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newsfromthehouseofbourbon · 11 months

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June 12, 2023: Beta Readers Wanted

Hello. How are you doing? I think I should explain a few things. Let me get this out of the way first: I will be looking for beta readers for the first part of the book XIV.

Yes, XIV is about Louis XIV. How did you know? Anyway, it is a long book and it will be here always: @lesecretdelamaisondubourbon.

Long story short: a famous person DMs me to ask to read my work and I had to make it possible. I write a lot (@tkwrtrilogy @tkwrtrilogy @tkwrtrilogy3 @trenarnolegolaslasgalen and all subsequent side projects), and this trilogy is part of my work. So, naturally, I decided that why should the famous person have all the fun? I decided to make it possible for a few beta readers to read Part I of XIV (which is a trilogy within an actual trilogy now because each part is as long as a book). Good, now that you know that...

Yes, Monsieur has his own book--which brings me to what I should explain (more about this particular trilogy).

This is Part II of Book III--NOT of XIV (which is about Louis XIV). This is a separate book. It is written by @fortunatelyclevercandy (who is also working on @thehouseofdurin). Clearly, this book is entitled Monsieur (because, as everyone knows, Monsieur was the honorific title of the second-born son of a French Monarch).

Part I of Book III is the book XIV written by @iamjaynaemarie (the person writing this blog post, and author of the abovementioned blogs about The Kingdom of the Woodland Realm Trilogy).

Yes, THIS book is about Louis XIV. This book is the one that will be available in November for a select group of readers.

This is a trilogy. Why is it a trilogy?

This is why*. It's a family affair. Interestingly enough, this family makes all other royal families look like Disney by comparison. The years of movies and television shows didn't even scratch the surface.

⚠️ BY THE WAY: People seem to be having issues with WordPress and reading this book, so I am going to figure out what is going on today and probably until tomorrow. I don't know what happened. It works for me obviously because I'm the one posting things on my website. But for some reason, it is not working for readers, so I'm going to be looking into that today and probably over the next few days to rectify this issue. In the meantime, anyone not on WordPress please try to read Tumblr for a while. I hope it doesn't take too long.

Yeah, the KING is NOT HAPPY about that.

So, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed all that. Thank you for reading.--JMM.

Every family has a secret. Some have more than others.

Welcome to the House of Bourbon. Enjoy your stay.

*Book I will be the last book completed. It is going through some minor outline changes as the overall tone of the trilogy has shifted to deal with our favorite recurring theme: Brothers.

Note: This book is also written in multiple languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German. This means that the actual text of the book will casually flip between languages (mostly in dialogue). This is done because, interestingly enough, Louis XIV was fluent in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German. His brother Philippe preferred Spanish to his native French, but he was also multilingual as his best friend was Italian, his first wife was English, and his second wife spoke German. 🙂

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lesecretdelamaisondubourbon · 2 years

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⚜️XIV⚜️: I am Dieudonné (Ch. I/Pt. VII)

My baptism was one week away. One morning, Philippe and I decided to make our way to the kitchen. I always had a voracious appetite for as long as I could remember. Philippe was a finicky eater. He would only put the finest of delicacies in his mouth. But if the food was good, he could eat as much as I could.

If our mother had known of our near daily sojourns to the kitchen, she would have locked us in our rooms. As royalty, we were fraternizing with commoners too much. How could we not? They were friendly to us. Their children were uninterested in our titles and more into play. On this day, there were few people in the kitchen but there was plenty of food.

Straight away, Philippe headed for the macaroons. I helped myself to the omelettes. While I poked a piece in my mouth, I saw Philippe reaching for his treats. He dropped one and chased it as it rolled under a table. One of the servants noticed him squatting down to reach it.

“Thank you,” he said. “I am Philippe.”

“Who are you talking to,” I asked him.

“A girl,” he said without looking up. I noticed a little hand coming from under the table holding the macaroon he dropped.

A woman gasped and reached under the table and pulled out a little girl. She was as little as Philippe, with a head full of long black curls covering her features.

“Tu es une mauvaise fille,” she said angrily. “Are you stealing food again?”

“No,” she said, tearfully.

“She gave me my macaroon,” Philippe said, his mouth full. He walked over to the girl, and handed her a macaroon. “Here.”

She took it, smiled and ran out of the kitchen. Philippe gave the woman a mean look.

“Come, Philippe,” I said. I could see he was about say something awful.

He slowly turned toward me, still scowling at the woman.

“She is not nice, Louis,” he said, looking at me. I looked at the woman as I took Philippe’s hand. I did not say a word to her but I could see she feared what we might say to our parents. I led my brother away putting the incident out of my mind.

**** **** **** ****

No more than a few days before my baptism, I was playing with Philippe in the hall. Our mother approached us followed by several ladies with 2 girls and boy.

Everyone stopped in front of us and bowed.

“Louis, Philippe,” Mother said sweetly. “This is Gabrielle, Louis and Diane-Françoise. Louis and Diane have come to play with you.”

I did not know what to say but Philippe did.

“Why,” he asked.

Mother seemed a loss for words as several of her ladies tried not to laugh.

