'reunion', Charles offers him a princess's hand. Rohan continues to elude Marchal's efforts to dismantle the secret society in Orange's service, even arranges the escape of a traitor locked up for torture. Marchal, who is losing Louis' confidence, proves the Pau ladies frauds, discretely executes the mother, his 'lover' and the poison monger, and chases the daughter. Chevalier convinces Philippe not to resent Louis' demand to devise elaborate court etiquette but to enjoy becoming the aristocracy at court's puppeteers, while Louis proudly radiates as a heliocentric sun.
The affair of the poisons continues. Could it even reach deep into Louis's own court?
After crushing the Protestants and thwarted Leto, Louis feels invincible. But his family and France are divided. What to expect from the future? What will be his legacy? Louis summons the Dauphin to show him how to be a good king. Louis decides to go to Paris to bless the sick. He does not know that the rebels fomented an attack for the murder...
Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.
High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
One point per season. Smooths out the episode-to-episode noise to reveal the bigger arc.
Did each season build or fizzle? Green means the finale outscored the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows, bigger swings.
How steady is each season? Tightly clustered dots mean reliable quality. Scattered dots mean a wild ride.
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