The Man Who Would Be King : The Life of Philippe D'Orleans, Regent of France

by Christine Pevitt (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  1997

  $3.29

  When Louis XIV died in 1715 after 72 years on the throne, very few regretted hispassing. The great king had becaome a testy and ill-humoured bore, depending more and more on his wife Mme de Maintenon. He knew that his succession was fragile as it depended upon his five year old child and, to support him, the man who became regent, Philippe d' Orleans, who represented everything the king feared and detested. He was a hard drinking womaniser: in 1715 he went on trial accused of poisoning the heirs to the throne, committing incest with his daughter and engaging in treasonable activities in spain. Philippe was 41 when he became Regent and despite his sure ability to shock he possessed another side to his character. He was a cultivated and artist prince, a kind hearted father and curious about the arts,science, history and above all human nature.

• Used

  Paperback
  1998

  $4.63

  A fascinating and fresh interpretation of the life of Philippe d'Orleans and a portrait of a brilliant and glomorous time in history. Philippe D'Orleans had been a rebel at the court of Versailles, delighting in flouting convention and flaunting his vice. The focus on his lurid reputation led many historians to overlook his achievements. Libertine he may have been, but he was also a great Liberal and gallantly pursued a goal of peace and prosperity for all his fellow countrymen while beset by conspiracies, plots and intrigues. Patron of Watteau and the young Voltaire, Philippe D'Orleans was a modernising patrician whose Regency was was both glamorous and a fascinating transition period in the history of a nation. This biography sheds a new light on the man and his times.