.png)
Lust, extravagance, and betrayals: the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King, as depicted in the series "Versailles".
- Adriana Vicente
- Feb 9
- 11 min read
You know those addictive TV series that you just want to binge-watch in a single day? Well, last year I watched one exactly like that, and today I'm going to recommend it and tell you what I thought.
As the indecisive person I am, I'm always changing my mind about my favorite TV series. For now, Versailles is in my top 10. Actually, it was one of the last series I watched and the first of its kind, portraying the court and life of the French king Louis XIV , better known as the "Sun King," who was responsible for establishing absolutism in France.
The series, with historical excerpts, is based on the life of Louis XIV and shows the construction of the Palace of Versailles, going through all the king's wives and mistresses, the conspiracies, deaths, and the homosexual relationships of his brother. Philippe I, Duke of Orleans . All this shown in a grand, luxurious, and majestic way.
Versailles is a French historical fiction series produced by Canal+ and directed by Daniel Roby and Jalil Lespert. It currently has three seasons, all available on Netflix. A fourth season has not yet been confirmed, but since it was not renewed, it is quite possible that the series has ended.
"I am the state": Absolutism and the reign of Louis XIV
To better understand the series, it's helpful to know a little about the historical context surrounding the plot. The reign of Louis XIV is considered one of the most important and controversial in history. You've probably heard/read the phrases "I am the State" and "I am France," which are very famous for understanding what absolutism was and how the king held all the power.
Louis XIV, also known as the "Sun King" and "The Great," was born on September 5, 1638, and was King of France and Navarre from 1643 to 1715. His reign lasted 72 years and is considered the longest in history. When Louis XIV was five years old, his father... Louis XIII died, and his mother, Anne of Austria , assumed the throne as regent until he was old enough. In 1661, at the age of 23, Louis XIV officially ascended the throne after the death of his chief minister, the Italian Cardinal Jules Mazarin . Louis was crowned king at the age of five and reigned until he was 76, which is why his reign is considered the longest in history.
The monarch believed in something like the "divine right of kings," meaning it was God's will that he be king, and his power was based on this theory. During his reign, Louis XIV eliminated the last vestiges of feudalism and created a centralized government under a single leader, the king, whose will and orders were to be obeyed without question or contestation, since it was God who had placed him there (Louis even believed that above him, only God existed). With this thinking, he established one of the best-known forms of government: absolutism.
In absolutism, the king holds all the power in the country and can rule and dictate as he pleases without being hindered by ministers, advisors, nobles, or the population. Hence the phrase "I am the State," which clearly illustrates this absolutist line of thought. This form of government, which began with Louis XIV, lasted until the reign of Louis XVI and ended with the French Revolution in 1789.
Louis XIV sought to gather all the nobility of the time in his Palace of Versailles and, by unifying all the nobility in a single location, became one of the most powerful monarchs in history. During his reign, France became a European power and participated in three wars: the Franco-Dutch War, the Nine Years' War, and the War of the Spanish Succession. Louis was also a gifted marketer and a great strategist. When he called himself the "Sun King," he wanted everyone to see him as a divine being who shone and illuminated France.
The king was also known to have had several mistresses. He married... Maria Theresa of Spain , to seal political alliances (at that time, it was very common for women to be used as bargaining chips, and arranged marriages between kings and nobles to guarantee control of certain countries), but throughout his life, he was involved with several women. The series focuses only on three of them: Henrietta Anne Stuart (who was the wife of Philippe, Louis's brother), Françoise Athena de Rochechouart , known as the Countess of Montespan, and Françoise d'Aubigné. With his wife, Louis had six children, and with the Countess of Montespan, seven. When Louis tired of his mistresses, he gave them titles of nobility and lands so that they would leave Versailles and never return. Because of this, the king's official lineage is uncertain. The only thing that is known is that he recognized many heirs as his own.
A curious and true fact about the Countess of Montespan, which is portrayed in the series, is the famous "Affair of the Poisons," where, after several poisonings at court, a lady named Catherine Deshayes , who was an alleged sorceress, confessed to selling poisons to several women at court, including the Countess of Montespan. The sorceress's daughter even reported seeing the Countess and her mother participating in witchcraft rituals. This ritual, which involved the death of a child, was intended to create a kind of potion to bewitch the king. After this scandal, the Countess fell out of favor at court. Louis began to ignore her and refused any food or drink she offered. Montespan ended up gaining titles and land and was expelled from Versailles.
