All language subtitles for Le Regent, Un Libertin Sur Le Trone De France (2017-GER Sub)

The Regent,
a free spirit on France's throne

The fairytale gardens
of Versailles

remind us of a king,
Louis XIV.

On September 1, 1715, he left
the paradise created by Le Nötre

for the eternity he feared.

"The king is dead.

Long live the king!" But who?

The Sun King's children and grandchildren
died

one after the other.

"You are my only successor"

Louis XIV said
to his great-grandson on his deathbed,

a 5-year-old boy
who would soon become Louis XV. should be called.

If the heir to the throne
is TOO young to rule,

a regent is appointed.

The appointment
was not a given,

because Louis XIV's
will caused debate

and has been interpreted differently.

The first prince by blood is determined by birthright :

Philippe d'Orleans,
Louis XIV's nephew,

Son of his only
brother Philippe.

Is there Regent,

is for Louis XV.
Responsible for training

and watches over the kingdom,

until the young man
reaches the age of 14.

We have to overcome the common clichés
about the “regent”.

Philippe d'Orleans is considered lazy,
idle, superficial,

one only thinks of banquets
that turn into orgies.

That's not wrong,

but he also had
a rare political intelligence,

the courage for reforms
and visionary initiatives

for the good of the state.

After Louis XIV's death, he intrigues

and finally receives
unlimited power of attorney.

His reign is not a facade.

He acts as a statesman.

Philippe d'Orleans is a free spirit.

Yes, he is a notorious libertine,

but also a tireless worker

and avant-garde politician,

the Louis XV. hands over a pacified
and reformed empire.

Between legend and truth,

who is the regent,
Philippe d'Orleans, really?

For the public

the regent is
a disreputable personality.

An ambitious villain
who wants the crown

wants to take over.

A fickle coward
who constantly changes his mind.

A shy man
who doesn't always keep his word.

A drunkard, a glutton,
a poisoner.

A libertine,

an outspoken doubter.

A dissolute libertine.

Not an emotional person.

I think a lot is being assumed about him.

He is like a vessel that
has been filled with all the fantasies of his time.

You could say the man

“It was much more normal
than you imagine.”

When the Sun King died in 1715,

the long absolute rule
of Louis XIV is over.

This hall of mirrors,

with its 73 meters length
and 357 mirrors,

is intended to highlight two
of the monarch's heartfelt concerns.

First: France built
with the architect

Jules Hardouin-Mansart
one of the most beautiful palaces in the world.

Second:
On the ceiling you can see

that France under Louis XIV.

fought across Europe
and fought major battles.

Painters like Le Brun,

use allegories of mythology,

for the king on all fronts

portrayed as an indomitable conqueror
.

The Regent's father
is Louis XIV's brother.

He is called "Monsieur".

He lives in Saint-Cloud Castle,

WHERE he also
undertook considerable construction work.

The Sun King
is a little jealous

when he visited his brother's Apollo Hall

in Saint-Cloud.

"I hope the Versailles Hall
will be just as beautiful,"

he demands of Mansart, who
is aware of the challenge.

The Castle of Saint-Cloud

was at the end of the 19th century.
unfortunately destroyed.

Saint-Simon,
good friend of the Regent,

ensured that it was
in no way inferior to Versailles.

In this magnificent world

full of tension
and eccentric parents

Philippe d'Orleans was born.

And so you can say,

that the future regent
has originality

and extravagance
were born.

Philippe d'Orleans
is son of "Monsieur",

who is also
called Philippe d'Orleans,

and his second wife,
Elisabeth Charlotte,

Princess of the Palatinate.

It is said to be the “marriage
of a dragonfly with a youngling”.

The dragonfly

is the man

and the newcomer is the wife.

They are an amazing couple.

Because Monsieur is very feminine,

while Madame
is a strict man's wife.

She is very virile,

she is not beautiful,
she is intelligent,

she is very open,
she pleases Louis XIV,

because she honestly speaks her mind.

When young Liselotte
meets her groom,

scares her,

since he
is a real caricature of the homosexuals of the time,

an eccentric faggot.

He wears beauty patches,

is covered with diamonds,

speaks in an affected voice...

Somehow they manage
to make children.

Monsieur tries several times.

In order for it to succeed,

he walks
around with pictures of the Virgin Mary

and calls her:

"My God! My God!

Bless me with a son."

Philippe d'Orleans was
born on August 2, 1674 in Saint-Cloud.

It is very hot on this day.

His mother yells

For hours.

While she struggles,

the courtiers play
cards in the room,

the husband looks
in every now and then

and asks if it will be over soon.

Philippe is finally
born amid indescribable noise.

Saint-Cloud is near Paris,

King Louis XIV personally

gives
the magnificent castle to his only brother.

For "Monsieur"

who constantly beautifies the residence
, nothing is too good:

Quality and luxury are everywhere.

He wants the most beautiful furniture,
the best architects

and the most talented artists.

He puts all his energy
into his castle,

where he receives guests
and entertains.

Imagine:

Every year 1000 festivals are given,

high society
dreams of an invitation.

The property is located on the Seine,
on a slope,

that Andre Le Nötre uses,

to design gardens

and to create extraordinary waterfalls
that have been preserved.

The entire property is unique,

Philippe d'Orleans will be there

raised as a great prince.

The child

has curls,

a little prince with golden hair.

He is sweet, affectionate,

gentle, tender.

He is shy, often sick,
very vulnerable.

At first he was raised by women
, as was proper,

until the age of 6 or 7.

Afterwards he was given a tutor.

In particular, an educator,

named Dubois,
stimulated his mind.

Dubois was
born in Brive-la-Gaillarde in 1656.

He comes
from a non-noble family.

His father is a pharmacist.

He is 29, 30 years old,

So he is still very young , even then

for a tutor.

He writes a training plan,

which was preserved

and is remarkable for its time.

Of course there were religious lessons,

but also history,
natural sciences, chemistry,

Latin, Greek.

And living languages,
English, German...

And there were also physical exercises.

His education in physics
and other exact sciences

Was pushed very far.

This was completely new and unusual

for a prince.

Dubois sets his goals:

He wants to raise Philippe d'Orleans
to be a good Christian,

to the great courtier,

and to a prince
capable of playing a role in the state

to play.

Dubois proves
to be a good educator.

He
analyzed Philippe d'Orleans' character

and discovered
that the prince has learning blocks

and gets angry,

when he encounters difficulties,

and gives up quickly,
in short: a difficult character.

So Dubois said:

"We mustn't force the prince
to study.

We have to be patient

and try to find him 'on the side'

things to teach.

That is, for example
during meals,

so that he learns easier,

without holding a classic lesson,

as you know it."

Philippe discovered the excessive life very early on
.

At the age of 13

He is
enlightened by a princess who is over 50 years old.

Of course Dubois conveyed that.

He throws himself into a life
full of pleasure.

He doesn't have mistresses like other princes

and falls in love. No.

He's having sex

for the sake of sex.

And in an orgiastic atmosphere,
very, very quickly.

And it goes further.

Philippe becomes a father at the age of 14.

He impregnates the daughter
of the caretaker of the Palais Royal.

But that's enough for the vicious one

Not Dubois.

He understands that he is his student
with desire and pleasure

was able to hold his own,

so he really gets going.

Every day he delivers
a new young mistress.

Philippe's mother says
that's about him

"Swows scurry around,

whose navel you can see."

Philippe's role model

is Henry IV.

He wants to eat, drink and
have as many mistresses as Henry IV.

Philippe d'Orleans
is not yet 20,

when Louis XIV wants to marry him.

He wants
to marry him to Francoise Marie,

which he got with Madame de Montespan.

It is a legitimate one

illegitimate daughter.

He wants to unite his bastards with
the official offspring.

He wants her

to make princes and princesses
by blood.

She is 15 years old,

quite pretty, a little chubby.

