All language subtitles for Butterfly.Effect.S02E10_English

- [Narrator] April 7th, 2018.

As they have done
for three centuries,

regiments from all unites
of the nations armies

have converged on Paris,

and they're parading
on the Champs-Élysées

before their sovereign.

Louis the XXII, King of France.

(dramatic music)

At the end of the period
of troubles of The Fronde,

the defeated king, Louis
XIV, was forced, reluctantly,

to share his power.

Like its English neighbor,

the French Monarchy
becomes Parliamentarian,

with the King having no
more than a symbolic,

representative role.

Today he is the heir
of an uninterrupted

thousand year line,
and contributes

to the projection of the
Kingdom throughout the world.

But, none of this ever happened.

In the 17th century, a
terrible period of Civil War,

The Fronde, will lead to
unshared rule by one monarch,

Louis XIV.

(dramatic music)

Our history is no more than a
series of incredible events.

(dramatic music)

Every one of us can
influence its course.

(dramatic music)

The most infinitesimal
of our decisions

can influence the
future of humanity.

To know the past is
to foresee the future.

(dramatic music)

May 14th, 1643.

On the death of his
father, Louis XIII,

the young Louis XIV, aged
four, becomes King of France.

August 26th, 1648.

Mazarin, the King's
First Minister

orders the immediate arrest

of three Parliamentary
magistrates.

April 7th, 1652.

are on the point of
capturing Louis XIV.

These three intimately
connected events

are key moments in
the history of France,

and will plunge the Kingdom
into a Civil War, The Fronde.

May 14th, 1643.

Louis XIII, King of
France, is dying.

At the sunset of his life,

the monarch can look back
on his reign with relief.

The country is united,

the state is secure
and well-governed.

But, more importantly,
his line is guaranteed.

His son, Louis,
may be only four,

but according to the
fundamental laws of the Kingdom,

he will automatically
become King in turn.

No other person will
be in a lawful position

to claim the throne.

The country will not
tear itself apart

in a war of succession.

For Louis XIII,
his duty is done.

And yet, nothing was simple.

The first half of the 17th
century saw war and dispute.

However, amidst the
plotting, beset by enemies,

the King was able to count
upon the unwavering support

of the skillful
Cardinal Richelieu,

a subtle strategist
with an iron fist.

The Cardinal was also
a patron of the arts,

and above all a wise counselor.

Richelieu supported creativity
from the earliest days,

and created the
Académie française

at the same time as he
was turning the Kingdom

into a first rate power.

With him, Louis XIII
becomes an absolute monarch.

More importantly, he pledged
total loyalty to the King.

In his eyes there
was no greater honor

than to work for the
glory of the French crown.

Louis XIII and Richelieu
complemented each other.

One advised, the other knew
how to listen and to command.

Together they were able
to overcome ordeals,

foil plots, and isolate
their adversaries.

Together, they laid
the foundations

of a strong, modern France.

After a long life of
intrigue and advice,

Cardinal Richelieu
dies at the age of 57.

He leaves a final
recommendation with his monarch.

He nominates a man to
take over from him.

Cardinal Mazarin.

Louis XIII is intelligent enough

to bring him into his
council immediately,

because the King has been
sick for a long time.

He knows the end is near,

and appoints Mazarin
as his son's godfather.

With this gesture he
confers legitimacy upon him.

Three weeks later, after
lengthy death throes,

the King dies.

For the French Kingdom, the
time has come to celebrate

the accession of its
new monarch, Louis XIV,

but also to see who
will rule the Kingdom,

while waiting for the four
year old child's majority.

- [Announcer] Welcome to
the memory of humanity.

Here, we can control
time, analyze and compare

billions of events
and alter them

to rewrite history endlessly.

All the events in our history,

however minute they might be,

are memorized and
interconnected.

It only requires
one to be changed

for all the others to
be shaken to the core.

The King is dead,
long live the King.

In this simple sentence
lies all the power

of the principle of
heredity of the crown.

When a King dies he
leaves an empty place.

These moments of hesitation
are extremely dangerous

for a Kingdom.

If several pretenders
seek to take over

the country can descend into
terrible wars of succession.

For centuries, the
principle of heredity

automatically hands the throne

to the first male
descendant of the dead King.

At the very second
that a King dies,

his son immediately
becomes the new monarch,

thus avoiding any contestation.

