Maurice Druon's Les Rois maudits (The Accursed Kings) sequence of historical novels has been adapted twice as miniseries for French television. [1] [2] Dubbed "the French I, Claudius ", [1] [3] the 1972 TV adaptation of Les Rois maudits was broadcast by the ORTF from 21 December 1972 to 24 January 1973 and has been called "hugely successful". [4] A joint French-Italian adaptation was broadcast on France 2 from 7 November to 28 November 2005. [5] [6]
| Role | 1972 Adaptation | 2005 Adaptation | Character description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert of Artois | Jean Piat [7] | Philippe Torreton [5] [8] | Lord of Conches and Count of Beaumont-le-Roger |
| Mahaut of Artois | Hélène Duc [7] [9] | Jeanne Moreau [5] [8] | Robert's aunt, and mother to Jeanne and Blanche |
| Philip the Fair | Georges Marchal | Tchéky Karyo [5] [8] | King of France |
| Louis, King of Navarre | Georges Ser [7] | Guillaume Depardieu [5] [8] | Philip's eldest son |
| Marguerite, Queen of Navarre | Muriel Baptiste | Hélène Fillières [5] [8] | Louis' wife |
| Philippe, Count of Poitiers | Josep Maria Flotats | Éric Ruf [5] [8] | Philip's second son |
| Jeanne, Countess of Poitiers | Catherine Rich [10] [11] | Julie Depardieu [5] [8] | Philippe's wife and Blanche's sister |
| Charles, Count of La Marche | Gilles Béhat | Aymeric Demarigny [5] [8] | Louis and Philippe's younger brother |
| Blanche of Burgundy | Catherine Hubeau | Anne Malraux [5] [8] | Charles' wife and Jeanne's sister |
| Isabella, Queen of England | Geneviève Casile [7] | Julie Gayet [5] [8] | Philip's daughter, called the "She-Wolf of France" |
| Charles, Count of Valois | Jean Deschamps | Jacques Spiesser [5] [8] | Philip's younger brother |
| Gautier d'Aunay | Vincent Gauthier | Pierre Thorieton | Equerry to Philippe, Count of Poitiers, and lover of Blanche |
| Philippe d'Aunay | Patrick Lancelot | Silvio Otteanu | Equerry to Charles, Count of Valois, and lover of Marguerite |
| Guillaume de Nogaret | Jacques Goasguen | Jérôme Anger [5] [8] | Philip's prime councillor and keeper of the seal |
| Enguerrand de Marigny | André Falcon | Jean-Claude Drouot [8] | Philip's coadjutor |
| Hugues de Bouville | André Luguet | Jean-Claude Brialy [8] | Philip's chamberlain |
| Marguerite de Bouville | Françoise Engel | Hélène Duc [9] [8] | Bouville's wife |
| Jacques de Molay | Xavier Depraz | Gérard Depardieu [5] [8] | Grand Master of the Knights Templar |
| Geoffroy de Charney | Pierre Nègre | Ovidiu Ghinita | Templar Preceptor of Normandy |
| Geoffroy de Gonneville | Régis Outin | Alin Otteanu | Templar Preceptor of Aquitaine |
| Spinello Tolomei | Louis Seigner [7] | Luca Barbareschi [8] | Siennese Lombard banker |
| Guccio Baglioni | Jean-Luc Moreau | Giuseppe Solieri [8] | Tolomei's nephew |
| Lormet | Georges Staquet | Julien Lucas | Robert of Artois' aide-de-camp |
| Eliabel Cressay | Janine Crispin | Hélène Vincent [8] | Widow of the Squire of Cressay |
| Pierre Cressay | Patrick Préjean | Julien Tortora | Her son |
| Jean Cressay | Guy Saint-Jean | Jérôme Huguet | Her son |
| Marie de Cressay | Anne Kreis | Ana Caterina Morariu [8] | Her daughter |
| Portefruit | Robert Lombard | Philippe Uchan | Provost of Cressay |
| Everard | Jean-Pierre Jorris | Patrick Bouchitey [8] | Knight of the Order of Templars |
| Jean de Marigny | René Roussel | Michel Hermon | Archbishop of Sens and younger brother of Enguerrand de Marigny |
| Béatrice d'Hirson | Catherine Rouvel [7] | Jeanne Balibar [8] | First lady-in-waiting to the Countess Mahaut |
| Alain de Pareilles | Pierre Gallon | Edouard Nikitine | Captain of the King's Archers |
| Robert Bersumée | Bruno Balp | Dan Badarau | Captain of the fortress Château Gaillard |
| Edward II of England | Michel Beaune | Christopher Buchholz [5] [8] | King of England and Isabella's husband |
| Clémence of Hungary | Monique Lejeune | Serena Autieri [5] [8] | Louis' second wife |
| Marie of Hungary | Denise Grey | Line Renaud [8] | Clemence's grandmother |
| Jeanne, Countess of Beaumont | Françoise Giret | Toinette Laquière [8] | Robert of Artois' wife |
| Eudeline | Claudine Raffali | Sophie de La Rochefoucauld [8] | Servant with whom Louis has an affair and a daughter |
| Philip of Valois | Benoît Brione | Malik Zidi [8] | Son of Charles, Count of Valois |
| Edward III of England | Jean-Louis Broust | Aurélien Wiik [8] | Son of Edward II and Isabella |
