Madam, the Duke of Brittany has passed away.
The Duke of Anjou, his brother present here,
is the new heir to the throne.
We have to take care of him.
- You do not. - Those are the orders of the king.
You leave him alone.
Because of your negligence
his family was exterminated.
Your disability killed them.
Never. Do you hear me?
- Never come near the child. - But...
- Madam... - Get out !
Louis XV returns to Versailles after it was empty for 7 years.
Your Majesty.
Here she kept me in her arms for the last time.
Do you really believe they were plotting against me?
The sudden death of all heirs of Louis XIV caused us the worst fear.
Even if the chance exists
that the true cause was a disease.
Would a child be killed to take his throne?
History says so, Your Majesty.
Now you have to sleep.
Talk about my parents, Marshal.
Had your father been alive,
he had been a great king.
He had great moral and intellectual qualities.
Like a great wisdom.
As far as your mother is concerned...
Your mother...
she lit the court.
His Majesty Louis XIV adored her.
He was broken by her loss.
If they had not all died,
I was just today
the grandson of the king
or a king's son,
or the brother of the king.
And then my childhood had really been mine alone.
I oppose your plans, cousin!
You seem to intentionally weaken the monarchy.
- What do you mean ? - To become a regent
against the will of the dead king, you let parliament go.
God alone knows where that leads us.
We had to reduce the pressure of my uncle, the Sun King.
His splendor, his wars ruined the country.
Freedom helps citizens to bear their burdens.
My plans have only one realistic goal:
bring peace to a country that can no longer wage war.
All that in the interest of the king.
That is the truth, even if you think otherwise.
Majesty,
I'm sorry to tell you that your cat killed your titmouse.
- She must be punished. - How ?
- The worst punishment. - And who is?
She will attend the Regency Council.
That being said, the Regent wants to talk to you.
He is accompanied by the chairman of the board,
the Duke of Condé and M. de Fleury.
Can we let them wait?
- I'm daydreaming. - I'm afraid not.
Your Majesty,
after all my duties during your regency,
and I hope to have accomplished that worthy,
now, after years of war with Spain, I have exhausted France,
to keep the peace at all costs.
We believe that a marriage
with your full cousin, the daughter of Philip V of Spain,
a girl that everyone likes,
the relations between our countries will calm down.
We have come, Your Majesty, humble and hopeful,
to ask for your approval for this marriage.
Yes.
Your Majesty, I can not have the joy
describe with which I accept the proposal
what I cherish so much about.
I am all the more pleased
because it corresponds to the wishes of my great-grandfather,
whose examples and intentions will always direct my behavior.
The infante of Spain will make me happy.
Punctuality is the politeness of a princess.
I should have learned that.
- Where the hurry, father? - I'm going to marry you off.
Marry me off?
- To who ? - The Spanish crown prince.
You will become a queen once.
- I do not speak spanish. - The court speaks French.
Philip V is the grandson of Louis XIV.
- I'm not going ! - You're going!
Prize yourself happy. I have had to forge enough conspiracies.
Your grandmother will give you advice. Affairs of the kingdom call me.
Once at the Spanish court we never see each other again, Louise-Elisabeth.
You will never see your parents again.
When I married Louis XIV's brother,
I knew that I would never see my Rhineland again.
When you married him,
Did you know he liked men? - Be silent !
- I'm not going. - You should. You were born for that.
Princesses must marry and continue the dynasty.
I hope to go to heaven after my death.
If you ever want to see me there,
you know what you have to do.
If death has a purpose,
it is separating us from those who have forgiven our lives.
Living as a saint would spoil my zest for life
and it would forever condemn me to boring company.
Higher!
Yet !
House of King Philip V of Spain, far away from the court in Madrid.
Yet !
Their Majesties want to speak to you.
You can not draw such a face in their presence.
I am not the one who is sulking.
It's Carmen.
It was her turn on the swing.
I wanted the best for our daughter.
Her marriage to the French king is a good thing.
Do you think it's worth your son,
the Spanish heir to the throne,
to marry the daughter of the regent?
Everything is better
than the massacres we knew.
Every one of the millions of deaths that brought me here,
looking for me every night
and ask me a reason
that I can not give.
I'll have to pay for it one day.
Do you know what keeps me alive?
The fear of what the afterlife reserves me.
And life.
What is life? It starts with a scream and ends in tears.
Everyone is free to give it a purpose,
but we got a conscience
that teaches us that nothing is certain.
Lord,
I beg you,
forgive me.