Saint-Simon says:
"All France's daughter",

so very proud,
conscious of her royal blood.

It's a shame for the mother.

This bastard princess
is not worthy of Philippe.

Madame von der Pfalz writes:
"I don't want her.

Sorry,
but she looks like an ass,

she walks completely crooked,
she stumbles,

she swings her arms
from left to right,

she bobs her head.

She has no attitude whatsoever.

I don't want
a bride like that for my son."

Madame von der Pfalz
makes her son promise

reject this marriage.

The son promises it
under the influence of the mother.

Monsieur agrees:
we refuse.

Ultimately, Louis XIV uses

Dubois' means,

to convince young Philippe
to marry.

Dubois advises Philippe d'Orleans
on this for two reasons.

He believes it
is best for his student:

If Philippe d'Orleans
wants a role in the state,

a military role,

he has to accept
what Louis XIV offers him.

Dubois is aware of this.

He tells him
it's actually a good match,

and after marriage he will be

but just as free as before.

And of course he thinks

if Philippe d'Orleans
becomes a statesman,

he himself will play an important role
at the prince's side.

If one obeys out of duty,

at the same time you retain
your freedom.

There is the aspect:
"I have to obey my uncle,

for he is King Louis XIV."

On the other hand, he thinks:
"I also have a private life,

I don't need his approval,

when I
'm out of sight of the yard."

So Philippe agrees to the wedding,

contrary to the promise
he made to his mother.

This is how the famous scene
that Saint-Simon tells

because he
witnessed it in the great hall,

so in the hall of mirrors.

Madame goes to see
her son in front of everyone

and slaps him in the face.

For bastardism is for madame,

and also for Monsieur,

an indelible shame.

As a reward

for this marriage

the priest Dubois,
who has intrigued a lot, receives

an abbey

and venerable entrance to the court.

As a thank you for that,

that Monsieur accepted this unequal marriage ,

Louis XIV gives him
the Palais Royal in Paris.

The property is located in the middle of Paris,

next to the Louvre.

It belonged to Cardinal Richelieu,

who, when he died in 1642,
bequeathed it to the king.

Louis XIV and his brother

spend part
of their childhood here.

The palace is then given
the name Palais Royal.

After the wedding, the couple moves

to the Palais Royal.
Philippe is happy:

He will live in Paris, be freer,

far away from the old farm
where the people met him

Throw the club between your legs.

This creates another one

unusual couple.

Philippe d'Orleans
doesn't like his wife,

his wife doesn't like him either.

She's mean, lazy,

she likes stories and rumors,

she doesn't do anything, she drinks a lot,

is drunk three times a week.

It won't be a happy marriage,
they have 8 children,

but very soon

Philippe seeks
his pleasure elsewhere.

Philippe is tired of her accusations

and disillusioned,

he names her "Madame Lucifer".

Philippe d'Orleans
has no job

and is bored.

Since he has the time and resources,

the curious mind makes
its own experiments

and seeks answers
to the mysteries of nature.

Philippe loves science.

Incidentally, his mother thinks

that his life,

his calling,

that of a scientist
would have been.

Louis XIV calls him
"the doctor of the family".

He is interested in chemistry.
There is the chemist Homberg.

With Homberg

founded a laboratory
in the Palais Royal in Paris.

He is also looking for a means

to turn lead into gold,
the famous philosopher's stone.

Alchemy is back then

not controversial at all,
it's a science.

And the idea

to turn lead into gold,

is no question for the alchemists

of the “how” but of the “when”.
It's for her

a matter of course.

Later Philippe d'Orleans asks himself:

“Could you also
transform the body?”

So he is interested
in the relationship

the body to the environment,

for what you put in,
what you use externally.

That's why he works on perfumes.

He was an alchemist

and wanted to understand
how the universe works.

That's why he did a lot of experiments.

He was very intelligent
and had a good memory.

He made connections,
put things in perspective,

understood a lot.
This is alchemy:

in different ways

understand the meaning of life
and the universe.

This behavior

was disturbing for a prince.
If smoke

stepped out of his laboratory
in the Palais Royal,

one wondered
what dubious mixture he was brewing.

He was also interested
in esotericism.

He went into quarries

and called
the devil with disreputable friends,

e.g. with Fauquier
and the Marquis de Mirepoix.

For example, one called upon a demon
to harm one's neighbor.

That didn't bother people.

The church was very strong.

If you believed strongly in God,

In return, people
also believed strongly in the devil.

They wanted to meet the devil
to wrap him up,

so that he would show himself kind at the given moment
.

Philippe was convinced that
the devil would appear to him.

He goes
into a dark garden

with two mistresses
holding a candlestick.

The devil appears.

In reality, only a large black dog showed up
.

A mistress whispers to him:

"Your Highness saw the devil."

He realizes that it was just a deception

he no longer believes in it,
and intelligent as he is,

he loses interest in witchcraft.

At 18, Philippe d'Orleans'
life takes a new turn.

He begins
a military career.

Louis XIV sends him to fight
on all fronts in Europe.

Philippe,
who was a bad rider,

wielded the sword poorly,
didn't like violence,

hated hunting,

Still went to war bravely.

Dubois' training was
geared towards the army,

on the military,
that's normal for a prince.

A prince of blood
must accompany the king,

and he was waging war at the time.

That a prince of blood
led the troops,

had a motivating effect

on these troops.

At the Battle of Steenkerke

he fights bravely.

He rides with the cavalry
and defeats the enemy

with the saber.

He is very brave,
he is already injured.

He has a scratch.

When he comes back,

everyone congratulates him,

his mother is very happy.

Under the splendor of his victories,
the king transferred it to him in 1706

the command as commander-in-chief
in Spain.

In defense of Philip V,
King of Spain

and grandson of Louis XIV.

Philippe d'Orleans besieges Lerida.

Then Tortosa falls.
Valencia had already fallen.

Philip d'Orléans conquers Aragon.

He is a war hero.

He has courage, charisma, energy...

He is often shy at court

and embarrassed.

But on horseback
he is an energetic prince,

who carries his troops along.

Philippe masters

the military with flying colors.

Besides, he behaves

at the political level

in an interesting way,
but too much in its own interest.

Because he receives

the entire Spanish nobility.

One could have thought

he was
after the Spanish throne.

In Madrid, Philippe
doesn't give up his extravagant life,

he feasts,

he lives unrestrained and free.

On a boozy evening

he raises his glass

on two women he hates:

The Princess of Ursins
and Madame de Maintenon.

This is said at court
and viewed poorly.

Philip V asks Louis XIV
to call his nephew back

because
there is suspicion of a conspiracy,

between the Duke of Orleans

and the English.

In 1709 Philippe d'Orleans
returns to France,

into an atmosphere full of intrigue,
hatred and suspicion.

Louis XIV did not punish him
for his lapses,

but from now on he distrusts
his brilliant,

but a bit too ambitious nephew.

Ludwig XIV. bless him

his nephew basically,

since Philippe has all the qualities
that his own son lacks,

the one who is called "Monseigneur",

i.e. the Dauphin of France.

Philippe d'Orleans would be the dream

an heir for Louis XIV,

that's why he's angry

that he is his nephew.

Louis XIV and his brother

were raised as rivals.

This rivalry found Louis XIV.

in his nephew again.

He had to be careful

that the nephew
doesn't outdo his own children.

That's how the rivalry became

continued in the next generation .

Philippe's father quarreled more and more
with his brother,

who never missed an opportunity,

to humiliate him

and above all,
to disparage his son, the young Philippe.

The argument was over

a Philippe d'Orleans.

Philippe d'Orleans
was born by his uncle,

the king, ill-regarded,

because he
led a dissolute life.

Philippe neglected his wife,

who
was the daughter of Louis XIV.