After the death of Maria Teresa of Spain, Luis remarried, in secret, to Françoise d'Aubigné , known as Madame de Maintenon . The marriage is believed to have taken place in 1683, the same year as Maria Theresa's death.
Louis XIV died at his palace in Versailles on September 1, 1715, four days before his 77th birthday. His children and grandchildren with his wife, Maria Theresa, predeceased him; thus, the crown passed to his great-grandson, Louis the Beloved , who was five years old at the time and later became known as Louis XV.
Philippe I, Duke of Orleans - the extravagant brother of Louis XIV
It's impossible to talk about Louis XIV and his reign without mentioning his brother, the extravagant Louis XIV. Philippe I, Duke of Orleans . The Monsieur (a traditional title used in the French court to refer to the king's brother) was historically well-known for all the romantic and sexual relationships he maintained with men throughout his life, as well as for his atypical way of dressing and his pronounced femininity. Philippe was also known for being a talented general and military strategist. He is also remembered as the "grandfather of Europe" because, through his children, he became the ancestor of most of the modern royalty.
Philippe was always treated as the shadow of Louis XIV. A well-known painting depicting the two brothers shows Philippe wearing dresses and clothes typical of girls of the time, alongside Louis. Historically, Philippe is wearing these clothes to differentiate himself from his brother and not overshadow Louis's 'brilliance', but there are also theories that their mother, Queen Anne of Austria, very much wanted to have a daughter, and treated Philippe as if he were a girl (legend says that Philippe's feminine mannerisms are due to this).
In the series, his character is very amiable and doesn't care at all about the throne (historically, Philippe never wanted to be king). He enjoyed all the perks and benefits that come with being related to the king, but he hated being controlled by his brother and not being able to make decisions or take action, such as living far from the Palace of Versailles or simply going about his own business. Philippe proves to be a loyal and reliable brother to Louis XIV, although he is often upset by the king's actions. Because of this, they are constantly arguing, which is shown throughout the episodes. The Duke shows us, through powerful dialogues with Louis XIV, that there is life beyond Versailles and that wealth and grandeur are not always reasons for happiness. In Philippe's eyes, the Palace of Versailles is a true hell. Everything was part of a grand theater (like when Philippe, at the king's command, had to give etiquette lessons to the nobles so that they could better serve their king).
The Duke was known for his extravagances and homosexual relationships. Philippe was openly gay, yet he married his cousin, Henrietta Anne Stuart, or Henrietta Anne of England. In the series, this fact is portrayed as something Philippe is forced to do, and the marriage becomes a burden over the years. Henrietta was, for a time, the mistress of Louis XIV. With Henrietta, Philippe had four children. A year after his wife's death, in 1670, Philippe was forced to marry again, to Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate , a German princess known as "Princess Palatine". With Elisabeth, the Duke had three children.
Philippe was in love with the nobleman Philippe of Lorraine (also known as the Knight of Lorraine - Chevalier de Lorraine in French), and the series shows the two together in a natural way (and offensive to the traditional Brazilian family, haha). This is a fact that I found quite cool. The Duke was not the target of jokes or prejudice because of his sexual orientation; on the contrary, he was greatly admired and respected. Historically, at that time, homosexuality was still a taboo, however, in the series, Philippe's behavior was considered normal, since everyone in Versailles was accustomed to and even immersed in a lifestyle filled with orgies, parties, and drugs within the palace.
The series focuses solely on her romance with the Knight of Lorraine; however, historically, Philippe had several romances with other nobles, most notably... Philippe Mancini and Armand de Gramont , known as the Count of Guiche . The romance with Armand was quite well-known and turbulent because, betrayed by the Count (Armand and Henrietta had an affair), Philippe caused his brother to exile him. In short: everything there was a real mess.
The Duke also often appears dressed in women's clothing, and when I researched this historical figure, I discovered that the use of wigs and high heels at court most likely began because of him.
The majestic Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles (French: Château de Versailles) is one of the most famous and grandest palaces in the world. It served as the official residence of Kings Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI (along with the entire court) until the French Revolution in 1789.
Its construction began in 1664, when Louis XIV wanted to transform his father Louis XIII's old country house into a palace where he could live with the entire court and, consequently, keep a close watch on it. The fear of betrayal and conspiracies led Louis XIV to find a way to control everyone within the palace.