Their royal highs, the Prince of Asturias and Princess Marianne Victoria.
My beloved daughter,
you are now Queen of France.
Here is the portrait of Louis, my cousin,
and your future husband.
Tell your brothers so that they can give you the necessary honor.
As for you, my son,
we let you marry Louise-Elisabeth of Orléans.
This is her portrait.
It's for you.
Please.
Go now.
Forward.
We pass through life.
We only leave our actions behind
and our offspring.
For a king
his actions are an option,
but his offspring is obligatory.
Yes. I learned that you are the governess of the infante?
That's right. She is still so young
and so vulnerable.
Like you, when I was your governess.
But, mama, then you are no longer mine?
I will always stay with you, my prince.
No one will ever take your place in my heart.
I'm not asking you for a kiss, daughter. My heart goes with you.
Try to honor me at the Spanish court.
My valued friend Saint-Simon will guide you through your first steps.
Go now.
Go now !
You are going to love me.
Not?
Some activities are inconceivable for prayer, Highness.
Yes.
I have to remove the object from this misunderstanding.
And if I wait until after the prayer?
Neither morality nor health benefits from an exaggerated outlook.
What self-control would God please.
His Excellency, Duke of Saint-Simon, Ambassador of France.
The marriage contracts, Majesty.
Can I keep the portrait of my husband?
Of course, Your Majesty.
It is yours.
Your husband sent you with pleasure.
And my wife?
- Any news about her trip? - She's on her way.
The princess looks impatiently at her future husband.
I see.
And... ?
Become wholly French, sweet child.
Forget your years in Spain.
But never forget your parents or your brothers.
Go, my dear.
I mean, Your Majesty.
- Say goodbye to the palace. - May I say goodbye to my brothers,
Don Fernando and Don Carlos?
That is not allowed. They both have whooping cough.
They are not going to die, are they?
That is hard to say.
You must learn, ma'am,
that life and death are the same.
Besides,
good that God so wanted.
Without that continuity
life would be short and sad.
Your marriage to the House of France makes me very happy.
Do not look outside all the time.
You will become ill.
That is my intention.
Why does it take so long?
We have to get around epidemics.
- Epidemics? - The plague in the East,
the smallpox in the West.
- They both like me. - How can you say such a thing?
Between death and those tricky embers,
why should I choose?
If you fear death, you forget to live. I want to live.
Surprised?
A tree has fallen. He must be removed.
What are you doing ?
I see a bird with an angry eye.
We can not bring the House of France an accident.
I want the seesaw to stop.
The evil that you have sown is germinated.
I told you not to create too much air?
Do you know what I'm most afraid of?
- Tell me. - I'm bored to death.
Boredom can produce great things.
Sometimes it frees the mind.
- Is it a privilege? - I think so.
I will never succeed.
Pheasant Island. Border between France and Spain.
- Why do I have to change clothes? - It's so.
Every princess has to leave her own clothes.
Leave your resentment behind.
Nobody can take that away from me.
The envoys of the King of Spain
come to greet the Princess of Montpensier.
I...
I am here with a gift from your future husband.
Nice, but I do not hunt.
Say that to your master.
I will do that.
How...
How do you entertain yourself?
- Music? - No, that annoys me.
Embroidery?
I, embroider?
I'm not destroying my eyes.
- Do you read ? - I can hardly do that.
What do you like?
Nothing.
I do not like anything.
Do not look at her hungry and do your duty.
I fear that she no longer earns.
Waking.
We are almost in Versailles.
Madam, it is my pleasure to have arrived healthy and well.
We gave you the bedroom of my mother blessed.
She lived here. I was born in this bed.
And she died in this bed.
But Mama Ventadour can not be the mother of us both.
Well...
I'm glad you had a good trip.
The king wants nothing further from you. He commands you as lord and master.
Say, Boufflers, because it eats away from you.
Your Majesty, I now also have a wife.
Given her age, I will not soon share her bed.
That is unfortunate, but not so bad.
Women are not the only carnal pleasures.
Look at that !
Could the kingdom hope for an even more charming princess?
My God !
Your portraits do not honor you at all.
You will become the darling of the court.
And you will make many people jealous.
Do you know who I am, honey?
A survivor of the Great Century.
God bless you
for ending a long winter in which our souls have been living for so many years.
Do you feel better?
I will not recover from the long journey.
The king and the queen are angry that you are absent on every ball
or party that was given in your honor since you arrived a month ago.
You did not even thank us for the gifts.
Did he inform me if I was hunting?