Louis XIV criticized

his nephew's private life,

and Monsieur,
for once, defends his son,

by reminding Louis XIV
that he had many mistresses himself.

“You favor

the Montespan
who gave birth to you bastards in cover!

Your whole farm
is a sinful nest of vices!

You tolerate all of this,

and you dare
to teach my son lessons?"

The father is beside himself,

he chokes.

Monsieur turns red,

the king offers him
a glass of water,

then they part in the worst quarrel.

In the course of the evening

Monsieur eats dinner as usual,

and, as usual,

with great appetite,

he drinks,

and suddenly he has
a violent attack,

you say it was a stroke
and collapse.

He starts babbling,

it is said that he no longer speaks
French, but German,

they want to revive him.

The doctors take care of him immediately

he comes to again,

but it is clear
that his life is in danger.

In the middle of the night the king is
brought to Saint-Cloud,

where Monsieur is already dying.

Monsieur reconciles
with his brother,

the king
returns to Versailles,

and Monsieur dies almost peacefully.

After his father's death

becomes Philippe d'Orleans, who until then
was only Duke of Chartres,

Duke of Orleans.

He immediately goes
to Versailles.

Louis XIV is very warm to him.

He confirms the inheritance
that comes to him from Monsieur:

He becomes the richest prince
in the kingdom,

if not one of
the richest in Europe.

He tries very hard for his nephew,

that previously worried him,

because of his experiments

and his open libertinism,

especially in relation to religion.

Despite all this, the king is reconciling

with him at this point,

Because he regrets the fight
with Philippe's father.

The reconciliation between king
and nephew is short-lived.

A new scandal soon taints
Philippe d'Orleans.

Ab 1711

The French court experiences
many bereavements.

The first to die is the Dauphin,
son of Louis XIV.

The following year
the Duke of Burgundy died,

i.e. Louis XIV's grandson.

His eldest son,
just two years old,

also dies.
He was Duke of Brittany.

His little brother
is taken away from death,

thanks to the efforts
of his governess,

Madame de Ventadour.

This child
is the future Louis XV.

In this way,
the Duke of Orleans moves to third place

the succession to the throne,

and soon even in second place,

since the Duke of Berry,
Louis XIV's third grandson,

dies after a riding accident.

So Philippe d'Orleans
is heir to the throne

after the toddler whose life
is hanging by a thread.

Back then, doctors were powerless

and any sudden death
was suspicious.

This series of deaths

attacked the old king very much.

There was an immediate rumor that
it was the Duke of Orleans,

because the crime benefited him.

It was suspected that they were crimes,

and they brought him
closer to the throne.

Poison was part of everyday life
for the French.

One left

to the “wise women”
who knew about herbs

and brewed potions,

with whom you

could find lost love
or kill his neighbor.

In the world of that time
it is legitimate to think

that Philippe d'Orleans

really killed Louis XIV's descendants.

He has a motive
and he has the means to do it.

He doesn't need any help.

He can do it himself
and he has the opportunity.

Mixing poison is one thing

but he goes
in and out of all the big houses.

It's easy

to go there
and do it.

It hits the prince very hard

he agrees to

to be locked up,

because he can't bear it

hearing these rumors.

Louis XIV rejects this.
The future regent

is deeply hurt
by these accusations.

So what was going on?

It certainly wasn't poison,

but most
likely scarlet fever.

Because there was an epidemic at that time

in Versailles.

The king wrote
his will very late,

he didn't feel like it.

Basically,
he thought he was immortal

and didn't want to think about death.

Ludwig is worried
by his nephew's behavior,

under Madame de Maintenon's influence

he writes his will,

which was kept secret until his death .

We enter this room,

the “ox-eye hall”,

the antechamber to the royal chambers.

The name of the room
comes from this round window,

that illuminates the room.

The decorations
testify to the development

of Ludwig's taste.

At the turn of the century he traded

magnificent marble
and ceiling frescoes

against white ceilings
and gilded wood paneling.

Two paintings hang here today.

On one side, Louis XIV,

to him Philippe d'Orleans,

in antique style.

That was the fashion back then.

We owe the two paintings
to Pierre Mignard.

Now we are in the
most important room, symbolically speaking

the rooms:

the king's bedchamber.

The morning
and evening ceremonies took place here,

Lever and Coucher.

He also received
courtiers and ambassadors.

In this room the king said
a few days before his death

to Philippe d'Orleans:

"Nephew,
I made a will,

that preserves all your birthrights.

I entrust the Dauphin to you.
Serves him

as faithfully as you served me,

and preserves his kingdom.

Should he die,

You will rule
and the crown will be yours."

Philippe promises
to take care of Louis XV. take care of.

The king says, "You see a king
in the grave, one in the cradle."

Louis XIV dies on September 1, 1715 .

after days of agony

at 77 years old,
after 72 years of rule,

the longest in history.

At this time

Philippe d'Orleans
doesn't know all the clauses

of the secret will.

He doesn't think his uncle
could betray him.

National Archives

We want to know
what is written in the secret will,

one of the most valuable documents
in history.

So we go
to the National Archives,

Where it is kept.

"These are the provisions
of Our Last Will regarding

to the guardianship of the Dauphin,
Our great-grandson,

and the Board of Regents
after our death

should be established until the king comes of age ."

It is a moving document,

because there is little handwriting.

The king
wrote it entirely himself.

The actual will
from August 1714

still shows secure writing.

But the addendums

from 1715
were with a shaky hand

written.

The addendum from August 23rd is particularly interesting ,

the writing is blurry,
words are repeated several times.

The man was dying.
He signs twice.

This shows,

that he was no longer thinking clearly.

The will of Louis XVI
is political,

a war machine
against Philippe d'Orleans.

The king wanted

certainly encouraged
by Madame de Maintenon and others,

limit the influence of Philippe d'Orleans
.

The will
does not appoint a regent,

but a council of regents.

It determines the members
of the council.

And Philippe is only
chairman of the council,

but not Regent.

In this paragraph it is clear,

how the council
should make decisions:

"With the majority of the votes,
without the Duke of Orleans,

Chairman of the Council,

alone and through
his special authority

Issue orders in the name
of the underage king

and may enforce

if he does not follow the opinion of the Board of Regents.”

All decisions must
be decided by a majority,

that is, Philippe d'Orleans
has nothing to say.

His friend Saint-Simon says:
"He would only be

a shadow regent."

The king's decision is
contrary to the unity of the state,

because there are two leaders:
the council chairman,

who has hardly any power,
so basically just represents,

and the Duke of Maine,
the favorite bastard,

educated by Madame de Maintenon,

the royal bodyguard

commanded

and supervises education.

The regent does not come
to Louis XV. approach.

When Philippe d'Orleans finds out about it,

he doesn't want
to let it go.

A few days before the king's death,
he proves himself to be a strategist

and goes to the parliament
on the Ile de la Cite.

He had arranged himself

to speak to the parliamentarians

and to tell them
that he intended

the decision of Louis XIV.

to challenge.

And he flatters Parliament
by promising

reintroduce the right of appeal
.

Louis XIV had this right

withdrawn from Parliament.

With this right,
edicts and resolutions can be issued

from Parliament

be criticized,
so it is basically the right

to oppose the king.

He has parliament

so in your pocket.

He argues
that he is entitled to the regency.

He insists on his birthright
as the grandson of Louis XIII.

and great-grandson of Henry IV.

He bribed the Black Musketeers

he has anonymous observers,

who monitor everything in the castle,

he has put money aside.

He is considering a coup
if he is deposed.

Occurs on September 2, 1715

the political skills
of Philippe d'Orleans come to light.

The art of politics

reaches
the highest heights thanks to his cunning.

In front of the assembled parliament

Philippe d'Orleans demands
that the regency

is transferred to him.

And he remembers
that his uncle had said,

he gave him the regency.

Nonetheless

he asks
to read the will.

