I mistreated her, despise her.
She deserved a better husband.
And now she is gone.
I miss her.
You will never be alone.
You must accept that our Lord took her away
from us for a purpose.
It is His will that you continue on your path.
I didn't know what to do so...
I dragged the body here.
You did the right thing.
What will you do with it?
Feed it to the pigs. Why?
They leave no evidence.
What did he say exactly?
He said...
..the King is not born of God.
Is he questioning the legitimacy of
your brother's claim
to the throne?
How does this relate to the Vatican?
The Church likes nothing more than a secret it can use
to exercise power and influence.
We must look at the records.
Not just the House of Bourbon,
but all those bearing royal blood.
Every family has its secrets.
The endgame has begun.
The moment when I must play a move
even though I know it to be to my disadvantage.
My claim to Spain
and its possessions is lost.
Cardinal Leto arrives shortly to attend
the funeral on behalf of the Pope.
But, sire, with the Queen departed,
surely Leopold's hand is strengthened?
Indeed,
so I want the Cardinal to approve the union
between King Charles and my niece, Marie-Louise.
He cannot leave until I know that Spain is mine.
But, Sire, convincing the Cardinal will be no easy matter.
We know the Vatican fears His Majesty's ambitions.
Which is why I must prove to him that I am an ally,
not a threat.
The question is how.
The Protestants.
The Catholic Church fears the growing
threat of the Protestants across Europe.
Showing the cardinal that Protestants have no place in Versailles,
His Majesty will be seen as champion of the Catholic faith.
How?
Protestants should be publicly punished.
Punishment?
Without a crime?
Well, that is a cross they will have to bear.
This will be seen by the Protestant
community as yet another provocation.
And what will they do? Take up arms?
No. Leave the country.
And the effects on the economy will be devastating.
Commerce,
law, medicine... all dominated by Protestant families.
Let them leave.
And to make up the deficit?
The people will pay. We shall raise
the salt tax.
Sire, we have raised the salt tax ten times in as many years.
Then at least no-one can accuse us of inconsistency!
Colbert,
the Ottoman trader who presented himself, is he still here?
Yes, Sire.
Bring him to me.
I'm sorry.
Please, forgive me.
This must be very hard for you. I know you were close.
She always showed great kindness towards me.
As you did to her, no doubt.
At one time you believed she did not die of natural causes.
I still do.
You must have mislaid this.
The servants were about
to toss it in the waste.
Thank you.
It's an unusual box.
Where did you get it?
It was a gift.
From whom?
I forget.
There's always
one thing that betrays their guilt.
Their eyes.
Good day.
Your Highness...
..I wish to offer my condolences.
I know that you and the Queen were close.
It is part of God's mystery that the finest souls are taken from us
whilst still enjoying the flower of youth.
One person's loss is always someone else's gain.
Meaning?
The Queen is gone.
Now you have the King all to yourself.
The King belongs to no-one.
At least not until he seeks a new alliance.
Surely you do not imagine that the King will remain unmarried.
You may have his heart for now
but soon you'll be nothing more than a name on a long list of conquests.
Your Majesty.
The document on the table, I would like you to sign it.
This agreement assures me
the exclusive right to the trade route to the Mediterranean.
And in return?
If your Emperor chooses to invade Austria,
I shall not stand in his way.
Am I to believe His Majesty? The King is a man of his word.
I shall return immediately to announce the good news.
You will travel by sea?
A ship awaits me at Toulon. From there, I shall head for Malta.
I trust His Eminence did not find the journey too arduous?
Not as arduous as these stairs.
I shall take you to your rooms, where you may rest.
No, take me to see His Majesty first.
As you wish.
What is your name?
I am Alexandre Bontemps, Your Eminence.
Governor of Versailles.
So you are Bontemps.
Do you know who I am?
Of course.
Where is Monsignor Di Marco?
I assumed he would be here to greet me.
I could not say.
Find him.
Tell him to come to my rooms.
On behalf of his Holiness, Pope Innocent XI,
may I express my most sincere condolences?
She died before her time.
Thank you.
His Eminence's rooms have been prepared?
They have, Sire.
Do we have any news of the Emperor Leopold?
News?
I received a message to say he would be attending the funeral.
And I look forward to welcoming him.
A shadow has been cast.
This may only be the beginning, Duchesse,
and our people's fears are growing.
We must stand strong. We must not forget who we are.
May I steal the Duchesse for a moment?
The last time we spoke...
..you told me
you would not marry me if I were the last man on Earth.
I should have made my feelings clear.
Your desires were clear enough!
Please, ignore my past
and my reputation.
The fact is,
what I'm trying to say...
- Yes? - I think I love you.
I know I love you,
and I did promise your nephew I would help,
but to my shame, I failed.
Members of the court!
