Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte: High Crimes & Misdemeanours – Part 1

When I departed Paris early one autumn morning on a bus tour of two of France’s most famous châteaux, little did I know that I would soon be immersed in the high crimes and misdemeanours of Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte. This was the first of the châteaux that we visited that day. And the drama began to reveal itself to us immediately upon our arrival.

Burglary at Dawn

We approached this magnificent château on foot, passing its imposing gate and crossing the bridge over its moat. No sooner had we passed over the threshold beneath the grand façade, than our guide informed us that the current owners had been burgled early that very morning! Yes, incredibly, at approximately 4 AM, six masked men, broke into the home of Madame et Monsieur de Vogüé and tied them up. The burglars then proceed to steal approximately two million euros worth of cash and jewels. Fortunately, the couple, both of whom are well into their senior years, escaped physical injury.

And fortunately for us, the couple lives in outbuildings on the property. This meant that our tour of the château could continue as planned. So, we began in le grand salon, with a breathtaking view of the formal French gardens designed by André Le Nôtre streaming through its arched doors. It was here, under the expansive, trompe l’oeil ceiling, now a mere shadow of its intended glory, that even more high crimes of Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte began to be revealed.

The Red Squirrel

For this great house had been built by Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux. He was a rising star in the government of the Sun King, Louis XIV, filling the role of Superintendent of Finances. In fact, Fouquet’s coat of arms, which featured a red squirrel (the meaning of his name), bore the motto “Quo non ascendet?” – “What heights will he not scale?”. But, as Greek mythology has taught us, those who fly too close to the sun tend to get burned.

Flying Too Close To The Sun

Basking in the immense wealth he had acquired, Fouquet hired architect Louis Le Vau to build a château that was both lavish and refined. He spared no expense, filling his Baroque palace with gilded furnishings and the sumptuous paintings of Charles Le Brun. Upon completion of his opulent new home, on August 17, 1661, Fouquet invited the King and six hundred other guests to an extravagant fête in honour of Louis XIV. François Vatel oversaw the preparation and presentation of a great feast.

The fountains in the gardens flowed. A new play by Molière, ‘Les Fâcheux‘, debuted. (I caught sight of two musicians dressed in period costume who had just performed for a private function). The festivities concluded with an incredible fireworks display.

Insult Over Injury

Fouquet’s fête would turn out to be a major faux pas. The extravagant château and the ostentatious celebrations so enraged the King that he refused to stay the night. And so, the luxurious bedchamber that had been built especially for Louis XIV, was never slept in by him.

Voltaire would later say of this famous fête: “On August 17th, at six in the evening, Fouquet was the King of France; at two in the morning, he was nobody.” For the Sun King was so upset by the fact that Fouquet had outshone him, that he caved to the machinations of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, his Minister of State, and allowed himself to be persuaded that his Finance Minister’s wealth was a result of the misappropriation of public funds. And so, within a few weeks of the lavish party, Fouquet was arrested by d’Artagnan, lieutenant of the King’s Musketeers.

An image of his trial at le Palais de Justice in Paris now hangs on the walls of the château. Fouquet would spend the rest of his days in the prison fortress of Pignerol.

Louis XIV would go on to appropriate the artisans of Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte for his own project: Château de Versailles. You can catch glimpses of some of that amazing work in my post: Versailles: A Binge-worthy Drama. And stay tuned for the continuation of this dramatic tour in my next post.

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte  Maincy, 77950, Ile-de-France, France