Chicot the Jester

A glittering wedding in 1578 draws together France’s most powerful families, but beneath the lavish banquets and silk‑lined halls a cold current of royal displeasure runs deep. The newly wedded François d’Epinay de St. Luc and Jeanne de Crossé‑Brissac find themselves under the severe gaze of King Henri III, whose hidden anger threatens to spoil the celebration before the first toast is even poured.

Around the festive tables, courtiers trade sharp jokes and thinly veiled threats, while the duke’s favorites and the king’s own circle drift between uneasy alliances and outright rivalry. As whispers of secret grudges grow louder, the guests sense that a single misstep could spark a deadly clash, turning the night’s merriment into a precarious dance of power. Listeners will be drawn into a world of flamboyant costumes, razor‑sharp wit, and the ever‑looming danger that defines the French court’s most treacherous gatherings.