The Man Who Outshone the Sun King

Nicolas Foucquet is not a name that will ring many bells, but anyone who has seen his magnificent home of Vaux-le-Vicomte near Melun, about 50 miles from Paris, will not soon forget it. The financier responsible for this edifice eventually ran afoul of King Louis XIV and ended up spending the last two decades of his life banished in an Alpine fortress. With a deft and clear style, Charles Drazin has chronicled the rise and fall of Foucquet against the background of war, insurrection and intrigue in 17th century France.