Louis XIII dies, leaving his 5-year-old son on the throne, on behalf of whom his mother Anne of Austria and the cardinal Mazarin ( a despotic adviser and allegedly the queen’s lover) rule the state. The absolute power which is posessed by this duo leads as a consequence to the mutiny, so called “Fronde”, which existed in the time of French-Spanish war. The child-king sneaks out at night to Saint Germain to an inevitable death. And here our story begins.

Act I

          Louis XIV Bourbon grows up, as a 21-year-old young man he distracedly falls in love with a youthful Italian emigrant, cardinal Mazarin’s niece, Marie Mancini. With an intent of becoming a real man in the eyes of the beloved woman, the monarch heads for Flanders to lead a war againts Spain as a personal commander of his armies (kilka?). Marie insists on his staying beside her, but he is inflexible. A misadventure causes an enormous tragedy – Louis becomes seriously injured and for a long time the court treats him as decedent, turning towards the ruler’s younger brother, Philip. The king’s love does not want to bear a very possible death of Louis, she prays for him all the nights, constantly being in floods of tears. After quite a long period of illness Louis XIV recoveres– on of his court-doctors administers him an exquisite medicine. The young king finds out about the court’s perfidy and betrayal, as well as Marie’s admirable faithfullness. Desperately in love monarch pops the question to the beautiful Italian, which is considered by Marie with an immense sorrow as an impossible thing by reason of the birth diffrences. Louis stubbornly stands firm by his marriage proposals, begging Marie, not to negate the possibility of being together for evermore. But the queen mother, Anne of Austria, and the cardinal have their own way of thinking. They exile Marie and arrange for Louis a marriage with a Spanish infant princess, Marie Theresa, seperating this way the couple for ages. The monarch complains in tears to the world about his painful fate, making his farewell to Marie in their last kiss.