The War of Women, Volume 1

In the restless years following the first Fronde, France teeters between royal authority and a tangled web of rival factions. Ambitious princes, a cunning cardinal, and a wary Mazarin vie for power, while the streets of Paris echo with barricades and secret conspiracies. When the celebrated Prince de Condé, once famed for his victory at Lens, is unexpectedly arrested by the very court he helped restore, the fragile peace shatters and old loyalties are tested.

The narrative follows the fiery Cardinal de Retz, a bishop whose ambition turns political intrigue into outright rebellion. At the same time, women of the aristocracy—mothers, wives, and daughters—steer the hidden currents of the conflict, from petitions in the Parlement to daring rescues in Bordeaux. Their covert actions spark a new phase of the war, drawing Spain into the mix and setting the stage for a five‑year struggle that will reshape the kingdom.