So it is read,

and Philippe d'Orleans acts like this,

as if he didn't know
what was in the will,

and exclaims loudly:
"He has betrayed me!"

After this exclamation
he speaks again.

He flatters Parliament again.
With a convincing voice

he says that power can
only have one head,

in order to be able to truly rule,

but he needs Parliament
so that he doesn't make any mistakes.

He says: "I want to be free
to do good,

but I bind myself willingly
so as not to do anything bad."

This is how he convinces parliament
that the coup has succeeded:

the future ruler is born.

And so,
without any vote,

Philippe d'Orléans
appointed regent.

The Duke of Maine agrees,

just to retain sovereignty over education .

And the compilation

of the Board of Regents

is left to the regent.

So Philippe d'Orleans
has a free hand

and can
lead the regency according to his will.

The whole court applauds Philippe,

the dukes and peers,
the parliamentarians,

and, his personal triumph:
also the Duke of Maine.

A contemporary will say:

"The Duke of Orleans
stole the regency

and proved to be a good politician.”

The Regent leaves Versailles.

He is happy about
life at Ludwig's court

he didn't like it.

The solemnity,
the constant representation,

he hates it.

He prefers to live in a small circle.

He is happy
in the Palais Royal

to pull.

It's his residence

and from there he rules,
without court company.

Philippe had
spent his youth with books and studies,

now he rules
and that fulfills

all his striving.

Behind the man of teaching
is hidden

a statesman,

who is familiar with international
relations,

he knows Europe's large families,
their connections,

their dislikes

against each other,

and he benefits from it.

He starts work early in the morning ,

he pores over files and
receives ambassadors

and consultants.

At lunchtime he just drank

two or three cups
of hot chocolate.

That was his "diner"

because in those days it was called midday meal

in France "diner".

The whole day

he didn't eat any solid food.

He worked and received
ambassadors and petitioners.

And then came private life.

Then Philippe closed
the doors, so to speak

and relaxed and enjoyed himself.

He was a modern statesman,

in the modern era of the 18th century.

We are in the stone gallery

or the upper gallery
in the south wing of Versailles.

Als Louis-Philippe d'Orleans,
Ururenkel of the Regent,

came to power in 1830,

he wanted a museum in his honor

Building France's victories.

Next to Louis XIV.

there is also a statue of the regent:

Philippe d'Orleans.

The sculpture from 1837

by Theophile-Francois-Marcel Bra
is very precise and realistic,

because they are based on

a bust of the regent from 1715
was made.

By Louis-Philippe I.
his ancestor

placed between the monarchs,

adorned with all royal attributes ,

he made the ruler
a link in the chain,

that of monarchical change.

Dass Louis-Philippe

pay homage to his ancestor

and wants to rehabilitate him among the great rulers
,

is certainly because

that the regent
does not have a particularly good reputation.

The Regent's lifestyle conflicted

in many respects the good manners
of his time

and caused incomprehension and skepticism in society .

Unlike his uncle,
who orchestrated his life,

Philippe d'Orleans seals
off his private life,

which met with incomprehension among his contemporaries

and gives him a scandalous reputation
,

who still sticks with him today.

The Regent is a hard worker

and thinks
he is entitled to a private life.

He wants to pursue his pleasures
and do what he likes.

He likes to relax,

and there is
aristocratic conviviality

in these moments.

He is no longer the regent,
but the friend

some young men

and women,

who are invited to his famous “suppers” .

This is the private life
that emerges in the 18th century.

Dubois is at the Soupers,

he is Philippe's accomplice,

one cannot
imagine his environment without him.

When he no longer
needs him as a teacher and educator,

he becomes his private secretary.

He never leaves him.

The regent invites his friends,
whom he calls the "wrecked ones",

since they torture

would have earned through the bike,

because they lead such
extravagant lives.

They are princes of high birth,

but once you
have withdrawn,

Rank and status don’t matter.

There are no more big feasts,

where Louis XIV in front of an audience

dined.

The Regent would never do that.

Dining rooms are set up.

Because before

was no room
in castles and palaces

dedicated solely to food.

Tables were set up,
boards were jacked up,

although with beautiful tablecloths,

but completely independent of space.

But from the time of the Regence onwards
there were rooms

which were reserved for meals.

Private life came first.

In my opinion, the Regent
created this.

everyday objects

became more and more personal
and individual.

Everyone has their plate and their glass.

Before, everything was shared.

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance

The two of us ate from the same bowl
and no one had anything against it.

That didn't work anymore.

Philippi Suppers fanden statt

in the yellow and blue dining rooms

im Palais Royal.

You sat around a table,

there was a kitchen next door,

and everyone prepared
their own food.

There are stories about omelettes,

which one prepared alone,
without servants,

without kitchen staff.

You are among yourself,

this is completely new

in a noble, aristocratic milieu.

Can you imagine
how Louis XIV.

sitting in the kitchen?

Who prepares omelet or cocoa?
No.

People are on first name terms, they are insulting each other,
they are relaxing.

And Philippe d'Orleans
needs this relaxation.

He's thriving and "having fun,"
as we would say.

Life is really sociable,

light, happy sociability.

It suits us.

We are the heirs today

this intimacy.

About a taste idea

from these suppers,

we met star chef Guy Martin,

who runs a restaurant
in the Palais Royal.

The Regent liked

I particularly like oysters at this time of year .

They were eaten by the plateful.

They are said to have an aphrodisiac effect,

be healthy

and of course.

Es gab Bouillon,

the basis of French cuisine.

They had oysters delivered
and lobsters,

Kaisergranate,

Crayfish...

Crabs, that was...

They got foie gras

from the southwest
and from Alsace.

People began to eat finer, more refined foods.

Many spices, herbs,

and vegetables.

This is an interpretation
of a duck dish,

which was eaten in the time of the Regent,
with sauce of course.

There were always sauces
and gravy with it,

lots of vegetable stock.

They were seasoned with crayfish,

because that was something nice.

The Regency was the turning point

from traditional cuisine

to the new kitchen.

They wanted fresh,
light dishes,

natural ingredients.

The french kitchen

based on years of tradition,

but during the Enlightenment
and the Regence

She was knighted.

During these suppers

you drank a lot,

and especially a new drink,

the Dom Perignon

developed in 1715.

At the beginning of the Regency

So champagne was born.

The Regent only drinks champagne,

namely from Dom Perignon from Reims.

He heads one bottle
after the other.

He drinks a lot
but tolerates alcohol poorly.

Two or three glasses of champagne
were enough

to get him drunk,

then he lost control,

he told stupid things and nonsense.

People laughed and were relaxed.

Champagne is becoming fashionable.

The Regent loves it!

It's beautiful, it tingles...

You celebrate.

He has the principle of celebration

invented.

What celebration do French people drink for?

no champagne today?

The Regent is addicted to sugar.

He loves sugar,
it's like a drug for him.

Sugar is fashionable,

because by the East India Companies

a lot of sugar is imported.

The French kitchen
was always open

for food from all over the world.

Pineapple came from the Azores,
Guadeloupe and Martinique.

During the Regence
it was one of the products

which were particularly popular

as well as meringue.

People loved meringue.

Meringue with ice cream, it was
the beginning of Vacherin cakes.

Gold has been
on plates since the Middle Ages.

People cooked with gold leaf.

The longer the meal dragged on,

the later the evening,

the spicier
the conversation became.

It was told

sex stories,

they loudly
heard disgusting things,

and besides, people gossiped

Good.

Dubois attended these suppers.

He's witty,
he makes ungodly remarks,

he blasphemes God.

People already had
a bad image of him back then.

Dubois loves women,
that's no secret.

He had a few dalliances,

he had mistresses,

the most famous is Madame de Tencin.

On the other hand, Dubois was
disrespected by the “wrecked”.

You let him feel

that he is just a pharmacist's son.

