FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   962   963   964   965   966   967   968   969   970   971   972   973   974   975   976   977   978   979   980   981   982   983   984   985   986  
987   988   989   990   991   992   993   994   995   996   997   998   999   1000   1001   1002   1003   1004   1005   1006   1007   1008   1009   1010   1011   >>   >|  
as beautiful, and he lived happily with her for some time. The Count of Koenigsmarck, young and very well made, came to the Court, and gave him some umbrage. The Duke of Hanover became jealous; he watched his wife and the Count, and at length believed himself fully assured of what he would have wished to remain ignorant of all his life. Fury seized him: he had the Count arrested and thrown into a hot oven. Immediately afterwards he sent his wife to her father, who shut her up in one of his castles, where she was strictly guarded by the people of the Duke of Hanover. An assembly of the Consistory was held in order to break off his marriage. It was decided, very singularly, that the marriage was annulled so far as the Duke was concerned, and that he could marry another woman; but that it remained binding on the Duchess, and that she could not marry. The children she had had during her marriage were declared legitimate. The Duke of Hanover did not remain persuaded as to this last article. The King, entirely occupied with the aggrandisement of his natural children, had heaped upon the Comte de Toulouse every possible favour. He now (in order to evade a promise he had made to his brother, that the first vacant government should be given to the Duc de Chartres) forced M. de Chaulnes to give up the government of Brittany, which he had long held, and conferred it upon the Comte de Toulouse, giving to the friend and heir of the former the successorship to the government of Guyenne, by way of recompense. M. de Chaulnes was old and fat, but much loved by the people of Brittany. He was overwhelmed by this determination of the King, and his wife, who had long been accustomed to play the little Queen, still more so; yet there was nothing for them but to obey. They did obey, but it was with a sorrow and chagrin they could not hide. The appointment was announced one morning at the rising of the King. Monsieur, who awoke later, heard of it at the drawing of his curtains, and was extremely piqued. The Comte de Toulouse came shortly afterwards, and announced it himself. Monsieur interrupted him, and before everybody assembled there said, "The King has given you a good present; but I know not if what he has done is good policy." Monsieur went shortly afterwards to the King, and reproached him for giving, under cover of a trick, the government of Brittany to the Comte de Toulouse, having promised it to the Duc de Chartres. The King hea
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   962   963   964   965   966   967   968   969   970   971   972   973   974   975   976   977   978   979   980   981   982   983   984   985   986  
987   988   989   990   991   992   993   994   995   996   997   998   999   1000   1001   1002   1003   1004   1005   1006   1007   1008   1009   1010   1011   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

government

 

Toulouse

 
marriage
 

Hanover

 

Brittany

 

Monsieur

 

Chaulnes

 
announced
 

Chartres

 

people


giving

 

children

 

shortly

 

remain

 
recompense
 

promised

 

Guyenne

 

forced

 

successorship

 

reproached


conferred

 

policy

 
friend
 
accustomed
 
piqued
 

interrupted

 
chagrin
 

sorrow

 
extremely
 
appointment

morning
 

curtains

 
drawing
 
present
 

rising

 

determination

 
assembled
 
overwhelmed
 

legitimate

 
arrested

thrown

 

seized

 

ignorant

 

strictly

 

guarded

 

castles

 
Immediately
 

father

 
wished
 

Koenigsmarck