If the child is still a minor,

a member of the
family is appointed

to govern in his name
until his majority.

This period is
known as a regency.

In France, nobody, not
even the King himself

has the power to
change this law.

The mechanism
appears infallible.

(dramatic music)

(gunshots firing)

(suspenseful music)

(men yelling)

(metal clashing)

(horse whinnying)

- [Narrator] Reaux Croix
Battlefield, May 19th, 1643.

The Spanish army, then the
most powerful in Europe,

has just been crushed
by French troops

commanded by a
young general of 21.

The future Prince de Condé.

This decisive victory
marks a turning point

in the 30 Years War, a
terrible European war

that has been tearing
countries apart for years.

(dramatic music)

In France, this necomes as .

With the Spanish armies halted,

can she now finally
put an end to her many,

and increasingly
burdensome taxes,

designed to support
the war effort?

In any case, this is
what the Paris Parliament

hopes from Anne of Austria,

widow of the
deceased Louis XIII.

With them, the Queen
maneuvered skillfully

and succeeded in getting around
the untrusting King's will,

which barred her from
any political role.

The mother of the
little Louis XIV,

she has become the
Kingdom's Regent.

Against all expectations,

the Queen elects to appoint
Mazarin as First Minister,

and even entrusts him
with the education

of the young Louis XIV.

Parliament and the nobility
immediately turn hostile.

Of Italian origin, he
is considered the author

of all the Kingdom's ills.

Mazarin is also
heir to Richelieu,

which means that he
fully intends to govern

and continue the fiscal
policy of his predecessor.

Now, for the members
of the Parliament,

the Regency is a golden
opportunity to invite themselves

to participate in
royal decisions.

With a Parliamentarian
seeking power

and a Regency determined
to give nothing away,

confrontation is inevitable.

As one of the Parliamentary
leaders states,

"The best way to serve the King

"is sometimes to disobey him."

(audience applauds)

Very quickly,
events gather pace.

The Regency orders the
suspension of salaries

to a large number
of magistrates,

who immediately go
into opposition.

Parliament defies the Regency

and attempts to
impose its conditions,

in the form of a
25 article charter.

Royal power is
under direct threat.

The tone rises.

The anti-establishment
movement even has a name.

The Fronde.

Finally, Mazarin orders the
arrest of three leaders.

To cover the operation, he
uses a holiday held in Paris

to celebrate a fresh victory
against the Spanish armies.

However, the news
travels like wildfire,

and soon, the whole of
Paris takes to the streets.

The city, galvanized
by Parliamentarians

ready to push to the limit,
is filled with barricades.

Mazarin is forced to give way.

He now knows that he must
be wary of the Parisians.

On the night of
January 5th, 1649,

the Court secretly
leaves the rebel capital,

to prepare it's reposte.

From the Chateau
of St. Germaine,

Mazarin drafts 10,000 soldiers
to the Prince de Condé,

the shield of the Kingdom
against the Spanish,

and a distant
cousin of the King.

His mission, besiege Paris.

Cut off supplies to the
city and stifle The Fronde.

Hurriedly, Paris
forms a militia,

but it is unable to resist the
King's professional soldiers.

(gunshot fires)

On March 11th, the Peace of Roi

puts an end to the
Parliamentarians Fronde.

- [Announcer] The
King's justice.

In the 17th century
the King of France

had some special
rights at his disposal.

He could, with a simple letter,

order the incarceration
without trial,

or the exile of any
subject of the realm.

Known as lettres de cachet,

because they bore
the seal of the King,

each could equate
to life imprisonment

or even death without
any form of process.

Sometimes even in
the greatest secrecy.

Thus, personalities like
Voltaire, or Foucault,

will fall victim to
arbitrary royal decisions

and end up in
prison without trial

on the simple
decision of the King.

In our day, in our democracies,

such a situation may appear
to belong to another age,

and yet, in the name
of state reasons

numerous countries have
passed anti-freedom laws,

such as the American
Patriot Act of 2001.

The possibility of
defending oneself before

a fair system of
justice is one of the

basic principles of
the rights of man,

and, in a democracy, the laws
must be the same for all.

- [Narrator] The greater
the effort contributed,

the greater the
consequent reward must be.

(dramatic music)

That is why, as recompense
for his loyalty to the King

and his intervention in Paris,

the Prince de Condé demands
the Ministry of the Admiralty,

and for his loyal followers,

key posts in the army
and the administration.