He hunts owls.
- Did you know that ? - Madam,
the future of Europe is at stake.
The King of Spain can
very unpredictable.
As a grandson of Louis XIV he can claim the French throne.
With this marriage that he wished,
your father thinks that Philip V will renounce France.
You have a big responsibility.
Mrs,
if you continue like this, I will have to take action.
Then do that!
Since you are getting bored,
You may want to watch the work of the Holy Office in Madrid.
The big inquisition is an old Spanish tradition
that tortures and burns heretics.
Do you burn women too?
Yes.
They fall prey to the devil more than men.
There is even a special day.
- And that's tomorrow. - And children?
That's a joke, I hope. Children?
Do you think we are barbarians?
Children!
You can not worship God and do not fight the heresy.
How do we avoid it differently?
that He also forsakes us?
There are also political reasons, my son.
Hunting for heretics keeps the people busy.
It is in the interest of a prince that the people are busy.
Think of that when you are king.
It can go faster than you think.
Do not you eat, ma'am?
Eat with your hands if you want.
That was the custom with my grandfather Louis XIV.
I remember that they did that in Versailles.
Good ways come in time.
Yes, I hope that good manners will come over time.
His Majesty can not come after lunch.
He is going to hunt this afternoon.
When will he come?
When he likes it.
I'm sure he's the evil eye.
And, Boufflers? How are you doing with your young wife?
Just perfect.
She is still too young to...
But I admit that I am relieved.
I visit her monastery twice a year.
It is nicer in the middle of the bed.
I have to make room for our son.
Do not you think he looks like the king?
- Rather on his poor brother. - For real ?
Why did not I meet him?
He is in heaven with the parents of the king.
I have learned that if you die as a child,
you are definitely going to heaven.
I wonder if I am not dying better now
not to challenge the devil later on.
I'm sure that even when you live long,
- you will go to heaven. - Good.
We will see tomorrow if I live or die.
May I share my happiness with you, mama Ventadour?
I think the king loves me dearly.
I never saw so much reason with a child of her age.
I love her wit.
Me too.
Everything in nature brings joy and energy
and big, generous ideas.
You forgot your son.
My little queen...
I want to entrust you with a secret.
Go on, my little angel.
I tell everyone that he is my son,
but to you I can say:
it's just a pop out of wax.
What do our spies say?
They are less optimistic than Saint-Simon, your ambassador.
- Namely? - Your daughter does not adapt to Spain.
Something else would surprise me.
- Do they want to drive her away? - Not yet.
But the situation would be tense.
I have no regrets. I had nothing else to offer.
Let's hope...
And the King of Spain is so fickle.
His determination can decrease in one night.
Where is Villeroy, sir?
Given your imminent age of consent
I thought it was time to sleep alone.
He is from the old court.
A new court must develop in your wake.
On the eve of my age
we refuse to sleep alone.
Good, Your Majesty.
Is cardinal Fleury suitable?
Anybody.
As long as we do not have to sleep alone.
Louis XV was crowned at the age of thirteen. The regency was over.
Now that you are a real woman, you must learn
what women can do with their bodies.
Beyond the male obsession for a heir
there are pleasures
of a more subtle nature.
Mrs...
Their Majesties
wish to see us immediately.
My dear son...
you know that Louis XV was just crowned.
Your sister is now Queen of France.
On the occasion of Saint Louis, a gift.
Your wife in your bed together with the right,
no, the duty to sleep with her.
And remember, Spain quickly hopes for an heir.
The Church allows me to show you this female anatomy, Highness,
to help you create a heir to the throne.
We will say
that it is a scientific support
of providence.
No!
Never touch me again! Understood ?
A year later...
What can we talk about?
- Does your new country suit you? - Very much, Your Majesty.
But you me more.
I hear that you are very popular.
Only my mother remained popular in Versailles.
She resisted the jealousies of the courtesans.
Unfortunately, I can not devote more time to you.
They want me to go ahead for a child like you,
But that's not true.
I must lead the kingdom.
I will be able to spend very little time with you.
But you love me, do not you?
We can still see that when you are bigger.
If you ever are.
People claim that you do not grow.
The dogs were very deserving,
but they are punished by anonymity.
I want you to give everyone a name.
- I do not want to pose anymore. - You must.
If you want to continue living in the thoughts of your parents.
The painting is for them.
Why so sad, madam?
I miss my parents.
You should be happy that they are still alive.
Come on, ma'am.
Make a good impression.
That is how we will see us in the future.
You always found me worthy to hear your secrets.
