The Man Who Would Be King: The Life of Philippe D'Orleans, Regent of France

xiii, 366 pp. When Louis XIV died in 1715 after 72 years on the throne, very few regretted his passing. The great king had become a testy and ill-humoured bore, depending more and more on his wife Mme de Maintenon. He knew that his succession was fragile as it depended upon his five year old child and, to support him, the man who became regent, Philippe d' Orleans, who represented everything the king feared and detested. He was a hard drinking womaniser: in 1715 he went on trial accused of poisoning the heirs to the throne, committing incest with his daughter and engaging in treasonable activities in Spain. Philippe was 41 when he became Regent and despite his sure ability to shock he possessed another side to his character. He was a cultivated and artist prince, a kind-hearted father and curious about the arts, science, history and above all human nature.