num_pages: 460
description: Louis XIV is one of the best-known monarchs ever to grace the French throne. But what was he like as a young manthe man before Versailles? After the death of his prime minister Cardinal Mazarin twenty-two-year-old Louis steps into governing France. Hes still a young man but one who as king willfully takes everything he can getincluding his brothers wife. As the love affair between Louis and Princess Henriette burns it sets the kingdom on the road toward unmistakable scandal and conflict with the Vatican. Every woman wants him. He must face what he is willing to sacrifice for love.But there are other problems lurking outside the chateau of a boy in an iron mask has been seen in the woods and the kings finance minister Nicolas Fouquet has proven to be more powerful than Louis ever thoughta man who could make a great ally or become a dangerous foe . . .Meticulously researched and vividly brought to life by the gorgeous prose of Karleen Koen Before Versailles dares to explore the forces that shaped an iconic king and determined the fate of an empire.
language: English
title: Before Versailles: A Novel of Louis XIV
publisher: Crown