Today I want to entrust you with one.
But do not be sad.
Within a few days...
at most a few weeks...
the Almighty God will call me to him.
I will no longer be lucky to visit you.
But you must know...
I never loved my granddaughters
as I love you.
Like any foreign princess coming here,
I was celebrated.
Abused.
Taxed...
First we are young and amusing.
The court cherishes and idolizes us.
But in fact,
like a cunning vampire,
it sucks us blood like his doctors.
The pregnancies do the rest.
A lot of glare is needed
not to see that we as a princess
never been considered otherwise
than wedding fodder.
But thank you for not waiting for such a thing.
Your Majesty, now that you are in full control,
I think that you urgently need an heir.
The infante does not seem appropriate to me.
Not only is she small,
she does not grow and her fertility is still far away.
There can be many conspiracies before she gives you a son.
And the pleasures of the flesh
you will be remembered for ten years.
Are they the same size as those of hunting?
Much bigger, Your Majesty.
But much shorter.
Should the daughter of Orléans not be in Spain,
in exchange for this child, you had already experienced them.
But you are now king and you can decide for yourself.
What if I like her?
You? You like that baby?
I'm looking for the signs...
Checkmate, Majesty.
The crown entrusted to me, Your Majesty,
I now lay down.
And for you...
for whom nothing equaled the joys of the royal calling,
see what I dare.
I renounce a throne that is Europe
brought twelve years of war and two million corpses.
You thought I was incapable, grandfather.
I surpass your worst expectations. As a king I was touching,
coward...
A quail.
But I had a power that was greater than yours,
that of renouncing it.
And I do that now!
Here, for you!
Solemnly!
And so, dear son, are you now king.
Still a virgin, as I've heard,
but already king.
Your Highness... Your Majesty.
Duke, the Regent gave up the ghost.
What is it, Duke?
Your Majesty,
you wait for the Duke of Orléans
to work on the country's interests at 11 o'clock.
- He will unfortunately not come. - Why not ?
He just died. A sudden, unexpected embolism.
Why do people continue to die around me?
Your Majesty...
I ask you for the honor
to follow the duke as prime minister.
Yes ?
No?
Yes ?
Thank you, Your Majesty.
This commitment is not only absurd,
but she can cost us our king through contamination!
The Great Trianon to where the king moved
to escape the contamination.
If I had not convinced you, she might already have killed you.
Her illness has worsened and is merciless.
By obliging me to move, she has broken the monotony.
Let's be happy now that it is still possible.
This room breaks every zest for life.
As long as there are women...
Think about the following, Hertog...
"He who has nothing to say does not have to scream."
Lord...
let me hear her voice again.
Orders from the king, madam.
I do not hear anything.
I hear crumbs in my ears.
We occupy this area, Your Majesty.
French could become the language of the whole of North America.
The child queen...
has survived.
Her illness was not what we thought.
Just the mazzels.
Your Majesty may return to his quarters.
The cursed room saved her.
Why she?
Her doctors have examined her.
She could not give birth to children.
Her pelvis is far too narrow.
As far as her reproductive organs are concerned,
they are with the child queen...
- gone wrong! - They fermented with her illness.
- Maybe with the rest. - Returning her is risky.
- It can turn into a war. - Her brother would not dare it!
But they can keep the daughter of Orléans. She is now queen.
Is not it too early for a decision? What does Your Majesty think?
Nothing.
I do not think anything.
And so I avoid the detours that led you nowhere.
Why is Boufflers being led away?
You knew about it, but did not want to tell me anything?
It's a delicate business, Majesty.
- Speak. - His own parents saw him recently,
under their window, busy...
with an unnatural community.
The court was shocked,
but we wanted to protect you.
He told me that women were not everything.
He stroked me occasionally.
But I do not remember if I liked it.
Can women really satisfy us?
I do not expect anything, Majesty.
My vocation prevents it.
A friend is being taken away from me.
- I never see him again. - I fear that, Your Majesty.
Saint-Simon tells me that the Queen of Spain was locked up.
A serious matter, is not it?
But not reacting has its advantages.
What do you think, Eminence?
They had never dared that when the regent was still alive.
That was not the question.
It is also said that the marriage has not yet been completed.
Louis I shoots everything that moves, but not his wife.
The marriage has not yet taken place, maybe we can cancel it.
Orléans is dead and with Condé behind the king,
can we help you get rid of her, Your Majesty.
She will never allow a dignified and serene reign. Agreement ?
I want...
I do not want her to leave.