A children's song
has great success in Paris.

The ferret is running
out of the woods, ladies

The ferret is running

But that's actually
spoonerism.

If you swap the letters,
the ferret becomes a priest.

That's Cardinal Dubois, of course.

Dubois is clearly an atheist.

There is nothing in his career
to indicate

that he was a believer.

The whole little company

are free spirits and free thinkers

in all aspects.

You allow yourself
to take it to the extreme,

they live in for the time

zügelloser Libertinage.

But be careful,
you shouldn't think

it would be a century

total Libertiny.

Quite the opposite.

If you leave out the courtly excesses

and takes a close look at society
,

was just then

religious piety
had reached its peak.

There was only 1%

illegitimate children.

According to statistics, premarital conceptions
amounted to

to 5 to 6%, which is very little.

There was great respect

before religious morality

and for the Christian faith.

And this was during the period
of Regency libertinage.

From table to bed
and from bed to table

The distances were very short,
that is well known.

The friends all get nicknames,

the "wheeled"
become "gray quail",

"happy quail",
"sad quail",

"the big sword",
"the shy one",

everyone eats and drinks together.

One of the wretched ones,

his name was Noce,

slept with one of
the Regent's mistresses,

and he called him "brother-in-law."

The regent had a whole harem,

that's what you could call it.

His titular mistress,
Madame de Parabere, organized it.

Madame de Parabere loved him,

and the regent was very fond of her.

He should say, "I'm keeping it
because it doesn't cost anything,

don't blame me,

is not contemptible
and animates my celebrations."

She was ideal

to the Titularmätresse.

The Regent called Madame
de Parabere “my leg of mutton.”

He called another mistress
“my loin.”

Can you see it? Even the pet names

had to do with food.

The Regent's mistresses are not

like those of other princes

same time,
they weren't love stories.

Louis XIV had mistresses
that he truly loved.

But with the Duke of Orleans

there are no feelings.

Philippe was a collector,

he collected women,

but it wasn't important to him
to keep her necessarily,

he wasn't stingy.

He was always
looking for something new,

this runs
through his entire life.

They are exuberant celebrations,
with food and drink,

the women don't line up,

there are orgies,

the titular mistresses introduce
other little mistresses.

Madame de Sabran, for example, is
a right-wing rogue

and takes young girls
out of the monastery.

There are erotic productions.

The Regent's daughter,
Duchess of Berry,

is included.

She takes off her clothes, she organizes
erotic productions,

at them

einige bekannte Mätressen des Regent

become the hunting goddess Diana

and with shepherds running along

to copulate

It's a pretty spectacle.

The Duchess of Berry
collected lovers

and there was suspicion

that her father, the regent, also

was her lover.

That was the subject

shameful pamphlets against them.

Terrible things were said.

Those were

the evilness of the court.

Although Philippe indulged
in debauchery,

but he wasn't a pervert
who practiced incest.

Of course not.

Philippe adored his daughter,

because she
almost died as a child.

He had taken a lot of care of her.

And he was a tender father

towards her.

The princess was undoubtedly
very unbalanced and unstable.

She stuffed herself
until she vomited,

very young

she had become obese.

His daughter, “bundle of joy,”

was obviously a bulimic
and nymphomaniac.

The Regent left them
at the suppers

participate,

this is how she lived out her addiction,

her bulimia and nymphomania,
that's how it works

Without ever holding back.

It seems to me,

that was a real weakness
of the Regent,

but it is understandable.

He wasn't a father,

because he hadn't learned it.

His own father can be
described as a puppet,

since his main interest

etiquette applied.

Nobody taught him
what makes a father.

You also learn to be a parent

through
what you get from your parents.

And the regent didn't know that.

The regent lived in excess,

he exaggerated everything.

He worked too much,
he enjoyed himself too much.

His life completely consumes him.

He celebrated until he dropped.

He rolled on the floor,
he couldn't stand alcohol,

his stomach
couldn't handle all the food.

Gluttony made him sick.

The suppers last
until late into the night,

until about 3 or 4 a.m.,

so that the regent
has little time to sleep,

as he starts work at 7am .

It says,

that the servants often ate,

which the gentlemen themselves do not

created.

There is something pathetic about libertinage
,

something pre-romantic, tragic.

Basically it's the lifestyle

more pessimistic than happy,

because behind all the drinking
and all the sex

there is existential fear.

The regent is afraid
to go into himself,

to think about yourself.

He's not happy.

He tries
to fill himself with vice,

and believes it would be his salvation.

It is a means of balance,

he is scared

and worried,

because he has to lead the state,

so he separates

the statesman from the private citizen.

Would you like?

get a glimpse of
Regence sophistication,

you can go to the Louvre

go to Paris.

Many miracles
of the 18th century are shown here. kept,

often of royal origin,

and one

I definitely have to point it out.

A unique tea service,

in the original box,
the Philippe d'Orleans, the Regent,

gave to his wife,

Francoise Marie de Bourbon,
daughter of Louis XIV.

It is a service for two people
from China,

made of hard porcelain and gold.

This service
illustrates perfectly

this era:

with affectation, intimacy
and a pinch of exoticism.

The inlaid box
is made of violet wood,

a very rare wood.

As you can see,
there is a teapot,

a tea caddy, a sugar bowl
and a bottle

made of rock crystal,

and everything covered with gold.

Two cups and saucers
with silver-gilt spoons

Also belong to it.

It's a miracle,

that this precious,
fragile contemporary witness still exists today

is intact.

In the Regence
the furniture fits

of architecture,
a new fashion emerges.

The old, barren, religious,
almost grave-dark world

from the end of the reign
of Louis XIV is over.

Architecture changed under Philippe d'Orleans ,

Furniture and all arts.

High society
wants imagination and sophistication.

The Regence will

with Philippe d'Orleans
to the antechamber of the Enlightenment.

The Regence is a kind of laboratory,

both political, intellectual
and artistic.

You want to be free now,
be happier,

Have money, spend it
and celebrate.

And the Regent

is the initiator.

He is the figurehead
of this new freedom.

He loves painting.
He paints himself.

He decorated some rooms
in the Palais Royal,

and he paints

for Bagnolet Castle.

He is a great collector,
more than just a patron.

He loves art, he loves paintings.

He inherits a huge collection
from his father:

dozens of pictures by Titian,
Sint Jans,

Veronese,

Domenichino and Van Dyck.

He can afford
to commission people

to buy him the most beautiful paintings in Europe.

Dubois buys him

seven famous poussins,

when he travels to Hanover.

Among all the collections
he bought,

we have to highlight one:

the collection
of Christina of Sweden,

which included almost 300 paintings.

He has many works
depicting Bacchus,

because he is accused of
being a Bacchus,

he eats, drinks and has sex.

He also sees himself
as Bacchus.

As a good libertine,
that doesn't bother him.

He likes to buy paintings,

on which the depictions of Bacchus
depict his private life.

This way he soon has

one that is unique in Europe

collection of paintings compiled,

about 500 paintings.

This picture by Nicolö dell'Abbate

is one of the few paintings

from the Regent's collection,
now in the Louvre

you can see.

The collection was
sold by Philippe's grandson during the revolution,

and now the paintings are
in the collections

major museums distributed worldwide.

This picture represents well,

what the regent
expected from painting.

He liked very sensual painting,

those with colors and shapes,

which are a little stylized,
worked,

and at the same time
very cultivated painting,

which requires the viewer
to look closely.

You have to know the mythology
to understand

that it is a kidnapping.

In one corner
are the gods of the underworld.

Pluto kidnaps the woman
who is supposed to be his wife

at the beginning against her will,

Proserpina.

You have to look at all the details
to understand

which scene the artist painted.

The 18th century is a turning point

for painting.

From the spectacular,

monumental, solemn painting,

in their style

Versailles is held,

which came from the painter
Charles Le Brun,

you come to a painting,

Where it's not so much about solemnity
and grandeur,

but about life.

