8.040 minSeason 1 • Episode 6
LatestAs talks with Spain intensify, the path to peace becomes clear: Louis XIV must marry the Infanta Maria Theresa. Mazarin, fully aware of the diplomatic stakes, ends the royal romance. Despite the young king’s determination, state interests prevail. Marie Mancini is removed from court, in keeping with 17th‑century political practice where marriages sealed treaties. Their final meeting, restrained yet painful, marks the end of Louis’s youth. He accepts the weight of European monarchy, while Mazarin—ill but lucid—secures peace at the cost of the king’s personal happiness.
The series Mazarin (1978) recounts the rise of Jules Mazarin, first an Italian diplomat and later France’s chief minister after Richelieu. The story shows how he earns the trust of Anne of Austria and becomes the political mentor of the young Louis XIV. Over the course of the episodes, Mazarin faces court intrigues, the hostility of powerful nobles, and the turmoil of the Fronde, which threatens royal authority and forces him into several periods of exile. Despite pamphlets and conspiracies, he manages to restore order and prepare the emergence of the future Sun King. The series thus portrays a skilled statesman, often contested but essential in shaping absolute monarchy.
Creator
Pierre Moinot
FR