| Philippa of Hainault | Françoise Burgi | Marie de Villepin [8] | Queen Consort of Edward III, daughter of Guillaume, Count of Hainaut and Holland |
| Jeanne de Divion | Annie Bertin | Sophie Broustal [8] | Forger in Robert of Artois' employ |
| Eudes of Burgundy | Georges Riquier | C. Florescu | Brother of Marguerite, Queen of Navarre and Jeanne of Burgundy |
| Roger Mortimer | Claude Giraud | Bruno Todeschini [8] | English baron and rebel |
| Hugh Despenser the Younger | Gil Vidal | Andy Gillet | Favourite of Edward II |
| Lady Despenser | Florence Dunoyer | Angèle Humeau | Despenser's wife |
| Jacques Duèze | Henri Virlogeux | Claude Rich [8] | Cardinal who becomes Pope John XXII |
| Gaucher de Châtillon | Jean Chevrier | Wadeck Stanczak [8] | Constable of France |
| Robert, Count of Clermont | Alexandre Rignault | Ioan Siminie | Paternal uncle of Philip the Fair |
| Louis of Bourbon | Robert Nogaret | M. Radecu | Son of Robert, Count of Clermont |
| Adam Orleton | Jean Lanier | Serge Maillat | Bishop of Hereford and ally of Roger Mortimer |
| Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster | William Sabatier | Romain Rondeau [8] | Son of Edmund Crouchback and nephew of Edward I |
| John Maltravers | André Mathis | Reus Alexandru | Longtime friend and supporter of Roger Mortimer |
| Giannino Baglioni (John the Posthumous) | Jean-Gérard Sandoz | Lorand Stoica | Son of Louis X and Clemence, raised in secret by Guccio Baglioni |
| Souastre | Claude Brosset | Frédéric Laforet | Rebel baron in Artois |
| Ogle | François Darbon | Costica Barbulescu | Barber loyal to Roger Mortimer |
| Adam Héron | Michel Clainchy | George Ulmeni | Aide-de-camp of Philippe, Count of Poitiers |
| Mathieu de Trie | Marcel Charvey | Grégoire Aubuy-Taulère | Louis' chamberlain |
| Jean de Cherchemont | Daniel Gall | Mircea Stohan | Chancellor of Phillipe V, Charles IV and Philippe VI |
| Louis, Count of Évreux | Robert Party | N/A | Philip the Fair's youngest brother |
| Thierry d'Hirson | Yvon Sarray | N/A | Béatrice d'Hirson's uncle |
| Jeanne of Burgundy | Ghislaine Porret | N/A | Sister of Marguerite, Queen of Navarre and Eudes of Burgundy; Philip of Valois' wife |
| Miles de Noyers | Michel Favory | N/A | Nephew of Gaucher V de Châtillon, Marshal of France under Philip the Fair and later advisor to Louis X, Philippe V, Charles IV and Philippe VI |
| Roger Mortimer the Elder | Samson Fainsilber | N/A | Mortimer's uncle |
| Edmund, Earl of Kent | Eric Kruger | N/A | Half-brother to Edward II and cousin to the French royals |
| Jean of Hainaut | Igor Tyczka | N/A | Brother and general to Guillaume, Count of Hainaut and Holland |
| Étienne de Mornay | Michel Bertay | N/A | Chancellor of Charles of Valois |
| Raoul de Presles | Christian Bertola | N/A | Philip's councillor |
| Francesco Caetani | Maurice Nasil | N/A | Cardinal |
| Napoleone Orsini | Pierre Marteville | N/A | Cardinal |
| Jean de Forez | Roger Jacquet | N/A | Supporter of Philippe, Count of Poitiers |
| Gérard de Alspaye | André Chazel | N/A | Guard at the Tower of London who aids in Mortimer's escape |
| Jacob van Artevelde | Christian Barbier | N/A | Flemish merchant befriended by Robert of Artois |
| William Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury | Serge Maillat | N/A | Longtime friend and supporter of Edward III |
| Narrator | Jean Desailly | N/A | |
| Jeanne, Lady Mortimer | N/A | Valérie Lang | Mortimer's wife |
| Jeanne of Navarre | N/A | Buciu Maria | Louis and Marguerite's daughter (4 years old) |
| Young Eudeline | N/A | F. Besson | Louis and Eudeline's illegitimate daughter |
| No. | Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Le Roi de fer" | 21 December 1972 |
| 2 | "La Reine étranglée" | 28 December 1972 |
| 3 | "Les Poisons de la couronne" | 3 January 1973 |
| 4 | "La Loi des mâles" | 10 January 1973 |
| 5 | "La Louve de France" | 17 January 1973 |
| 6 | "Le Lys et le lion" | 24 January 1973 |
| No. | Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Le Roi de fer" | 7 November 2005 |
| 2 | "La Reine étranglée" | 8 November 2005 |
| 3 | "Les Poisons de la couronne" | 14 November 2005 |
| 4 | "La Louve de France" | 21 November 2005 |
| 5 | "Le Lys et le lion" | 28 November 2005 |
Maurice Druon was a French novelist and a member of the Académie Française, of which he served as "Perpetual Secretary" (chairman) between 1985 and 1999.