With this painting

Antoine Watteau heralds the painting

of the 18th century. a.

The “Fötes galantes” show

very true to the new relationship
to joy, intelligence,

lightness, softness,

a new view of love,

namely love

as a factor of social regulation,

that arises.

Watteau
portrayed this very well in this painting,

through the magic of curves, lines,

through the lightness of the postures,

through the beauty
and subtlety of the colors.

He has the sensuality

captured between the figures.

Watteau reflects the spirit
of the era.

Watteau interests the Regent,

because in his collection

there was at least one Watteau,

which is unfortunately lost today.

He discovered the artist.

As one of the first
important painters in France

he took the path of very free,
erotic paintings,

I say.

Showing these paintings for the first time

in a clear way,
without detouring through mythology,

how sexuality
and paid love were dealt with.

This shows consciousness

this relative liberation
of customs.

The extraordinary thing is

that for the first time a prince

opens his painting collection,

for art lovers

and for anyone who
wants to learn more about painting.

A prince's legacy
becomes public

made accessible.

The beginning of a museum.

Philippe was very into property

invented,

but it wasn't a
complete possession,

but he shared

his possessions with others.

If you have beautiful pictures
and show them to others,

you also show that you yourself
are brilliant and beautiful.

He never wanted to hide
that he was brilliant,

that he obviously

had a gift
and a certain intelligence.

He's a big one

Art lover,
he especially loved music.

He plays the lute and flute,

and he writes an opera

with Marc-Antoine Charpentier,
Philomele,

then another with the title

Penthee.

Part of his work

is lost, but from
a musicological point of view

it is very interesting.

He is more interested in Italian music

than the French.

There is also an opera in the Palais Royal .

The opera is of course a place
for lyrical plays,

but it also becomes a hall,

in which balls are given.

You can go to the opera,

against payment of a small fee.

Anyone can go to the opera.

Three times per week

there is a masquerade ball,

which you visit with or without a mask.

This ball is where
all the layers come together

of society.

There is a feeling

of liberation.

The wigs are getting lighter,

fashion changes.

In this time
there was a new dress,

it came about around 1715.

Namely the contour,
the robe volante.

Through the wide flowing skirt

with lots of fabric and silk

one had the impression that
the lady was floating or gliding,

when she wore a dress like that.

This is a typical Regence
contouche.

You can see
the characteristic features:

the big back folds,

which
merge into the folds of the skirt.

The sleeves are tight,

this model
has special arm decorations,

they are
cuffs folded several times.

The characteristic

is the width of the dress.

The expansive skirt
is created by an underskirt,

which is attached to the hip.

The underskirt is made of linen
and a frame,

which enables the round shape.

This dress is the result
of a change.

At first it was a piece of clothing,

that the noble ladies

wore in your chambers.

Es war ein Neglige

or dressing gown.

That you use a dressing gown
as a provocation

wore in broad daylight,

was considered a violation.

In general and especially
at the court of France,

where there was a strict dress code
,

Don't wear a nightgown
in the middle of the day.

It is a fashion phenomenon
that has existed over the centuries

appeared several times.

As proof

let's look at
what happened in the 1980s.

These are two creations
by Jean-Paul Gaultier,

from 1983 and 1989.

He made evening dresses

and was inspired
by corsets and bodices,

so on underwear,

of intimate clothing.

He changes it a bit
and breaks the norm,

by
bringing intimate clothing into the light of day.

That's exactly what happened
with the Contouche in 1715,

but the scandal
in the 18th century was much greater.

Philippe leaves Versailles

for Paris and much
of the nobility follows him.

There is a lot of construction going on in the city.

Private palaces are being built all over the capital
,

like that of the Count of Evreux,

Built in 1718,

and today known as the Elysee Palace.

The aristocracy
dreams of change

and invents a new
lighter and more functional style.

You change

the scenery.

A change of scenery.

The celebratory decor

of Louis XIV.

is exchanged for a less stiff,
more cheerful decor.

You can see that, for example

at the furniture carpentry shop.

The furniture is much more comfortable

and more delicate than the previous one

Stilepoche.

But this process
is very slow.

The changes to the furniture

are so clear
that they are named:

It's the Regence style.

Let's look at the style

and go to the Kunstgewerbemuseum,

which has a nice collection.

The chest of drawers best represents the era.

You can recognize all movements and changes from it .

The furniture gets
a new lease of life,

there are high feet,
other inlays.

These
are special wood inlays.

In addition, a lot of bronze is used,

more and more are being created

floral Ornaments,

or the bear claw,

which you see here.

We are in a typical Regence
room

with carved
and gilded wooden paneling

and elegant multicolored paintings.

The typical thing about this room
is its size.

It's a small, intimate room,
because that's what they were aiming for

in the Regency.

And the furniture is
adapted to the size of the room.

This is a period fire ram

of Louis XIV.

Of the architectural rigor

is at the firebock of the Regency

not much left,
the lines are much softer.

In addition, the child figure brings
additional

a happy note.

See the difference:

this one comes from

from the time of Louis XV.

The severity has completely disappeared.

Now plant motifs predominate,

and therefore the object is
confused and asymmetrical,

which is typical for "Louis XV".

Among the arts and crafts of the time

The table skills are particularly evident

of blossoming creativity.

Like his father before him

is the Regent Protector
of the Manufactory of Saint-Cloud,

which produces ceramics
from soft porcelain.

Soft porcelain is called this
because of its fragility.

It is the only thing that the Europeans
were able to develop

as an imitation
of Chinese hard porcelain,

whose formula remains secret.

The regent was enthusiastic about research.

He had a kiln
in the Palais Royal

and experimented
with porcelain paste.

He was very active

as protector of the manufacture
of Saint-Cloud.

The manufacture

made some items,

that fit into the new fashion.

Especially toilet accessories.

This is a pretty one

Powder compact with Chinese motifs.

It's the China from the books,

an ideal China
that the workers invented.

The manufactory wants
to imitate Chinese porcelain,

with the whiteness of the material

and with the small
figures shown.

This piece is wonderful,
it was made

decorated with sharpfire colors.

So you use blue, green,
yellow, red and violet.

In the 18th century

Men and women had cans.

The women carried them in their pockets.

And they called it

“Can art”
or “bagatelle art”.

These are three examples
of these jars.

Some were shaped like animals.

Others were gold plated.

Gold was processed in Saint-Cloud .

And finally we have
this yellow can.

The yellow was obtained from antimony,

an extremely toxic oxide.

It should be reminiscent of imperial yellow.

What did they put in these cans?

It was used to store “mouches”,
cosmetic plasters.

So little pieces of taffeta
that were used to hide wrinkles

or sent a message of love.

It was a sophisticated art

of seduction.

They also put aniseed candy in it,

for fresh breath.

Or snuff.

It was important

and Saint-Cloud
was known for its cans.

It was always important to the regent

to have the freedom to think,

To research and know.

This was largely
breathed into him,

on the one hand from his mother,
who allowed

and from his teacher,

Cardinal Dubois.

Philippe asks himself questions.

From the depths of metaphysics
and philosophy

he now turns
to the examining consideration.

He is interested in thoughts,

he no longer asks
so much about why,

but according to how.

In this he is a pioneer
of the philosophy of the Enlightenment.

An artist
and intellectual cafe:

Procopius, gegründet 1686.

It is the oldest cafe in Paris.

During the Regence
it is a meeting place

for aristocrats, scientists,

writers and philosophers,

who promoted knowledge
and advanced new ideas.

It's a kind

the cultural revolution.

Many areas open up,
where the difficulties arise

towards the end
of Louis XIV's reign

had ensured very narrow horizons .

The regent sets the tone
because he is in all areas

experimented.

You are free.

Nothing is allowed,
but at the same time it is

nothing forbidden.

