Death of a Mistress
A king’s lovely mistress died young, of purely natural causes. Or did she?
Episode Premiere: THURSDAY April 25th at 9PM. Repeat broadcast: Friday 26th at 7PM, Saturday 27th at 8PM
What was once a royal palace is now a museum of French culture and history attracting 3 million visitors every year.
In this episode we take a Musketeer training course to discover the real man behind the fictional D’Artagnan. We find out why Champagne bubbles (and if it’s good for you), then discover that Marie Antoinette was not the frivolous dim-wit that some would have us believe. We examine a strange weapon created by an inventive assassin, then investigate the suspicious death of a king’s mistress. And finally, we visit an historic French observatory to recreate a discovery that connects humanity to the stars.
Secrets revealed in this episode
Champagne
Today, no important occasion is complete without bubbly. How did Champagne become the world’s favorite social lubricant?
Prismatic Chandeliers
In Versailles, prismatic chandeliers cast rainbows on the walls. In the nearby royal observatory, French astronomers used prismatic lenses to make a surprising connection between human life and the stars.
Infernal Machine
This multi-barreled monstrosity was created to kill a king. What happened when the smoke cleared?
Marie Antoinette
Many think of the last French Queen as frivolous, dim -witted, and unaware that some people can’t afford to “eat cake.” Except she wasn’t like that at all. Who was the real Marie Antoinette?
The Real Musketeer
In the movies, the Musketeers have a rollicking good time. But how did they really live and die?
