d'Artagnan Romances
| Title | d'Artagnan Romances
The Vicomte de Bragelonne |
|---|---|
| Original title | Le Vicomte de Bragelonne |
| Author | by Alexandre Dumas |
| Publication | Collins |
| Size | 635p |
| Language |  ENG |
| ISBN | |
| Topics |
French fiction--19th century French fiction--Historical French fiction--Adventure France--History--1589-1789 (Bourbon) France--History--Fiction |
| Notes | the third and last of the d'Artagnan Romances, following The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After. In the English translations, the 268 chapters of this large volume are usually subdivided into three (like this one), but sometimes four or even five individual books. In three-volume English editions the volumes are entitled The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Louise de la Vallière, and The Man in the Iron Mask. After 35 years of loyal service, d'Artagnan resigns as lieutenant of the Musketeers as he perceives the young king Louis XIV as weak-willed. He resolves to aid the exiled Charles II to retake the throne of England, unaware that Athos is attempting the same. With their assistance Charles II is restored to the throne and d'Artagnan is rewarded richly. In France, Cardinal Mazarin has died, leaving Louis to assume power with Jean-Baptiste Colbert as his finance minister. Colbert has an intense hatred for the king's Superintendent of Finances, Nicolas Fouquet, and tries to bring about his fall. He brings to the king's attention that Fouquet is fortifying Belle Île, and might be using it as a base for a military operation against the king. Louis persuades d'Artagnan to re-enter his service, and tasks him to investigate Belle Île, promising him a substantial salary and promotion to Captain of the King's Musketeers on his return. Louis, finally growing into a decisive ruler, also accepts an offer relayed by Athos from Charles II to marry his brother Philippe I, Duke of Orléans to Charles' sister Henrietta Anne Stuart. D'Artagnan discovers Belle Île is being fortified and the engineer ostensibly in charge is Porthos, though the blueprints show Aramis' handwriting. Aramis, suspicious of d'Artagnan, sends Porthos back to Paris to warn Fouquet, whilst tricking d'Artagnan into searching for Porthos around Vannes. Porthos warns Fouquet in the nick of time, and he cedes Belle Île to the king, humiliating Colbert. On returning from the mission, d'Artagnan is made Captain of the King's Musketeers. Meanwhile, Princess Henrietta arrives in France escorted by the second Duke of Buckingham, to be met by an embassy consisting of Raoul de Bragelonne, his close friend Armand de Gramont, Comte de Guiche, and the Comte de Wardes, son of the previous Comte de Wardes from The Three Musketeers. The erratic Buckingham is madly in love with the princess and can scarcely conceal it, while Guiche soon finds himself equally smitten. Philippe, though little attracted to women, becomes horribly jealous of Buckingham and has him exiled after the wedding. [wikipedia] |
823
DUMA 4:3.1
40647
Available
© Auroville Library |
2014-2025