“Philippe, be polite to our guests,” she said.

“Why?”

“Yes, Maman,” I said quickly.

She smiled and left us with the little boy and girl as the older girl left with mother and the other ladies.

“I am Louis,” the boy said.

“Me, too,” I said.

“This is my sister,” he said. “Her name is Diane but we call her Françoise because she is named after our mother.”

“She is a girl,” Philippe said.

“I know,” she said. “And you are a boy.”

Philippe stuck his tongue out at her.

“Who is the other girl,” I asked Louis.

“That is my other sister, Gabrielle,” he said. “Papa said Maman is going to have another baby. I hope it is a boy this time.”

“That is a lot of girls,” I said. “Philippe is my only brother.”

“He is little,” Louis said.

Philippe gave him a mean look before pulling Diane’s hair.

“Philippe, stop,” I said. “That was not very nice.”

“No, it was not,” Diane said, hitting Philippe on the arm.

“Françoise,” Louis said. “You cannot hit him. He is a Prince.”

“That is right,” Philippe said, hitting her back.

She hit him again.

“Mine is two,” Louis said, pulling her away.

“So is mine,” I said, holding Philippe back. “They are still babies.”

“I am not a baby,” they said in unison.

“Come,” I said. “We can go play in the garden. We have a puppy out there.”

**** **** **** ****

On the day of my baptism, I entered the chapel with my mother. Philippe was to remain behind in the pew without our governess. As always, Philippe had other ideas. He managed to escape her grasp, and follow me down the aisle to the altar. Our father was waiting for us beside the font. His skin was pallid and his eyes did not seem to have the shine I remembered. He never moved from his position. He smiled at us as we met him and the priest at the altar.

It was intimate ceremony with only important members of the household in attendance. I stood before the altar of the chapel, I knew it was a solemn occasion even as I was too young to understand its meaning. I stood with my parents before the baptismal font as the priest began to speak.

Suddenly, I heard a splash. At first, I thought nothing of it. Then I heard it again and again. I looked down to see Philippe reaching into the font. I gently nudged him to get him to stop. I should have known that would entice him to continue more vigorously. I noticed everyone trying to ignore Philippe. It was a feat that was futile to attempt. My father gently pushed my brother’s hand away, and Philippe put it back. Even our father knew it was best to let Philippe have his way. So as long as he kept quiet, there was no harm done other than a slightly damp priest.

Papa did not say a word nor moved through it all. He just smiled and nodded once it was over. He and Maman exchanged glances while the priest and I exchanged words before mother took our hands and us out of the chapel of Château-Vieux.

The next time I would see my father would be 23 days later upon his deathbed.

**** **** **** ****

It was a quiet morning. By I remember I was playing with Philippe in my room when our governess came in. Her face was stoic.

“Your Highnesses,” she began, her voice trembling. “His Majesty wishes to you both.

“Papa,” Philippe exclaimed excitedly. “I want to see Papa.”

I knew something was wrong. Everyone in the room seemed disheartened. She picked up Philippe and offered her hand to me. I cautiously took it and she led me away to my father’s room.

It was the last moments of his life.

In his room, I could smell the scent of death and feel the burden that was about to put upon me. Though I was only four years old, I knew my presence in the moment gave everyone a feeling of helplessness and hope. When I saw my father, I was frightened at how sallow he was. Maman, Mazarin and Bontemps held vigil by his bedside as we approached.

“Louis,” he said, weakly. “Philippe.”

Our governess put my brother down beside me. I did not dare move closer to my father. I was afraid; he looked like the corpse he was to become.

“Papa,” Philippe said. “You look sleepy.”

“I am,” he whispered, with a faint smile. “I am going to sleep, Philippe. For a very long time. Louis, remember what I say to you. You will make a fine king. I know you will.”

I nodded. I did not know what else to do. I was passed a torch I was not yet able to carry. Suddenly, Papa said something I could not hear, took two labored breaths, then fell silent. Mother gasped as others in the room weeped softly.

“It is a quarter past two,” Bontemps said softly.

With everyone around him, my father slipped away peacefully.

“Why is Papa sleeping, Louis,” Philippe whispered.

“I do not know, Philippe,” I answered softly.

I knew our father was gone forever, but I did not believe it. Even I thought he was sleeping. It would be a while before I realized he had said his dying words to me months earlier at the château. Watch after your brother for me. Take care of Philippe. Looking at my father’s corpse, I said to myself, But who will take care of me, Papa?

Soon after, everyone turned and looked at me.

“Le roi est mort,” Mazarin said. “Vive le roi.”

I was the King of France.

“You are the king now,” Maman said to me.

“I do not want to be king,” I said.

“Your father is dead,” she said. “You must take his place now, Louis.”

“I do not want to,” I said loudly. “I do not want to be king!”

“Louis,” she began.

“No!”

I ran out of the room and down the hall crying. I did not want to be king. I did not know what it meant to be king, much less what it was. When I reached my room, I expected to see my governess, but there was another woman in her place.

“Who are you,” I yelled.

“I am your new governess, Your Majesty,” she said.

“No,” I yelled, pushing her. “Go away!”

