French monarchy

2 posts tagged with this keyword.

Portrait of Nicolas Fouquet by Charles Le Brun, 17th century

The Squirrel and the Sun

Sep 5, 2026•By Andy Barca

On 5 September 1661, Louis XIV had his Superintendent of Finances, Nicolas Fouquet, arrested by D'Artagnan in Nantes. It reads like an Alexandre Dumas novel because Dumas lifted it wholesale - but the real Sun King was far colder, pettier, and more ruthless than any romance.

Coronation portrait of Louis XIV of France by Hyacinthe Rigaud

The Most Beautiful Cage in Europe

May 6, 2026•By Andy Barca

On 6 May 1682, Louis XIV moved the French court permanently to Versailles. The palace was not a vanity project. It was the most sophisticated political trap ever built.