The essential episodes of Versailles
Watch these 15 in order and you've got Versailles — each pick states its reason.
- 01
France, 1667. Proud young Louis XIV seeks to stamp his authority on court and country but faces resistance and betrayal, even from those closest to him. Shifting the seat of power to a luxurious rural 'lodge' that he plans to enlarge only adds to his problems.Louis begins to transform his father's hunting lodge into a majestic château amid plots on his life and preparations for the birth of his next child.
- 02
Harsh steps must be taken to preserve the royal reputation, while flamboyant Philippe causes a stir of his own. The king hopes that humiliating a suspect noble will bring others to heel.Continuing the lavish drama of infidelities and intrigues at the court of Louis XIV.
- 03
Travellers to the rural palace are vulnerable targets when a dissident duke tries to pressure Louis to return the royal court to Paris, while a rich African prince suffers a curiously restrained reception.
- 04
Seductive young ladies vie to attract the king's eye at court, where behind the scenes there is bloody business being conducted and investigated. Philippe's new-found fame as a warrior threatens to eclipse Louis as the war reaches a turning point.
- 05
Philippe returns from war a changed man, and Louis prepares for a lavish celebration in the palace gardens. The still-base appetites of dissident duke Cassel must be pandered to by Madame de Montespan.
- 06
A protest halts construction at the palace but Louis refuses to let Philippe help and matters escalate, allowing plotters to pose a genuine threat to the young king's rule.Things get physical as infidelity and treason take their toll in the decadent drama.
- 07
With Louis laid low by a major fever, those conspiring against him grow in strength and confidence while Philippe is caught in the middle, as are medic Masson and his daughter Claudine.
- 08
Henriette suffers a miscarriage, but Louis wants her to visit her brother in England for an alliance against the Dutch. The Chevalier, destined for the gallows, is freed. Montcourt foils an assassination just to be reinstated.
- 09
Louis gives Philippe a tedious task that the Chevalier helps him with. Rohan makes his true intentions known. Fabian arrests and punishes Béatrice. Henriette succeeds in the diplomacy in England.
- 10
The traitor changes tactics, striking at those closest to Louis, with deadly consequences, while Sophie stubbornly risks angering Marchal.A brutally bloody finale to the first season of the bold historical drama.
- 11
A poisoning leaves a coveted position open, the king's pregnant mistress Madame de Montespan wields her influence, and Philippe's exiled lover returns.
- 12
Doubting his royal divinity, Louis consults the pious Madame Scarron while a rejected former lover summons dark forces to win back his affections.
- 13
Has Louis finally learnt the identity of the man in the iron mask? Cardinal Leto is still determined to use his knowledge against the king. Fabien Marchal is in pursuit of fugitive Sophie and the young woman he must kill.
- 14
His resolve reinforced, Louis is dismissive of the pain his plans will cause others, be they Philippe or Protestants of all classes. Cardinal Leto is confident of making the king marry Isabella of Portugal.
- 15
Looking to the future, King Louis XIV seeks to reconnect with his people, and reconcile his family. As some oppressed Parisians plan a violent welcome for Louis, has one of his friends become a foe?
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