In 1682, after the completion of the works, Louis XIV moved from Paris to Versailles, forcing the entire court to live with him. To give you an idea, the palace is so large that it has about 700 rooms and it is estimated that approximately 60,000 people lived there. Over time, the entire court realized that the palace was nothing more than a gilded and luxurious prison; every step of each resident was watched by the monarch.
Versailles is located in the French city of the same name and is still considered the center of power of the former French monarchy. It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in France and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1929. One of the most famous and beautiful rooms in the palace is the Hall of Mirrors. The idea for the decoration of this room, it is said, came from a dream that Louis XIV had.
When I started researching the Palace of Versailles, I also read a lot about the hygiene habits of the time. Basically, people hardly ever bathed, so the smell and appearance of their bodies and hair were awful, and to disguise this, the nobility used a lot of perfume (remember that French perfumes are known for being very strong and distinctive? That's the reason). The women's fans, which we see as something charming, weren't for fanning themselves to ward off the heat, but rather to ward off the bad smell emanating from their bodies and under their clothes. So, don't be fooled when you see the nobility clean, well-groomed, and seemingly fragrant in the series. The reality was quite different from what is shown, and in a way, this takes away any illusion we might have.
One interesting (and disgusting, hehe) fact I found: There were no toilets in the palace, much less a sewage system, so it was quite common for the residents to relieve themselves in the corners of the rooms and also along the extensive garden. Some even threw their waste out of the palace windows.
Versailles is open for visits with varying ticket prices, ranging from free to approximately 27 euros. The more expensive the ticket, the more areas the purchaser can visit. You can check the prices and descriptions of each type of ticket. here .
What did I think of the series and why do I recommend it?
I've never been a very avid reader of things related to the French monarchy, so watching something historical would help me learn and understand a lot about the customs of the time. That was one of the reasons I started watching Versailles. As it's a historical fiction series, not everything shown is based on real events, but the series is quite faithful to all the historical facts and characters. You can learn a lot from watching it.
As mentioned above, the French court wasn't as clean and tidy as depicted in the series. However, it's impossible to tell the story of the construction of Versailles and the court of Louis XIV without mentioning excessive luxury, wealth, extravagance, and grandeur. And it is precisely with all this pomp that... Versailles introduces the characters and the entire narrative. The costumes were very well-designed and meticulously crafted, and the landscapes and palaces are breathtaking. The garden scenes were filmed in French castles, and the Palace of Versailles itself was used for filming the first season. You literally step into Versailles when you start watching the series.
From my point of view, the actors were very well cast and perfectly fulfilled their roles. King Louis XIV is played by George Blagden , who became famous for being Father Athelstan in "Vikings," and his brother, Philippe I, Duke of Orleans, is played by Alexander Vlahos , who brought to life the legendary figure Mordred in the series Merlin's Adventures . A note of surprise: Louis XIV and Philippe weren't as handsome as the actors (I was disappointed when I started researching these historical figures, hahaha).
I thought the series portrayed the human side of Louis XIV quite well, often showing the king suffering from panic attacks, hallucinations, fear, and anger. Even as the King of France, Louis was human and experienced the same sensations and feelings that we all have. The difference is that, being king, he could never show signs of weakness to his subjects, nobility, and everyone around him. The only people he trusted to confide in and talk to were his brother, Philippe, and his valet. Alexandre Bontemps (played by Stuart Bowman). The valet was, after Philippe, the person closest to the king and, for that reason, one of the most respected men at court (historical fact).
Although the series is based on the life of Louis XIV and the construction of Versailles, other characters gain significant prominence at various points, such as Philippe Bontemps, the head of the royal guard, Fabien Marchal (Tygh Runyan), the Knight of Lorraine (Evan Williams), Maria Theresa of Spain (Elisa Lasowski), Henrietta Stuart (Noémie Schmidt), Madame de Maintenon (Catherine Walker), and the Countess of Montespan (Ana Brewster).
This series is perfect for those who, like me, enjoy historical fiction, but also for those who like to learn more about the fashion of the time, royalty, and French monarchy. Versailles shows all of this in a grand way and, for these reasons, deserves to be seen.
For those who want to see more photos and information about the Palace of Versailles, I recommend... The official website and Instagram are also available. Below, I've included a really cool official video that showcases the palace's grandeur.
Comments