''Cinq-Mars'' is an 1826

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...

by the French writer

Alfred de Vigny Alfred Victor, Comte de Vigny (; 27 March 1797 – 17 September 1863) was a French poet and early French Romanticism, Romanticist. He also produced novels, plays, and translations of Shakespeare. Biography Vigny was born in Loches (a town to wh ...

. It portrays the rebellious conspiracy of

Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis of Cinq-Mars Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis of Cinq-Mars (; 1620 – 12 September 1642) was a favourite of King Louis XIII of France, who led the last and most nearly successful of many conspiracies against the Cardinal Richelieu, the king's powerful ...

during the reign of

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

in the early sixteenth century. Cinq-Mars unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow the

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

and was executed. This and other early French historical novels ''

A Chronicle of the Reign of Charles IX ''A Chronicle of the Reign of Charles IX'' (French: ''Chronique du règne de Charles IX'') is an 1829 historical novel by the French writer Prosper Mérimée. It portrays events leading up to the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572 during the ...

'' (1829) and ''

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (, originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. The title refers to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which features prominently throughout the novel. I ...

'' (1831) were inspired by the popularity of British author

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

Waverley novels The Waverley novels are a long series of novels by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832). For nearly a century, they were among the most popular and widely read novels in Europe. Because Scott did not publicly acknowledge authorship until 1827, the se ...

in France. It was de Vigny's only novel and also reflected the Gothic tone of the works of

Ann Radcliffe Ann Radcliffe (née Ward; 9 July 1764 – 7 February 1823) was an English novelist who pioneered the Gothic fiction, Gothic novel, and a minor poet. Her fourth and most popular novel, ''The Mysteries of Udolpho'', was published in 1794. She i ...

. Several artists produced paintings based on the novel over the next few years including

Claudius Jacquand Claude Jacquand, known as Claudius Jacquand (; 11 December 1803, Lyon – 2 April 1878, Paris) was a French painter of historical tableaus, genre scenes and religious subjects. Biography He came from a family devoted to handicrafts and his fathe ...

and

Paul Delaroche Hippolyte-Paul Delaroche (; Paris, 17 July 1797 – Paris, 4 November 1856) was a French painter who achieved his greater successes painting historical scenes. He became famous in Europe for his melodramatic depictions that often portrayed subje ...

's who painted '' The State Barge of Cardinal Richelieu on the Rhône'' in 1829. The 1877 opera '' Cinq-Mars'' composed by

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

was also inspired by the novel.Poter p.31

References

Bibliography

* Hamnett, Brian . ''The Historical Novel in Nineteenth-Century Europe: Representations of Reality in History and Fiction''. OUP Oxford, 2011. * Logan, Peter Melville, George, Olakunle, Hegeman, Susan & Kristal, Efraín (ed.) ''The Encyclopedia of the Novel''. John Wiley & Sons, 2014. * Potter, Caroline. ''French Music Since Berlioz''. Routledge, 2017. * Taylor, Karen L. ''The Facts on File Companion to the French Novel''. Infobase Publishing, 2006. 1826 French novels French historical novels Novels set in the 1640s Cultural depictions of Louis XIII Cultural depictions of Cardinal Richelieu {{1820s-novel-stub