I address myself to the Protestants amongst you.
By order of the King,
I command those of you who have in your possession
a Bible in the French language
to hand it over.
Either you surrender
these objects of sin
or your bodies will be searched
and your rooms ransacked.
Delphine.
Do not give in.
First you imprison Monsieur Dupuis,
then you force us to recant, now this?
- It is an outrage. - No, madam.
The word of God
It can only be interpreted by members of the Church.
Allowing people to read it without guidance
will inevitably drive them towards error and heresy.
I wish to speak with the King.
If only he wished
to speak with you.
Why?
Because it is necessary.
Believe me,
I feel your suffering.
No, Francoise, you feel nothing.
I do believe the Duchesse has lost her mind.
Yet she has managed to retain her courage.
Your admiration is misplaced.
I think it's outrageous.
I was a Protestant myself
and I resent the suspicion that people
of that faith are not loyal subjects. .
My brother has an aversion for those who disagree with him.
To whom do we have the honour?
- You do not recognise her? - No.
This is your daughter,
Maria Luisa.
and the next Queen of Spain.
Marie-Louise, I am Princess Palatine,
your stepmother.
- I thought you would be... - A witch?
I thought we agreed she would marry your son.
You should see this as an opportunity.
- For you. - For both of us.
She will be introduced to His Eminence,
the Cardinal Leto, this evening at a banquet.
If he approves of her,
it is my hope that the Pope will give his blessing to the union.
I rely on you to prepare her.
And from now on, you belong to France.
I have a challenge for you.
How do you convince
an arrogant, self-satisfied papal envoy
to do what you want?
Why do you ask me such a question?
Well,
because you know the minds of men in power...
..twisting us round that little finger of yours...
..toying with us...
..bending us to your will.
His Majesty...
..makes it hard for me to concentrate.
Of course.
Let us focus on the matter in hand.
He is a papal envoy, so power...
..is more important than faith.
Probably.
He acquired his position...
..through treachery and corruption.
No doubt.
All he cares for...
..is power and status.
So...
he needs flattery.
Yes?
May I present you Madame de Maintenon.
Your Eminence.
I hope you found your rooms to your satisfaction.
Tell me...
..do you believe
tyranny to be a good thing?
You demand Strasbourg and Luxembourg,
you seek to take over the world and drive
the Emperor Leopold into anonymity.
Believe me, Your Eminence, I do not seek power, I seek peace.
Call that tyranny if you wish.
You want Spain and its possessions.
Yes, in order to protect them.
As for Leopold, no-one respects his authority more than I.
However, I believe the Church deserves
someone stronger to defend it.
With the Queen's death,
your claim to Spain is now void.
It is not a question of claim but of duty.
My duty is to defend the interests of the Church,
and it is my humble hope that His Holiness
will recognise my ambition for what it is...
simply the wish to serve.
His Holiness has already given his blessing
to the union of King Charles of Spain
and the Princess Eleanor.
And if I presented a more suitable candidate?
Such as?
My niece, the Princess Marie-Louise.
Monsieur Marchal...
..may I have a word?
Of course.
It relates to His Highness, the Duke d'Orleans.
The King is worried about his state of mind.
I'm sad to hear it,
but I don't see how this concerns me.
I've seen you in discussion with him recently.
I wondered if he had said, or intimated...
..anything that you considered...
..out of the ordinary?
Such as?
His Highness
was convinced there was some sort of plot against him.
I tried to help him solve the mystery.
Our search came to nothing, and it was my
understanding that he had let the matter drop...
..but I fear I was wrong.
He's mentioned nothing of this to me,
but if he does, I shall inform the King.
Best inform me first.
His Majesty has much to deal with at the moment.
As you wish.
Tell me about the King's brother.
Is he still digging his nose into our affairs?
Like a hound after a fox.
He gets closer to the truth by the day.
- And is the King aware of his investigations? - No.
Where is the prisoner?
In a safe place.
Well, keep him there until I have need of him.
Your Eminence ...
..if the identity of the prisoner were revealed...
..the consequences would be dire.
Do you think I am not aware of that?
I shall only do such a thing
if your King goes too far in his demands.
What, in your view,
are a woman's duties?
To serve her husband,
to be faithful...
..to remain discreet
and to bear children.
Imagine, your husband said he thought
the world to be full of pixies and fairies.
What would you say?
I would support him in his opinions.
And...
And if he ask you naked at the fountain?
I would endeavour to satisfy his request.
You have been well taught.
Women are just pawns in a game played by men.
They own us.
But do not allow them to crush your spirit.
- I have come to examine Her Highness. - That's out of the question.
- Now is not the time. - On the orders of the King, Your Highness.
Marie-Louise...
..the doctor must examine you.
- Please recline and raise your dress. - No! Please.
You will not place your hands on me!