You have to find a middle ground
so as not to provoke.

Philippe appeals
to the intelligence of his subjects.

Writers read the texts
of their works to be published,

to test the reactions.

Montesquieu reads
some of his texts,

and shortly before that,
the foreign policy of the time was discussed.

Everything was connected:
diplomacy, literature,

New hits.

It's an opinion factory,

first on a small scale,

so you don't risk too much.

You know
how far you can go,

because literature and politics
are closely linked,

After that you can
go further.

The critical spirit

was gradually
given free rein.

It's the beginnings

of the young Arouet, i.e. Voltaire.

At the beginning of the Regence
he is a young man

on the search,
and he is, let's say, a poet.

He is content
to provoke a little,

regarding the regent.

To mock yourself,
and within a certain framework

about the others
who accept the ridicule of the group,

is a new kind of freedom

of expression and opinion.

The Regent thinks
he is the origin

this new cosmopolitanism is,

which reigned during the Regence,
i.e. from 1715 to 1723.

We are in the spectacular Apollo Hall

im Louvre in Paris.

After a terrible fire in 1661

The restoration goes
to the architect Louis Le Vau

and entrusted to the painter Charles Le Brun
.

The hall is dedicated to Louis XIV,
it will be everywhere

celebrated with pomp.

The paintings show
that the sun is beneficial to the world

and that the eternal reign
of the Sun King

never ends.

In addition, this hall holds
a special miracle,

a unique object,

that our cameras will now show you.

Let's approach this
secured showcase,

which is part of the preserved
French crown jewels

includes.

Here, a diamond,

the most beautiful
and purest of all diamonds,

who bears the name of his godfather.

His name is simply “Regent”.

His purity

makes it the most extraordinary
diamond in the world.

His story is also exciting.

First of all, his name is “Jamchand”.
On its discovery in India

in Golkonda it weighs 426 carats,

so just over 85 grams.

It has since been
reduced to 140.5 carats,

the grinding work took time

two years.

The English Governor of Madras,
Thomas Pitt,

acquires the unique diamond

for just
over £20,000.

And that's where
Philippe d'Orleans comes into play.

He achieves a stroke of genius,

on a diplomatic
and cultural level.

Thomas Pitt,

now a parliamentarian in London,

stands in the way of peace
with France.

To convince Thomas Pitt
that he wants France

should be friendly,

Philippe d'Orleans buys
the diamond for him

for £2.5 million

and mitigates
British hostility.

From now on the diamond is called "Regent"

and becomes one of
France's most beautiful crown jewels.

When Philippe d'Orleans
came to power in 1715,

the situation is disastrous.

France is economically
ruined.

There needs to be reforms

and a solution must
be found for peace in Europe.

A condition for peace

is active foreign policy

and according to Dubois, especially

an alliance with the main enemy
of the French Empire,

and that is England.

The Regent,

who fought so gloriously

now
approached the matter pacifistically.

He definitely didn't want to

new fights.

He had seen the suffering of the country.

At the beginning of the Regency

Dubois is Philippe d'Orleans'
secret ambassador

in foreign policy matters.

He is tasked with negotiating an alliance with England.

To this end

he is sent to The Hague,
where he is to meet Stanhope,

an English minister
with whom he confers.

Dubois' negotiations with Stanhope
are a success,

because at the end of 1716

are England and France

linked by an agreement.

At the beginning of 1717 the agreement was concluded

the Treaty of the Triple Alliance,
the France, England

and the States General,
i.e. the Netherlands, united.

With this secret negotiation
, Philippe d'Orleans proves

that he
is a skilled, pragmatic politician.

But he knows
that he has little authority at court,

but has many opponents.

To consolidate his power,

he shows himself
to be open on many levels.

Philippe d'Orleans
leads at the beginning of the Regence

conducted an experiment with his political friends .

The experiment of "Polysynody",

i.e. "multiple councils".

Louis XIV's system
is abolished,

and thus all ministers
and state secretaries.

All this will be replaced by councils,

by aristocratic councils.

Instead of 4 or 5 ministers
and state secretaries

is there for now

around 70.

This is how positions can be assigned,

and if one gives advantages to the great gentlemen
,

ensures
that they do not revolt.

He says,
"Let's do an experiment."

He likes novelty, but at the same time

he is skeptical.

And it's a huge mess from the start .

The dukes and peers
and the marshals

take the chairmanship of the councils.

There is a lot of talk,
but they have no skills.

Philippe d'Orleans knows this,
he lets it go.

After three years
the councils will be abolished.

But he has from the beginning

reserve foreign policy
for themselves,

and, above all, the supervision
of finances.

He is his own finance minister,

like Louis XIV
after Fouquet's arrest.

The regent holds the reins
of finances.

When he comes to power,

the national debt is
20 years of tax revenue.

Today it is

2 years of tax revenue,
and that's huge.

So it was extreme back then.

The Regence can't fix this.

But they make
an extraordinary attempt,

a modern attempt

namely the Law experiment.

John Law

was a Scot,
son of a goldsmith in Edinburgh,

who had misfortunes in his youth
.

He killed a nobleman in a duel,

went to prison, broke out,

left Scotland, then England.

Gambling made him rich.

He was an arithmetic artist,

a master of probability,

an attractive man
who had everyone wrapped around his finger.

The Regent is
a very pragmatic man.

He is looking for talent,
people who have ideas,

and
there is a spark between him and this person.

Law shows up, he's not French,

not a Catholic, but a Protestant.

But he
clearly has talent.

He has the idea of
sending banknotes to France

bring to.

This already exists in England and the Netherlands .

A bank should be founded

the Banque Generale,
the Regent agrees,

to found them.

Law heads it and it is later
renamed Banque Royale.

She has grade privilege.

There are notes of 10,000,
1,000, 100 and 10 livre,

paper money is printed.

For economic development,
the transactions must

be simplified.

A silver&cu

was worth 6 livres at the time
and weighed 27 grams.

About a property worth

to buy from 10,000 livres,

you have to
transport a good 45 kg of silver.

It is much easier
to handle bills

as heavy coins,

which are transported in wagons

and must keep it at your own risk
, like The Miser

by Moliere in his cellar.

The first important factor

is the facilitation of trade.

The second factor is
that loan

be given cheaply,

so that investments become easier.

The purpose of the bank is to

to get the economy
going again.

After the bank was founded

was John Law's second act

the establishment
of a new trading company,

the famous Compagnie des Indes.

In Port-Louis bei Lorient

there is a museum.

That was

Law's innovation.

He wants to offer the French
their money

To invest

and
to benefit from the profits of maritime trading companies.

This is Law's idea.

With the Regent's permission,
the financier buys little by little

all French companies.

This creates
the Compagnie des Indes,

which holds the monopoly
of French maritime trade.

Bring the ships of the Compagnie des Indes

depending on the country
where they are sent,

different goods.

Gold comes from Africa,

Gum arabic,
which is very important,

and ivory,
also begins

the slave trade.

Mainly
Indian fabrics come from India,

white cotton,

colorful calico fabrics,

Pepper, saltpeter and borax.

These are the main goods from India.

From America,

from Saint-Domingue,
they bring indigo, coffee and sugar.

This is typical porcelain

der Compagnie des Indes.

It is a Chinese technique.

Only Europe can do it

from the middle
of the 18th century. imitate.

But the Europeans

ordered a European engraving from the Chinese .

They are cymbal and lute players.

What's funny is that the people...

wear the European
Fontange hairstyle,

she is French,

but they have slitted eyes.

This mixture was created

thanks to the Compagnie des Indes

by the orders
of the Europeans in China.

I think the French,
the shareholders,

but also the sailors
who go on the ships,

dream of wealth.

This was a big wish in the 18th century .

You want to
make a lot of money quickly.

And thanks to John Law's system

a stock buyer can

benefit from the promise of wealth.