Margaret of Burgundy was Queen of France and Navarre as the first wife of King Louis X; however, she was locked in prison during her whole French queenship.
Enguerrand de Marigny, Baron Le Portier was a French chamberlain and minister of Philip IV.
The Accursed Kings is a series of seven historical novels by French author Maurice Druon about the French monarchy in the 14th century. Published between 1955 and 1977, the series has been adapted as a miniseries twice for television in France.
Robert III of Artois was a French nobleman of the House of Artois. He was the Lord of Conches-en-Ouche, of Domfront, and of Mehun-sur-Yèvre, and in 1309 he received as appanage the county of Beaumont-le-Roger in restitution for the County of Artois, which he claimed. He was also briefly Earl of Richmond in 1341 after the death of John III, Duke of Brittany.
Mahaut of Artois also known as Mathilda, ruled as Countess of Artois from 1302 to 1329. She was furthermore regent of the County of Burgundy from 1303 to 1315 during the minority and the absence of her daughter, Joan II, Countess of Burgundy.
Jean de Marigny, French bishop, was a younger brother of Enguerrand de Marigny.
Blanche of Burgundy was Queen of France and Navarre for a few months in 1322 through her marriage to King Charles IV the Fair. The daughter of Count Otto IV of Burgundy and Countess Mahaut of Artois, she was led to a disastrous marriage by her mother's ambition. Eight years before her husband's accession to the thrones, Blanche was arrested and found guilty of adultery with a Norman knight. Her sister-in-law, Margaret of Burgundy, suffered the same fate, while her sister Joan was acquitted. Blanche was imprisoned and not released even after becoming queen, until her marriage was annulled when she was moved to the coast of Normandy. The date and place of her death are unknown; the mere fact that she died was simply mentioned on the occasion of her husband's third marriage in April 1326.
Joan II, Countess of Burgundy, was Queen of France by marriage to Philip V of France; she was also ruling Countess of Burgundy from 1303 to 1330 and ruling Countess of Artois in 1329–1330.
Clementia of Hungary was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Louis X.
Joan of Valois was the daughter of Charles, Count of Valois and his second wife Catherine I of Courtenay, titular empress of Constantinople.
Edward III of England has been depicted in a number of fictional works.
Miles de Noyers was a French diplomat.
Marcelle Duc, known professionally as Hélène Duc, was a French actress. She appeared in Edward and Caroline (1951), Je sais rien, mais je dirai tout (1973), and Tanguy (2001).
Jeanne de Divion was a French forger.
Hugues III de Bouville (1275–1331) was the chamberlain of Philip IV of France.
Gaucher V de Châtillon, Lord of Châtillon, Count of Porcien, was constable of Champagne in 1284 and then Constable of France (1302–1329) during the reigns of five different kings. He was also tutor to the future Louis X of France and his primary minister.
Béatrice d'Hirson was a lady-in-waiting to the French noblewoman Mahaut, Countess of Artois.
Thierry Larchier d'Hirson or d'Hireçon, or de Hérisson, was a French cleric under Robert II, Count of Artois.
Isabella of France was Queen of England and the daughter of Philip IV of France. Sometimes called the "She-Wolf of France", she was a key figure in the rebellion which deposed her husband, Edward II of England, in favor of their eldest son Edward III. This event, as well as Isabella's affair with Roger Mortimer and Edward II's relationships with Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser the Younger, have prompted Isabella's portrayal multiple times in literature and visual media.