Ascanio

Set against the glittering yet volatile backdrop of Francis I’s France, the novel plunges listeners into a court where love, ambition, and power collide. King François, still haunted by his defeat at Pavia, finds himself entranced by a succession of charismatic women—first the formidable Comtesse de Châteaubriand, then the youthful, daring Anne de Pisseleu, known at court as Mademoiselle d’Heilly. Their influence shapes royal decisions, fuels rivalries, and drags the monarch into a vortex of passion and political missteps.

Amid this swirling intrigue, the king’s mother, Louise de Savoie, engineers a delicate sabotage, hoping a fresh courtesan will break the king’s hold on his former favorite. As Anne rises, she secures a convenient marriage to the Duc d’Étampes, consolidating her position and ushering in a twenty‑year era of lavish court life. Listeners are treated to vivid portraits of Renaissance Paris, sumptuous banquets, and the often‑shadowed human cost of a ruler’s vanity.