Go and find His Highness.
He simply wants to confirm that you are untouched.
My dear...
I won't let him.
The doctor is only doing his duty.
You must do the same. It won't take a minute.
Marie-Louise!
What on Earth is going on?
The doctor is here to make an examination.
My dear,
you must understand that without this test,
your marriage cannot go ahead.
Please, don't let him do it.
Now lie down on the bed.
The King!
Tell me,
what plans does His Majesty have for his next marriage?
I am still in mourning and have not yet considered the matter.
You will no doubt satisfy yourself with the occasional mistress.
The fame of your court
is matched only by the fame of your sexual appetite.
Now, where is the Princess?
I am anxious to meet her.
She is on her way.
There she is.
May I present my brother, the Duke d'Orleans,
his wife, the Princess Palatine, and his daughter,
Marie-Louise?
I am honoured.
Walk about.
Now, come.
Tell me something about yourself.
What are your interests?
I have little to say of myself, Your Eminence.
I am young and inexperienced
in the ways of the world. I prefer to listen.
Do you pray?
I attend Mass twice a day.
Embroidery?
I am very fond of it.
Tell me,
what, in your opinion,
is the place of a woman
within marriage?
I believe my place is to show loyalty
and obedience in all matters.
What a charming young lady.
Shall we dine?
Ladies and gentlemen,
Your Eminence,
I ask you all to rise and make your way to the window.
What are they burning?
Protestant Bibles.
Shh, don't!
I understood your court was filled with Protestants.
Many have now recanted their faith.
How did you achieve that?
Gentle persuasion.
Just suppose that His Holiness approved...
..the union of your niece and King Charles...
..you realise that there would be certain terms attached?
Of course.
Strasbourg and Luxembourg
would remain under the control of Leopold.
You would guarantee protection of the Holy Roman Empire...
..in the event of an invasion by the Ottomans.
You have my word on it.
Good.
Should I supose His Eminence is agreed this marriage?
I have not yet made up my mind.
Of course.
Thank you, my child.
What are you doing?
I thought...
You thought wrongly.
Desires of the flesh
hold no interest for me.
Strawberries, on the other hand.
19...
22...
26...
31...
1619.
1622.
26.
31.
Four children dead at birth.
So,
it was another seven years before the birth of your brother.
What happened in between?
Nothing happened in between. They tried,
they did not, and then my brother was born.
Possibly.
What other explanation could there be?
What if your father
despaired of ever having a son?
His wife was unable to provide one.
Every King's nightmare.
That left him only one choice.
-To produce an heir with another woman. - Precisely.
An heir who may still be alive.
Wearing an iron mask to conceal his identity.
So, my father had a mistress.
I don't even know if my father had any affairs.
I know someone who would.
I haven't seen him in the Salon for ten years.
Life at Versailles is not to his taste.
Are you sure he's still alive?
My Lord.
What is it?
Is the fire?
Oh, good evening, Your Highness.
Please accept our apologies for disturbing you this hour.
I'm sure you have your reasons.
I have a question to ask you.
You knew my father, did you not?
I had the honour of calling him a friend, yes.
Did he have any mistresses?
Your father was a faithful husband.
He had a mistress?
Not that I am aware of.
You're lying.
You were friends with the Count de Soissons, were you not?
I knew vaguely.
Vaguely?
And yet
you joined with him in a plot to overthrow your friend, the King.
It would be a shame if the current monarch
knew of your treachery towards his father.
Tell me about his mistresses.
You may not like it here
but you would enjoy the cold of a prison cell a lot less.
There was a rumour...
Her name!
Louise de la Fayette.
She was maid of honour to the Queen.
What happened to her?
After her liaison with your father,
she left court and joined a convent in Chaillot.
I believe
your father continued to visit her till the end of his life.
This La Fayette women may have given birth to a child
who my father would legitimise
if Mother failed to produce an heir.
Precisely.
And when your brother was born,
La Fayette chose to leave the court.
You are angry with me.
No. Angry with my self.
Why?
I understand you have duties that you can't ignore, but...
..I know it's childish and naive of me, but I can't help it.
I understand.
Do you?
Ever since I set eyes on you, I dreamt of being with you.
Now I am, I see you being taken away from me.
You said to me that I would never be alone.
And now...
..I say the same thing to you.
Get up!
- What is it? - Prepare yourself.
- What for? - To meet a cardinal.
I want you to impress him with your intelligence
and whatever you can muster by way of modesty.
Why?
Because with his help, you're going to be Queen of Spain.
I owe you my thanks.
The fact that you stand before me now means you carried
out your duties with great courage and ingenuity.
Thank you, Your Highness.
However...
..I must warn you,
I am under suspicion.
The King's head of police is convinced
the Queen did not die of natural causes.
