Mazarin — Season 1, Episode 2: Episode 2
Drama, War & Politics, Family • 55 min • 1 season, 6 episodes • ★ 7.0/10
Episode synopsis
Mazarin governs alongside Anne of Austria, continuing the authoritarian policies inherited from Richelieu. The great nobles, frustrated at being pushed aside, gather in secret and fuel popular discontent. The Parlement, already hostile, joins the critics and strengthens the opposition. Aristocratic salons become centers of intrigue against the cardinal. This part establishes a climate of political suffocation in which the “princes in a cage” search for a way out.
About Mazarin
The series Mazarin (1978) recounts the rise of Jules Mazarin, first an Italian diplomat and later France’s chief minister after Richelieu. The story shows how he earns the trust of Anne of Austria and becomes the political mentor of the young Louis XIV. Over the course of the episodes, Mazarin faces court intrigues, the hostility of powerful nobles, and the turmoil of the Fronde, which threatens royal authority and forces him into several periods of exile. Despite pamphlets and conspiracies, he manages to restore order and prepare the emergence of the future Sun King. The series thus portrays a skilled statesman, often contested but essential in shaping absolute monarchy.