Ce diable d'homme

Trained in the school of English and French philosophers and fond of surrounding himself with brilliant minds, Frederick II spares no intrigue to enjoy Voltaire’s company. He manages to overcome the resistance of Émilie, Marquise du Châtelet, who keeps her protégé at Cirey so that he may complete his great work The Age of Louis XIV. Defying the warnings of his mistress and the king’s anger, he joins his princely admirer. But once crowned King of Prussia in 1740, Frederick II—far from following the political advice of his guest—treats him in a most uncivil manner. Voltaire returns to France, where, thanks to the intercession of d’Argenson and Madame de Pompadour with Louis XV, he is appointed official historiographer, made a gentleman of the king’s household, and—ironically enough—honored with the Pope’s blessing.