How to ruin a queen
Subtitle: Marie Antoinette, the stolen diamonds and the scandal that shook the French throne
By: Jonathan Beckman
Publisher: John Murray
Published: 2014
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 386
ISBN-13: 9781848549982; 9781848549999
Subjects: Trials, litigation; Diamond Necklace Affair, France, 1785; Jewelry theft; History; Monarchy
Description: On 5 September 1785, a trial began in Paris that would divide the country, captivate Europe and send the French monarchy tumbling down the slope towards the Revolution. Cardinal Louis de Rohan, scion of one of the most ancient and distinguished families in France, stood accused of forging Marie Antoinette's signature to fraudulently obtain the most expensive piece of jewellery in Europe - a 2,400-carat necklace worth 1.6 million francs. Where were the diamonds now? Was Rohan entirely innocent? Was, for that matter, the queen? What was the role of the charismatic magus, the comte de Cagliostro, who was rumoured to be two-thousand-years old and capable of transforming metal into gold? This is a tale of political machinations and extravagance on an enormous scale; of kidnappings, prison breaks and assassination attempts; of hapless French police disguised as colliers, reams of lesbian pornography and a duel fought with poisoned pigs. It is a detective story, a courtroom drama, a tragicomic farce, and a study of credulity and self-deception in the Age of Enlightenment.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 353-370) and index.
Table of contents: title: 1. Princess in Rags; title: 2. The Man Who Never Grew Up; title: 3. Faith, Hope and Charity; title: 4. Antoinette Against Versailles; title: 5. In My Lady's Chamber; title: 6. Notes on a Scandal; title: 7. To Play the Queen; title: 8. Diamonds and Best Friends; title: 9. The Greatest Man in Europe: An Interlude; title: 10. Follow the Money; title: 11. Days of Reckoning; title: 12.`I Will Pay for Everything'; title: 13. Arresting Developments; title: 14. Hotel Bastille; title: 15. Witness Protection; title: 16. Tired and Emotional; title: 17. Nicolas Abroad: A Picaresque; title: 18. Questions, Questions; title: 19. Cheek to Cheek, Toe to Toe; title: 20. An Extraordinary Rendition; title: 21. The Truth Will Out; title: 22. In the Gossip Factory; title: 23. Judgement Day; title: 24. Catch Him if You Can: A Burlesque; title: 25. Farewell, My Country; title: 26. Down and Out in Paris and London; title: 27. Confessions of a Justified Sinner; title: 28. The Fall of the Houses of Valois and Bourbon; title: 29. Madness, Sadness, Poverty; title: 30. Flashes in the Crystal: A Conclusion.