Episode 1 Inside Versailles

Good evening, and welcome to Inside Versailles.

Well, we have Rohan trying to kidnap the Dauphin and therefore get

huge power over the King in France, if you get the Dauphin.

Yeah, I mean, this is a real plot.

It's called The Latreaumont Conspiracy.

He had basically been friends with the King for years and then,

essentially, was lured to the dark side

and he was trying to kidnap the Dauphin

in order to take Normandy away from France, break away.

But it didn't actually get as far as the kidnapping because

they were overheard conspiring in a dodgy part of Paris

by one of the King's musketeers.

So for the King probably quite scary,

because Rohan had been his friend for many years.

It's so daring, to try and kidnap the Dauphin who, for many people,

is completely sacred.

So the idea of taking him and making him into

a mere person by imprisoning him is absolutely shocking.

So he was clearly someone who was at the edge of desperation.

Yeah, he'd been disgraced at court,

he'd racked up huge debts and he'd been offered this...

-Nothing to lose.

-Nothing to lose.

He'd been offered this way out by Latreaumont and he's figuring,

"OK, I'll give it a go."

But unfortunately for him it doesn't work out

and he gets his head lopped off, so, you know,

you take your risks when you're going against the King.

This picture of Versailles I think really sums up what we're seeing

in the second series because now we're moving into

the great flowering of Versailles.

A lot of the building is finished, it's this huge court,

and we keep seeing these nobles beginning to complain

because they're used to living on their huge estates in

the countryside and now they will have to live in this palace,

which is beautiful, but it's cramped and small.

And many of the men felt they were utterly disempowered because

they couldn't have their huge entourages,

but for the women Versailles is all about manners and appearance

and fashion and gossip,

and that's somewhere where women can really get some power.

Absolutely, and someone who is thriving at the court at

this time, of course, is his maitresse-en-titre,

and we should probably go have a look at her painting.

-Let's go and have a look.

-OK.

So, here we have Francoise-Athenais de Rochechouart,

de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan.

-Quite a mouthful.

-Quite a lady.

She's an absolute firecracker.

She's sexy, she's charismatic, she's smart...

And she knows how to please him. And even though she's tempestuous,

she demands a lot for her family and she demands a huge amount of money.

I think her nickname is Quanto - "how much?" -

because she's so focused on cash and privileges and honours.

But still, he adores her.

Yeah, she's about five years into her mistress career here

-in this painting, I think.

-Which is quite a career.

-Which is good going.

-She's at her prime here.

-Yeah.

She's a magnificent woman.

And she's got this thing called l'esprit de Mortemart,

this sort of sense of joy and conversational flair.

It's said that even many years after her death,

the Duc de Saint-Simon reports that those who knew her still

speak in the same way that she did, they sort of carry on her language.

She had such an influence over how people spoke at court

that it sort of lives on past her.

And she really is kind of the focal point of what

everyone's talking about and looking at.

But after several years at court, other women are starting to...

You know, they're coming in, looking to see if maybe they can get

in the King's good favours, so she's got rivals as well now.

Her husband is not so keen on this whole business, is he?

Some husbands love it, but not hers.

That's the thing that perhaps is quite surprising is she's married,

she's got two kids by her husband, and he takes it really badly.

And for many at court, particularly the religious faction,

the devots, this is a scandal too far.

Because of double adultery.

So a King is married, she is married -

that's why they call it double adultery,

because if she were single it would be perhaps easier to talk about.

Absolutely, and I think we'll see a lot more of her coming up

through the series, so pay attention.

OK, join us next week, we'll be seeing a lot more of Versailles,

a lot more of Athenais and a lot more scandal and intrigue.

-Bonsoir.

-Bonsoir.