Look at that...
my son wants to keep his wife.
Why, Your Majesty?
Because I love her.
How can you love such a creature?
More so, when we decided to let you get married,
did we ask you to love her?
- What do you say to that? - Love was never discussed.
Or it has escaped us.
Have you been able to penetrate her already?
I recommend that she stays.
You were disobedient?
That is amazing.
Be disobedient and you will not have to complain.
I have also dismissed your retinue.
- Even La Quadra? - Especially she.
Her boldness
guided you along paths
that you removed from me.
Do you want to go hunting with me?
I will do everything that seems right to you.
If you remain as determined as king,
I could love you.
Who knows ?
- What are you doing, madam? - I am working with you.
You can not shoot me like that.
Is not it better than with a woman?
After one time I can not judge about that.
No, not so fast.
We have the time.
Luis!
Smallpox. I knew it.
Their Majesties want you to stay here.
No, Your Majesty!
- I want to get out of here. - You have already been infected.
I ask my father
that he takes over the crown again.
And I demand fair treatment
for my wife, the Queen,
that has not failed
by staying at my side until my last hour.
You know, ma'am,
that as soon as I realized,
I knew that I was not made to live.
I am not the man who is loved.
I started to love you.
For real ?
For real.
Do not look at me like that. I beg you.
Do not leave, please.
Mrs...
with a lot of regret
I must inform you
that your brother,
my nephew,
Louis I,
has died.
It's awful.
I do not know who is complaining.
He who is dead...
or me...
for I live in fear of dying.
Why do not they send doctors?
Their Majesties have so decided.
- Why you? - It is said that I am immune.
I have already had the disease.
Is it the custom here that a queen dies with her husband?
If so, I never heard anything about it.
Your Majesty?
Saint-Simon writes that the Queen of Spain
has the same disease as her husband.
Maybe she died in the meantime.
The double marriage of the regent is no longer necessary.
Philip V is back on the throne, and he remains unpredictable.
You need an heir as soon as possible.
An heir?
I am in no hurry to die.
- Why does death control our lives? - God alone is above you.
He decides in the greatest secrecy.
Despite our love for Him,
we can not entrust Him with the future of the kingdom.
You need an heir as soon as possible, Your Majesty,
and that little girl can not give you one.
Now I have to sit on the throne for years...
While I mourn for the death of my beloved son.
And it looks like God
there is nothing to do so that Louise-Elisabeth joins her husband.
Keeping the doctors away from her saved her.
What should we do with her?
Send her back.
Send her back?
Yes, she does not have a role here anymore,
if she already had it.
You were so hard to feel at home here,
that you will be glad to return to France.
My father is dead, what is there waiting for me?
I was going to love my husband more bluntly.
I did not have anyone else.
Unfortunately, neither you nor me will have a future here.
We must accept it gratefully.
Politics and death often go together.
We can not do anything about it.
I have good news for you.
Your parents stay near the border
and they want you to visit them.
You leave tomorrow.
Does the king say goodbye to me?
I'm afraid of that.
I will never see it again, will I?
He does not like me.
He is mistaken.
Someday I will be great.
Do I have to wage new wars, Mr. Fleury?
Undoubtedly, Your Majesty.
But the finances of the empire do not allow it.
Your Majesty, the Duke of Condé.
Excuse me, Your Majesty.
Can I take you to Marly?
Going to Marly? Why ?
To save you an emotional farewell. The little princess is leaving.
An emotional farewell?
Do you think I can?
I do not have to go to Marly.
I continue working with Mr. Fleury in the interests of the country.
Besides,
Mr. Duke,
I want to inform you that I have decided
to relieve you from your role as prime minister.
Louis XV sends our daughter back.
- Banish all French from Spain! - No way.
All of them ! Do you hear me?
- Without any exception. - Then I have to go first!
No...
I have to wage war.
War!
But...
but I can not...
I can not!
You seem sad, ma'am.
Despite her young age, she was a queen, Sire.
And me, madam?
Am I a real king?
Louis XV would marry Maria Leszczyńska,
7 years older, and 10 children.
He died of smallpox at the age of 64.
Marianne Victoria of Spain married Joseph I, King of Portugal,
and she gave him four daughters. She ruled as Portugal about Portugal.
Louise-Elisabeth of Orleans died in Paris at the age of 32,
forgotten by her family and the world.
After the death of his son, Philip V again demanded the Spanish throne.
He had been bedridden for over a year by a nervous breakdown.
In memory of Raphaël Ibanez De Garaya