Les Rois Maudits
Encyclopedia
The Accursed Kings is a sequence of seven historical novel
s by Maurice Druon
, of the Académie française
.
The seven books are:
kings and the first two Valois kings, from Philip the Fair
to John II
. The plot revolves around the attempts of Robert of Artois
to reclaim the county of Artois
from his aunt Mahaut
.
s to transform feudal
France
into a Nation-State
.
was made out of The Accursed Kings. Sets and costumes were kept minimal, giving the feel of a small theater production.
and Jeanne Moreau
.
Episode 1 - The Iron King (2005)
France, 1307.
With the royal coffers empty, and no formalised system of taxation, King Philippe IV
(Tchéky Karyo
) asks Jacques de Molay
(Gérard Depardieu
), the Grand Master
of the Knights Templar
, for a loan. When he is refused, the King has every member of the Order arrested on the same night (Friday the 13th of October), and seizes the gold anyway.
Under torture, the Grand Master confesses to spitting on the cross and is convicted of heresy. The King promptly has him burnt at the stake, coercing the Pope into greenlighting the whole affair. However, as Molay burns, he issues a curse upon the King and Pope Clement
, and all of their descendants for 13 generations…
When the Pope dies shortly afterwards, it seems as though the curse is at work.
Meanwhile, Robert of Artois
, a French nobleman
, feels that he has been cheated out of his inheritance by his aunt, Mahaut (Jeanne Moreau). Her daughters are married to the King’s sons, and when Robert learns of their infidelity, he enlists the help of the King’s daughter, Isabella
, to bring them down.
His actions set in motion a series of events that are to have wide-ranging consequences for both France and England.
Episode 2 - The Strangled Queen (2005)
King Philippe is deeply affected by the deaths of the Pope and one of his most trusted advisors, which he blames on the curse of the Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Obsessed with the curse, Philippe starts wasting away and dies shortly afterwards.
With Philippe’s eldest son, Louis X
, on the throne, Robert d’Artois intensifies his scheming to reclaim the County of Artois from his aunt Mahaut. To gain the support and trust of the new king, he allies himself with the king’s uncle Charles of Valois
and plots to undermine the once influential chamberlain, Enguerrand de Marigny
.
King Louis seeks a new wife to provide him with an heir and ensure the succession, but is hindered by the fact he is still married to Marguerite of Burgundy, who has been imprisoned for adultery
. Furthermore, a new Pope has not been elected and his marriage cannot be annulled.
He sends Robert d’Artois to Marguerite in an attempt to coerce her into writing a letter stating that their marriage was never consummated and that her daughter is illegitimate. She writes the letter, but the king does not receive it, and another solution must be found…
Episode 3 - The Poisoned Crown (2005)
Episode 4 - The She-Wolf of France (2005)
Episode 5 - The Lily and the Lion (2005)
and Jean-Marc Thibault.
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
s by Maurice Druon
Maurice Druon
Maurice Druon was a French novelist and a member of the Académie française.Born in Paris, France, Druon was the nephew of the writer Joseph Kessel, with whom he translated the Chant des Partisans, a French Resistance anthem of World War II, with music and words originally by Anna Marly.In 1948...
, of the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
.
The seven books are:
- I. Le Roi de fer (The Iron King), 1955
- II. La Reine étranglée (The Strangled Queen), 1955
- III. Les Poisons de la couronne (The Poisons of the Crown), 1956
- IV. La Loi des mâles (The Royal Succession), 1957
- V. La Louve de France (The She-Wolf of France), 1959
- VI. Le Lis et le Lion (The Lily and the Lion), 1960
- VII. Quand un Roi perd la France (When a King Loses France), 1977
Plot summary
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515%2BQUIXZuL._SL500_AA300_.jpg The novels take place during the reigns of the last five Direct Capetian
House of Capet
The House of Capet, or The Direct Capetian Dynasty, , also called The House of France , or simply the Capets, which ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328, was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians. As rulers of France, the dynasty...
kings and the first two Valois kings, from Philip the Fair
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
to John II
John II of France
John II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
. The plot revolves around the attempts of Robert of Artois
Robert III of Artois
Robert III of Artois was the son of Philip of Artois and Blanche of Brittany.In 1318 he married Joan of Valois , daughter of Charles of Valois, and had issue:* Louis...
to reclaim the county of Artois
County of Artois
The County of Artois was an historic province of the Kingdom of France, held by the Dukes of Burgundy from 1384 until 1477/82, and a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1493 until 1659....
from his aunt Mahaut
Mahaut, Countess of Artois
Mahaut of Artois , also known as Mathilda, was the only daughter, and eldest child of Robert II, Count of Artois and Amicie de Courtenay.- Lineage :...
.
