Karleen Koen

Before Versailles Karleen Koen

Louis XIV is one of the best-known monarchs ever to grace the French throne. But what was he like as a young man -- the man before Versailles? After the death of his prime minister, twenty-two-year-old Louis steps in to govern France. He's still a young man, but one who, as king, willfully takes all he can get -- including his brother's wife. As the love affair between Louis and Princess Henriette burns, it sets the kingdom on the road to unmistakable scandal and conflict with the Vatican. Every woman wants him. He must face what he is willing to sacrifice for love. But other problems lurk outside the chãateau of Fontainebleau: a boy in an iron mask has been seen in the woods, and the king's finance minister has proven more powerful than Louis thought --a man who could make a great ally or become a dangerous foe.