Louis XIV was among the V.I.P. guests at Nicolas Fouquet’s lavish houseparty on 17th August, 1661 - and was supposedly so consumed with jealousy that he had Fouquet arrested for treason.

Although not entirely true, the story adds to the mystique of Vaux-le-Vicomte, the opulent chateau Fouquet created with the design team who later went on to reimagine Versailles.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Molière, d'Artagnan, and even the Man in the Iron Mask became tied up in this iconic event; consider how Fouquet constructed his extraordinary castle in just three years; and reveal the impressive contents of his guests’ Party Bags… 

Further Reading:

• ‘Vaux-le-Vicomte Book: Inside The Lavish Home That Inspired Versailles’ (Bloomberg, 2021): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-10-08/vaux-le-vicomte-book-inside-the-lavish-home-that-inspired-versailles

• ‘Party Like It's 1661’ (People Newspapers, 2020): https://www.peoplenewspapers.com/2020/01/09/party-like-its-1661/

• ‘Treasures from Vaux-le-Vicomte – Episode One: Fouquet’s Legacy’ (Sotheby’s, 2018):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKGBCxuchLw

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.

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