No more, no less.

Mazarin immediately
sees the danger.

On January 18th, 1650,
he arrests Condé,

his brother, Conti, and
the Duc du Longueville,

and imprisons them at Vincent.

At once, all their supporters
rise up in rebellion.

This new Fronde has a name.

The Princes Fronde.

In hoping to be finished
with the troubles,

Mazarin has just
thrown the Kingdom

into a Civil War that will bring

even more powerful
forces into play.

In a Kingdom torn apart,
the game of alliances

will bring armies face
to face in major battles,

create spectacular
reversals of situations,

and above all, be
the scene of a drama

where the actors switch
from one camp to another

in a tumult of
fantastic betrayals

and heroic acts of daring.

From the outset,
the Parliamentarians

who were defeated a year earlier

join in The Princes Fronde.

Gaston d'Orleans,
uncle of the King,

joins a Union and demands
the release of the prisoners.

Mazarin again flees Paris.

Marshall Turenne, a
brilliant military commander,

moves to the rebel camp.

Condé is finally released and
immediately takes up arms.

Louis XIV, a Major at 13,
has him accused of treason

and the crime of lèse-majesté.

Gaston d'Orleans
changes sides again.

Louis XIV recalls Mazarin.

Turenne rejoins the King.

Paris, in the total confusion,

doesn't know which
foot to lead on.

Each Parliamentarian is now
dancing to his own tune.

Everything moves very fast.

Sides are switching allegiances

and very soon one has difficulty
in knowing where one is.

It is against the background
of a small village in Burgundy

that the main scene
is played out.

Condé, at the head
of his troops,

is pressuring the royal armies.

The Prince is about to
capture the King when,

playing the last royal card,

Turenne launches what
remains of his troops

in a desperate counter-attack.

His majesty's soldiers
break the encirclement,

and rescue the King.

Condé has just
allowed his chance

to slip through his fingers.

- [Announcer] We have just
reached a turning point.

A turning point is a key event,

a crossroads in our history
where the world swings one way

or the other.

The Prince de Condé has just
failed to capture the King.

If Turenne had not tempted fate,

Louis XIV and his court

would have fallen into
the hands of the rebels.

The course of events
could then have taken

a totally different direction.

Condé would immediately
have gotten rid of Mazarin,

would certainly have
presented himself

as the liberator of the King,

and assured him
of his protection,

in reality, a golden cage.

The Prince, having
become Prime Minister,

would then have
exercised the real power.

Once the war was won, he would
have eclipsed The Sun King.

Under pressure from his
Parliamentary allies,

the monarchy would've evolved
in the same way as in England.

Over the centuries
the role of the King

would've become symbolic.

The French Revolution
would never have happened.

Today, France would be a
Parliamentary Monarchy,

headed by a Prime Minister.

The King would only be
there for symbolic duties,

such as reviewing the armies
on the national holiday.

April 7, and not July
14 would be celebrated

as the day that the
Kingdom of France toppled.

- [Narrator] Paris,
April 11th, 1652.

No cheering from the crowd.

The bells are silent.

Condé no longer represents
the invincible military chief,

the hero of The Fronde.

Although some nobles
remain at his side,

the Parliamentarians
are divided.

The royal army is at his heels,

and the dice appear to be cast.

The Prince nearly
succeeds in getting

what remains of his
army back to the capital

and avoids disaster.

But, the situation is not ideal.

The loyalists are in
the stronger position.

One after another, the
rebels abandon the ship.

To ease resentment and
foster a peaceful outcome,

Mazarin again goes into exile.

Too much hatred is
associated with his name.

He's afraid he
may harm the King.

On October 21st,
Louis XIV makes a

triumphant entry into Paris,

and sets up his court
in the Louvre Palace.

The vice is tightening.

The next day the King
proclaims a general amnesty.

As Mazarin desired,
there will be no blood

on the royal crown.

However, precautions are taken.

Parliamentarians are
banned from meeting

without being invited
to do so by the King,

or to meddle, closely or
distantly, in matters of state.

After years of the Regency,

Louis XIV is no
longer four years old.

He ceases to be a toy in
the hands of the grown ups.

He is the King.

The King of France.

He is only accountable to God.

He recalls Mazarin to his side.

