Only the King, and the Queen Mother knew that he was in fact only hours from his fall.
For Louis XIV to witness such applause going to someone else, to visit a home more luxurious than his old palaces and a magical garden, were trials for his self-esteem that were hard to endure, and they fueled his desire to destroy the minister.
Were it not for the Queen Mother’s advice he would have had Fouquet arrested on the spot.
Later Voltaire was to sum up the famous fête thus: "On 17 August, at six in the evening Fouquet was the King of France: at two in the morning he was nobody."
Thanks to the incredible, important and generous private funding and personal family restoration, it is as resplendent today as it was in former times.
Vaux-le Vicomte stands as a symbol of the intelligence, taste and independence of its creator, Nicolas Fouquet.
History: Vaux le Vicomte