The dream is no longer just

reserved for the rich.

Thanks to the system, anyone can

get a loan.

Whoever signs under my belt
will reap rewards!

Of course there is no stock exchange.

It happens on the street.

The hunchback of Rue Quincampoix
really existed.

He lent

the trading-zealous citizens
his hump,

so that she on the spot

were able to sign their share contracts
.

There was an untamed financial market
on the street,

in small offices,
everyone got involved.

People who
had no idea about finance

made transactions,
bought and sold.

Tempted by the prospects of winning

brought nobility and bourgeoisie

their gold and their silver

to John Law's Banque Royale

and received
paper money in exchange.

With paper money

They then bought shares
in the fantastic company.

It's a great
economic system,

that brought gold to light in one fell swoop ,

people took it
out from under the mattress, you might say.

The gold
is flushed into the state treasury.

France takes off,
trade picks up,

and John Law is a rock star,
an alchemist

of money and finances.

Of course the Regent likes that.

As an alchemist he tried

to find the philosopher's stone

and turning worthless metal into gold.

He sees this as a means of
getting France afloat,

and enrich yourself.

It is a complete transformation
of the economy

and the finances of the empire.

The system kicks in,

Rue Quincampoix
is experiencing a real shopping frenzy.

Everyone wants something.

The value of the shares
increases 20 to 30 times.

Wealth is created
and destroyed.

Included

the Compagnie des Indes has
not yet paid a thaler

to the shareholders

and the bank
still continues to print notes.

The word "millionaire" came up:

people from the middle classes,

traders, some rentiers,

became Livre millionaires.

Back then it was the Livre tournois.

A million is significant.

It was a paper fortune,
but still a million livres.

All is well, be patient,
it will rise again.

Does that mean it sank?

As long as the bank is open,
you can get it refunded.

Have faith.

Until suddenly everything turns back.

The whole system
is based on trust.

Some worried ones

bring their paper money

zur Royal Bank.

They demand the refund
of their gold.

And then the system blocks,

since the gold
cannot cover the notes issued.

They're closing!

Important people,
such as the Princes of Conti

and of bourbon,
emptied the bench

and filled carriages with gold.

It turned into a riot.

Everyone wanted their money back.

There were deaths and fights.

Law's miracle system ended in bankruptcy.

People want to kill John Law.

In the Parliament of Paris,

the higher courts
in France want to judge him.

He escaped lynching several times,

he is being harassed...

He is forced to seek refuge in the Palais Royal .

He had no choice
but exile,

This happened in December 1720.

The system was ultimately unfair.

But despite everything, it
stimulated the economy,

the construction industry took off...

The Regent is the big winner.

France's debt,

which after Louis XIV's
reign amounted to 2.4 billion,

fell
to 1.5 billion at the end of the Regency.

That is quite remarkable.

In 1723 the Regence ended
and Louis XV. takes power.

We are in the "Cabinet interior",

a room in
the young king's apartment.

Here is Louis XV's cylindrical
work table,

better known as the “Bureau du Roi”.

It is one of the most famous
pieces of furniture in France

by the court furniture artists
(Eben and Riesener.

14 professions were involved in its creation .

This piece of furniture should

Provide confidentiality.

A quarter turn of the key
opens the lid

and reveals the drawers.

The king's servants
fill the secretary's ink and paper

through two flaps,

which are embedded in the back of the furniture.

But now I would like
to show you the one named after its inventor

Show Passemant clock.

This mechanical watch

displays the hour, day of the week,
month and year,

taking leap years and moon phases into account .

A work of 12 years.

There's a crystal ball on top,

the movement in real time

the planet shows.

The watch is programmed to

that it can run until the year 9999 .

About the young Louis XV.

to his great-grandfather's castle

It took skill to lure him back

of an ambitious man.

At the right moment
he switches on.

I am of course talking
about Cardinal Dubois,

the Regent's tutor,
who became his closest advisor.

When Dubois
is only Philippe's tutor,

although he is an ambitious priest,

but doesn't push his luck.

But then, driven by ambition,

he is thinking about
a church career.

The title of cardinal
haunts his mind.

He must learn to say mass.

He is said to have cursed:
"God cursed!

Those damn verses

I'll never learn!"

People laughed at that.

He is ready for anything.

He becomes a Machiavellian
politician.

It was not until 1721 that he finally became a cardinal.

And really

at the price of manipulation
and corruption.

So he gets from the new Pope,

Innocent XIll., the cardinal's robe.

Naturally

he becomes Prime Minister until the end of the Regence
.

And after the Regence

Little Louis XV confirms him.

in his offices.

The Regent and Dubois
took their task very seriously.

They let Louis XV.

Participate in council meetings from the age of 10 or 11
.

And they explained to him

how the state works.

Of course they simplified
the situation for the child,

the young people,
but they explained everything to him,

and answered all questions

of the boy.

It developed

a relationship between the regent
and his great-nephew.

They addressed each other
as "uncle" and "nephew",

and the regent told Louis XV,

that he had once called Louis XIV
that.

He felt true affection
for this child,

that he prepared for rule
,

without having any ulterior motives.

The Regency
ends on February 16, 1723,

as Louis XV.
reached the age of 13.

It is the age at which kings
traditionally come of age.

Naturally

you ca n't make decisions at 13 ,

the system
continues with ministers.

Louis XV
Of course , Philippe d'Orleans confirmed first

and then Cardinal Dubois
in his politics.

As Prime Minister

Dubois handles day-to-day business,

as an absolute minister
would do.

He monitors everything.

He basically works
from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

He speaks with the secretaries of state,

Anyone who wants to be king or
regent has to get past him.

He has an important role,
he passes on everything, or not,

it is the cornerstone of politics.

It is even considered a despot.

Although he respects

the power of the regent
and later of Louis XV,

but actually he has
a hand in everything.

However, the Regent's disreputable reputation

very bad for the king.

Dubois suggests
that it is necessary

to bring the king to Versailles,

and that the Regent
has a more discreet private life

should lead.

The king would like to

return to his great-grandfather's palace
,

and when he arrives at Versailles
he is enchanted.

He runs through all the rooms.

All the old men
can't follow him.

He wants
to see all of Versailles.

In the hall of mirrors
he lies down on the floor,

to be able to admire the ceiling.

The gentlemen in his entourage
sit down, exhausted

in rows
along the mirrors.

The young man
completely destroyed her.

Dubois dies of bladder cancer

from which he suffered greatly.

He had only been
prime minister for a year.

When Cardinal Dubois dies,

am 10. August 1723,

Philippe d'Orleans goes
to the young Louis XV.

and offers himself
as prime minister.

For the first time in history

a prince of blood becomes
prime minister.

Philippe d'Orleans
is in crisis at this point.

He is tired.

He is 49 years old.

The regent, who
was a handsome, slim boy,

has become a fat,
heavy man,

his face has lit up.

By that time
the Regent is spent,

he is tired,

he still rules,

but given his condition

one thinks about his successor.

Philippe d'Orleans
dies suddenly

from a heart attack,

which knocks him down almost immediately.

His friend
Madame de Phalaris is with him.

She always denied
being his mistress.

It is true that towards the end
of his life

was no longer potent.

She witnesses his last breaths.

People are looking for a doctor,
Versailles is deserted,

When the doctors arrive,
he is already dead.

After 7 years of reign

Philippe d'Orleans passes away
at the age of 49

on December 2, 1723.

I hope this portrait
of Philippe d'Orleans

contributes to
the historical truth

to straighten out:

He was more than the
libertine described by Voltaire.

As you saw

The Regence was
an important link

between Louis XIV and Louis XV.

It was a period of peace,

of reforms,
curiosity and research,

under a regent
who deserved the royal dignity.

See you soon,

to a new edition
of Secrets d'histoire.

Subtitle: ECLAIR