Style and themes
The book's characters are colorful and larger than life, but also have depth. The narration is gripping and very much plot-driven, whether a conspiracy to assassinate the King or an exuberant teenager's search for romance are being recounted. The books are very thoroughly researched, with extensive and quite interesting footnotes; however, Druon does not hesitate to fill the silences of history with drama. The narration highlights the centuries-long effort by the French monarchy and especially the CapetianHouse of Capet
The House of Capet, or The Direct Capetian Dynasty, , also called The House of France , or simply the Capets, which ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328, was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians. As rulers of France, the dynasty...
s to transform feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
into a Nation-State
Nation-state
The nation state is a state that self-identifies as deriving its political legitimacy from serving as a sovereign entity for a nation as a sovereign territorial unit. The state is a political and geopolitical entity; the nation is a cultural and/or ethnic entity...
.
Mini-series
In 1972 a TV miniseriesMiniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
was made out of The Accursed Kings. Sets and costumes were kept minimal, giving the feel of a small theater production.
2005 remake
In 2005 a new miniseries was made as a joint French-Italian production, with Philippe TorretonPhilippe Torreton
Philippe Torreton is a French actor.-Biography:Born in Rouen, to a teacher mother, and fireman father, Torreton grew up in a suburb of the city...
and Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director.She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française...
.
Episode 1 - The Iron King (2005)
France, 1307.
With the royal coffers empty, and no formalised system of taxation, King Philippe IV
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
(Tchéky Karyo
Tchéky Karyo
-Early life:Karyo was born in Istanbul to a Greek mother and Sephardic-Jewish father and raised in Paris, France. He studied drama at the Cyrano Theatre and later became a member of the Daniel Sorano Company, playing many classical roles.-Career:...
) asks Jacques de Molay
Jacques de Molay
Jacques de Molay was the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, leading the Order from 20 April 1292 until it was dissolved by order of Pope Clement V in 1312...
(Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu is a French actor and filmmaker. He is a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite and has twice won the César Award for Best Actor...
), the Grand Master
Grand Master (order)
Grand Master is the typical title of the supreme head of various orders of knighthood, including various military orders, religious orders and civil orders such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Orange Order...
of the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
, for a loan. When he is refused, the King has every member of the Order arrested on the same night (Friday the 13th of October), and seizes the gold anyway.
Under torture, the Grand Master confesses to spitting on the cross and is convicted of heresy. The King promptly has him burnt at the stake, coercing the Pope into greenlighting the whole affair. However, as Molay burns, he issues a curse upon the King and Pope Clement
Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V, born Raymond Bertrand de Got was Pope from 1305 to his death...
, and all of their descendants for 13 generations…
When the Pope dies shortly afterwards, it seems as though the curse is at work.
Meanwhile, Robert of Artois
Robert III of Artois
Robert III of Artois was the son of Philip of Artois and Blanche of Brittany.In 1318 he married Joan of Valois , daughter of Charles of Valois, and had issue:* Louis...
, a French nobleman
French nobility
The French nobility was the privileged order of France in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern periods.In the political system of the Estates General, the nobility made up the Second Estate...
, feels that he has been cheated out of his inheritance by his aunt, Mahaut (Jeanne Moreau). Her daughters are married to the King’s sons, and when Robert learns of their infidelity, he enlists the help of the King’s daughter, Isabella
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
, to bring them down.
His actions set in motion a series of events that are to have wide-ranging consequences for both France and England.
Episode 2 - The Strangled Queen (2005)
King Philippe is deeply affected by the deaths of the Pope and one of his most trusted advisors, which he blames on the curse of the Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Obsessed with the curse, Philippe starts wasting away and dies shortly afterwards.
With Philippe’s eldest son, Louis X
Louis X of France
Louis X of France, , called the Quarreler, the Headstrong, or the Stubborn was the King of Navarre from 1305 and King of France from 1314 until his death...
, on the throne, Robert d’Artois intensifies his scheming to reclaim the County of Artois from his aunt Mahaut. To gain the support and trust of the new king, he allies himself with the king’s uncle Charles of Valois
Charles of Valois
Charles of Valois was the fourth son of Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon. His mother was a daughter of James I of Aragon and Yolande of Hungary. He was a member of the House of Capet and founded the House of Valois...
and plots to undermine the once influential chamberlain, Enguerrand de Marigny
Enguerrand de Marigny
Enguerrand de Marigny was a French chamberlain and minister of Philip IV the Fair.He was born at Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy, of an old Norman family of the smaller baronage called Le Portier, which took the name of Marigny about 1200....
.
King Louis seeks a new wife to provide him with an heir and ensure the succession, but is hindered by the fact he is still married to Marguerite of Burgundy, who has been imprisoned for adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
. Furthermore, a new Pope has not been elected and his marriage cannot be annulled.
He sends Robert d’Artois to Marguerite in an attempt to coerce her into writing a letter stating that their marriage was never consummated and that her daughter is illegitimate. She writes the letter, but the king does not receive it, and another solution must be found…
Episode 3 - The Poisoned Crown (2005)
Episode 4 - The She-Wolf of France (2005)
Episode 5 - The Lily and the Lion (2005)
In popular culture
Les Rois Maudits was spoofed on French television in the successful series Les Maudits Rois Fainéants by Roger PierreRoger Pierre
Roger Pierre was a French comedic actor.He often appeared in comedies with Jean-Marc Thibault.Pierre died in his native Paris, aged 86, from cancer.-Career:...
and Jean-Marc Thibault.