Condé and Conti, the
two rebel brothers,

cannot bring themselves
to accept the amnesty.

They are once again found guilty

of the crime of lèse-majesté.

The man they once
called The Great Condé,

and who one day dared
challenge the King,

is forced into exile.

In 1654, a judgment
by the Parliament
condemns him to death.

The Fronde is over.

The hour belongs to the King.

- [Announcer] Learning
to become King.

During The Fronde, Louis
XIV, a very young King,

will be forced to
flee in the night

to escape the Paris
mob, be held hostage,

see one of his close
friends die of his wounds,

witness terrible battles.

Events will lead him to
order arbitrary arrests,

and take crucial decisions.

The Fronde is a real school in
monarchy for the young King,

and all he has to do is observe.

Mazarin for the
art of negotiation,

Condé for the
approach to command.

The many changes of side
and betrayals implant

a tenacious mistrust
of the nobility in him.

He learns to surround himself

with loyal and
competent servants,

often from the lower
middle classes.

There is no doubt that
without The Fronde

Louis XIV would have
been a different man,

and therefore, a
different sovereign.

- [Narrator] Versailles.

September 1st, 1715.

In his vast palace, built
to reflect his own stature,

Louis XIV, whom all of
Europe knew as The Sun King

is in his death throes.

At the end of an
incredible 72 year reign,

the monarch presented France
with its Grand Century,

and turned the Kingdom into
Europe's foremost power.

Louis XIV is the King, the
King of an unshared monarchy,

of the absolute monarchy.

He embodies the perfect
image of the King

in all his power
and his majesty.

For on the day after The Fronde,

Louis XIV, then a young adult,
learned a capital lesson.

The state is the
King, and nobody else.

In 1661 on the death
of his precious

First Minister, Mazarin,
the monarch, aged 22,

announces to his
council that he will,

henceforth, govern alone.

As early as 1663 he strips the
Parliament of all real power

and demands strict obedience
from all his subjects.

Surrounded by
excellent counselors,

Louis XIV consults,
listens, but decides alone.

Under his directives,
outstanding ministers,

such as Colbert and Louvois,

undertake profound, and
necessary fiscal reforms.

He gives the brilliant
Bourbonne the mission of

erecting a belt of modern
fortresses around the realm.

To architects Le Vau
and Hardouin-Mansart,

he entrusts the
building of a chateau

equal to the dimensions
of his reign,

immense and absolute.

Versailles.

The landscape gardener,
Andre Le Nôtre,

is given responsibility
for the gardens.

The lines are geometric
and symmetrical.

Nature is mastered, tamed,
subject to the King.

Pharaonic works bring huge,

sumptuous buildings
from the earth.

Complex hydraulic systems
feed the many fountains.

Although the works drive the

Controller General of
Finance to despair,

it soon becomes the ultimate
symbol of absolute monarchy.

In May, 1682, the King
moves in with his court.

Royal family, princes,
upper nobility, ministers,

and secretaries of state,
all are gathered there,

in this vast estate
of 20,000 acres.

All under the King's eye.

From the Hall of Mirrors,

The Sun King looks out
at his only competitor.

The French Monarchy
seems unshakeable.

And yet, on July 14th, 1789,

the people of Paris,
starving, and at bay,

will take up arms.

It's the beginning
of the revolution.

Three years later, King Louis
XVII will be decapitated.

But that is another story.

- [Announcer] Union is strength.

The Fronde rebels did
not attack the King,

but his power.

They were not united around
a common, unifying aim,

apart from, perhaps,
their hatred of Mazarin.

Each group fought for
its own interests,

its own glory, and
its own enrichment.

In the heart of the storm,

Mazarin and Anne of Austria
remained firmly united,

fought on all sides
against all corners,

and skillfully
managed to gain time

until the King was
old enough to govern.

Although of Italian and
Spanish origins respectively,

their loyalty to the crown and
the good of the French state

proved to be flawless,
their devotion, absolute.

There is a temptation
to compare The Fronde

to The French
Revolution of 1789.

But The Fronde rebels
were not revolutionaries.

At no time was that
ever a question.

The Revolution was carried
along by a unifying vision,

that of a more egalitarian,
less unfair society.

The citizens who drafted

The Declaration of
Rights of Man

did not do so to obtain more
privileges or more power.

They did it out of an ideal
of liberty and equality.