I threw myself on my bed and started to cry into the pillows. I cried myself to sleep. I remembered hearing soft whimpering next to me. When I opened my eyes, it was evening and I was dressed in my nightgown. Philippe was lying next to me, his eyes red from crying.

“You scared me,” he said.

“I did not mean to,” I said.

“Why are you sad, Louis,” he asked.

“I do not want to be king but Maman said I am,” I answered.

“You are too short to be king,” he said. “You have to be tall like Papa.”

“I think he is gone, Philippe,” I said.

“When he comes back, you do not have to be king,” he said yawning.

He fell asleep, leaving me to my thoughts. I did not think Papa was coming back to us this time.--The Secret of the House of Bourbon–XIV by Jaynaé Marie Miller. 5-07-2022

#hob official tumblr #france #historical drama #historical fiction #louis xiv #writers of tumblr #history #le petit monsieur #louisxiii #diane francoise #montespan #macaroons #vive le roi #family #the house of bourbon #french history #novels

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tiny-librarian · 4 months

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During the alarm for the life of the Queen, regret at not possessing an heir to the throne was not even thought of. The King himself was wholly occupied with the care of preserving an adored wife.

The Memoirs of Madame Campan

#marie antoinette #louis xvi #awkward otp #french monarchy #house of bourbon #BUT I LOVE THEM SO MUCH #long live the queue

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classic-art-favourites · 2 months

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Sophie of France by Lie Louis Perin-Salbreux, 1770-1774.

#classic art #painting #lie louis perin salbreux #french artist #18th century #portrait #female portrait #indoor portrait #princess #house of bourbon #fashion #blue dress #books #desk #chair

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royal-confessions · 21 days

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“I think it's nice when royal brides have colorful bouquets to add a pop of color to the white. For example, Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Parma who carried a bouquet of lavender-colored sweet peas, she chose this flower because it was Queen Juliana's favorite. Lady Davina Windsor opted for a bouquet of beautiful blue florals. Swedish Princess Sofia's bridal bouquet included cream and coral garden roses with sprigs of myrtle. For her wedding, Charlotte Casiraghi chose a whimsical bouquet of lilac.” - Submitted by Anonymous

#Wedding #sofia hellqvist #princess sofia #Charlotte Casiraghi #Lady Davina Windsor #house of bourbon parma

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charlotte-of-wales · 11 months

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have you seen the Royal Palace of Caserta???? like bring back the Italian royals immediately 😭

uh la laaa

#thanks!#I was only considering palaces of the house of savoy #this one was owned by the bourbon two sicilies of naples #BUT GORGEOUS #residences #deposed royals #answered

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royalbloopers · 3 months

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#Spain #queen sofia #queen letizia #letizia ortiz #spanish royal family #house of bourbon #who wore it best

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krasivaa · 6 months

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Leonor Week 2023

DAY TWO: FAVORITE APPEARANCE

Leonor swears allegiance to the flag at Zaragoza Military Academy in Spain on 7th of October, 2023, as she officially begins three years of her military training.

@leonorandsofia

#princess leonor #crown princess leonor #leonor of spain #leonor week 2023 #day two leonor week 2023 #spanish monarchy #spanish royal family #house of bourbon #srf #favorite appearance #princesa de asturias #swearing to the flag #military #military training #princess leonor's military training #leonorandsofia

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illustratus · 6 months

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The Execution of the Duke of Enghien by Jacques Onfroy de Bréville

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alice-and-ethel · 6 months

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“It was, however, the death of the eldest boy, the Duc de Bourgogne, in 1761 that left the seven-year-old Louis Auguste with a permanent inferiority complex. His parents made no secret of their lamentations at the death of the favourite (whom Maria Josepha had called that special pet name, her chou d’amour). The man in charge of Louis Auguste, the Duc de Vauguyon…also took the opportunity to lecture him on his inadequacy for the role [of future king] once played by his incomparable brother.” • Antonia Fraser, Marie Antoinette: The Journey

“[O]n the eve of Easter 1761 Bourgogne died. For his parents and the King, who had thought very highly of him, it was a terrible blow. [Louis Auguste] was now a future King of France. But he had been brought up without the adulation usually given to future Kings. On the contrary, all through his formative years he had been put in the shade, treated as a foil for brilliant Bourgogne. As a result, he was that rare creature, a prince with a poor opinion of himself.” • Vincent Cronin, Louis and Antoinette

Portraits of Louis Joseph Xavier, Duc de Bourgogne (b. 1751) and his brother Louis Auguste, Duc de Berry, later Louis XVI (b. 1754) by Jean-Martial Frédou, 1760

#louis xvi #french history #eighteenth century #house of bourbon #this just makes me so sad :(#imagine forever being held up to the standard of your 'perfect' older brother...who died when he was like 10???#granted bourgogne's personality - as it was in childhood mind you - seems to have been a lot more suited for the role of king #but it's really hard to say how louis auguste might have been different if he had you know...been treated differently. nature vs. nurture.#he might well have still been introverted and introspective and quiet! sure! but insecure and uncomfortable with the expectations of him #perhaps not as much? we'll never know

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