Louis XIV and La Grande Mademoiselle, 1652-1693

In the turbulent years following the death of Cardinal Mazarin, a youthful Louis XIV steps onto the throne of France, determined to shape a new order. Beside him stands Anne Marie Louise d’Orléans, known as La Grande Mademoiselle, a spirited aristocrat whose upbringing at court makes her both a confidante and a challenger to the king’s emerging absolutism. Their early interactions, set against the lingering unrest of the Fronde, reveal a court still caught between old liberties and the ambition of a monarch who will soon become the Sun King.

Through letters, memoirs, and contemporaneous accounts, the narrative paints the intimate world of 17th‑century Versailles, where salons buzz with debates on politics, art, and love. Listeners will hear how the king’s private education, his relationships with figures like Molière and the libertines, clash with the fiercely independent spirit of the Grande Mademoiselle. The book offers a vivid portrait of a formative period, showing how personal passions and political maneuvering began to forge the age of absolute rule.