- Does he have any evidence? - No.
But I fear him.
Well, if there was no evidence, there's nothing to fear.
You will remain here. Keep an eye on my niece until her departure.
As you wish.
What can you tell me of Louis? What is he scheming?
The King carries out his affairs in private.
There is little talk of politics in the Salon.
There's always something.
Did he have any visitors?
There was a trader here yesterday
in conversation with Monsieur Colbert.
A trader? What sort of trader? Where was he from?
I don't know.
He was of a Middle-Eastern appearance.
He said he was going to be taken the ship from Toulon to Malta.
- Find the trader. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Please, accept my condolences.
Her death was a tragedy. She was a wonderful woman.
I thank you for your thoughts.
You must feel lost without her. .
- She accompanies me in my soul. - As she accompanies us all.
Did you really think I would not discover the truth?
The truth?
You convinced her to go to Spain to help
you marry your niece to King Charles.
You used her.
I was not the only one.
Why did you come here?
To mourn.
- That was not the only reason. - No?
You want to see the Cardinal,
to convince him to side with you over Spain.
You read me like a book, Louis.
Just I read you.
But I shall succeed.
No, you won't.
He pays you lip service but he knows you to be the weak fool that you are.
By the way, your wife was a a wonderful lover.
Such passion.
Such imagination ...
May I help?
Yes, by leaving.
Any luck?
Perhaps.
It scares me to think we may discover
a half brother I never knew I had.
We will soon find out.
Records of every birth and death in this parish for the past 50 years.
You are walking blindly towards a cliff and if you don't jump
of your own accord, you can be certain that Louis will push you.
Perhaps he is sincere in wishing to protect the Holy Roman Empire?
That's my job!
But are you still capable of doing it?
Louis serves no-one but himself. He sees himself as God.
He has strength and authority which you...
perhaps, lack.
The Pope has already approved the match
between Eleanor and King Charles.
Possibly.
But with the Queen's death, he has no claim.
Don't be so sure.
Nothing.
Monsieur Marchal, His Majesty would have a word with you.
Monsieur Marchal, I have a job for you.
Of course.
It concerns Emperor Leopold' niece, Princess Eleanor.
She's become a nuisance to my plans.
And I don't like nuisances.
With all due respect, Sire...
..does the Princess deserve such a fate?
She is young.
But dangerous.
Yes?
Good afternoon.
I see you're here on official duty.
You're searching for evidence.
Something is bothering you, though.
What is it?
I'm beginning to question all that I belive in,
all I have done,
things I wish I'd never heard.
Thank you.
For what?
For trusting me.
Will we see each other again soon
or am I just a passing affliction?
I will visit you again tonight,
if I may.
You may.
In the meantime...
there is something that I would like you to do for me.
- The real reason for your visit? - No.
What would you have me do?
As you may know,
the King has conceived a certain fondness for the Princess Eleanor.
Yes, I am aware of that.
You are close with the Princess.
His Majesty would like to see her again...
..alone...
..without the knowledge of her uncle.
Where?
And when?
Immediatly before the funeral...
..in the Orangerie.
- Do you trust me now? - Yes.
- Where is your uncle? - I have no idea.
Eleanor, I belive your life to be in danger.
I'm condemned, if that's what you mean.
No!
Listen...
Listen to me!
- I believe some may try to kill you. - Who?
The King's men.
We must inform your uncle and you must leave for Spain immediately.
- I do'nt want to go to Spain. - But you can't stay here!
Then what should I do?
- Escape. - How?
I will help you.
Why should I believe you?
Because I'm coming with you.
Eleanor!
When?
Immediately.
Are you ready?
If His Majesty will forgive me, I shall remain in my rooms.
Why?
I feel unwell, Uncle.
A feminine matter.
Oh! I see.
Very well.
You are sure?
I have nothing to lose.
I'm right.
"Born on this day,
in the year of Our Lord 1637,
a son, Robert,
in the presence of Father Martin, priest of the parish,
and Madame Secretan, midwife.
"Louis de Bourbon, King of France...
..and Louise de La Fayette."
What's wrong?
Nothing.
We have lost someone...
dear to our hearts. We weep for her,
we weep for ourselves.
We feel our own suffering...
and we question the mystery...
that is our Lord.
But what is human life...
..if not a brief moment in the light,
surrounded on all sides...
..by the endless shadow of darkness?
We are scared of this darkness.
We do not know it.
But we should not fear it.
We should embrace it.
For it is not darkness at all...
but a light that will shines forever.
It is the light of faith...
..of glory...
..it is the light of God.
A wonderful ceremony.
Brother.
I need to speak with you now.
Now!
Speak.
Tell me, damn it! What have you done?
I've done nothing.
What's happened? What's this about?
The truth.
The truth?
We have an older brother.
*CREDITS*