1. Louis the Well-Beloved
Louis XV comes of age amid hopes that the young king will restore confidence and glory to France after years of government by regents and ministers. Court expectations quickly collide with Louis's preference for hunting, gambling and private pleasure, while factions around Versailles compete to influence…
2. The Road to Compiègne
No longer the well-beloved, Louis XV is becoming ever more unpopular - the huge expense of his court and decades of costly warfare having taken their toll. As the discontent grows, Louis seeks refuge in his extravagances and his mistress, the powerful Marquise de Pompadour. Suspicions,…
3. Flaunting, Extravagant Queen
Marie Antoinette arrives at Versailles at fifteen as the Austrian bride of the future Louis XVI. Beautiful, inexperienced and impatient with the rigid etiquette of the French court, she becomes a focus for factional rivalry and gossip while her difficult marriage leaves the succession uncertain. As…