![Book Cover of Ten Years Later](/image/book/ten-years-later.webp)
Ten Years Later
'Ten Years Later' Summary
The principal heroes of the novel are the musketeers. The novel's length finds it frequently broken into smaller parts. The narrative is set between 1660 and 1673 against the background of the transformation of Louis XIV from child monarch to Sun King.
Part One: The Vicomte of Bragelonne (Chapters 1–93)
After 35 years of loyal service, d'Artagnan resigns as lieutenant of the Musketeers as he perceives the young king Louis XIV as weak-willed. He resolves to aid the exiled Charles II to retake the throne of England, unaware that Athos is attempting the same. With their assistance Charles II is restored to the throne and d'Artagnan is rewarded richly.
In France, Cardinal Mazarin has died, leaving Louis to assume power with Jean-Baptiste Colbert as his finance minister. Colbert has an intense hatred for his superior the king's Superintendent of Finances, Nicolas Fouquet, and tries to bring about his fall. He brings to the king's attention that Fouquet is fortifying his fief of Belle Île secretly. Louis persuades d'Artagnan to re-enter his service, and tasks him to investigate Belle Île, promising him a substantial salary and promotion to Captain of the King's Musketeers on his return. Louis, finally growing into a decisive ruler, also accepts an offer relayed by Athos from Charles II to marry Louis' brother Philippe I, Duke of Orléans to Charles' sister Henrietta Anne Stuart.
D'Artagnan confirms that Belle Île is being fortified and the architect ostensibly in charge is Porthos, though the drawings show the handwriting of Aramis, who is now the bishop of Vannes. Aramis, suspicious of d'Artagnan, sends Porthos back to Paris to warn Fouquet, whilst tricking d'Artagnan into searching for Porthos around Vannes. Porthos warns Fouquet in the nick of time, and he cedes Belle Île to the king, humiliating Colbert. On returning from the mission, d'Artagnan is made Captain of the King's Musketeers anyway.
Meanwhile, Princess Henrietta arrives in France escorted by the second Duke of Buckingham, to be met by an embassy consisting of Raoul de Bragelonne, his close friend Armand de Gramont, Comte de Guiche, and the Comte de Wardes, son of the previous Comte de Wardes from The Three Musketeers. The erratic Buckingham is madly in love with the princess and can scarcely conceal it, while Guiche soon finds himself equally smitten. Philippe, though little attracted to women, becomes horribly jealous of Buckingham and has him exiled after the wedding.
Book Details
Author
![Alexandre Dumas image](/thumbs/image/author/alexandre-dumas.webp)
Alexandre Dumas
France
Dumas began his career by writing plays, which were successfully produced from the first. He also wrote numerous magazine articles and travel books; his published works totalled 100,000 pages. In the...
More on Alexandre DumasDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
![The Sin of Monsieur Antoine, Volume 2 Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-sin-of-monsieur-antoine-volume-2.webp)
The Sin of Monsieur Antoine, Volume 2 by George Sand
Step into a world of hidden desires and moral dilemmas with "The Sin of Monsieur Antoine, Volume 2" by George Sand. In this captivating continuation,...
![Allan's Wife Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/allans-wife.webp)
Allan's Wife by H. Rider Haggard
We begin with young (age 9-ish) Allan at home in England meeting young Stella; then, Stella's mother abandons her husband (more than a whiff of scanda...
![Angelica Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/angelica.webp)
Angelica by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
The story follows the protagonist, Angelica, as she navigates through a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal to uncover the truth about her husband's dea...
![The Improvement of Human Reason Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-improvement-of-human-reason.webp)
The Improvement of Human Reason by Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Malik Ibn Tufail
"The Improvement of Human Reason" by Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Malik Ibn Tufail is a timeless philosophical work that beckons the mind to wander through th...
![In Search of Mademoiselle Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/in-search-of-mademoiselle.webp)
In Search of Mademoiselle by George Gibbs
Embark on a captivating adventure through the intrigue of 17th century France as George Gibbs's "In Search of Mademoiselle" unveils a tale of mistaken...
![A Lady of Quality Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/a-lady-of-quality.webp)
A Lady of Quality by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Set in late 1600's England, the story follows the life of a woman living an unconventional life. The loves of her life and all of its ups and downs ar...
![The Mystery at Lovers' Cave Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-mystery-at-lovers-cavee.webp)
The Mystery at Lovers' Cave by Anthony Berkeley
In the heart of an idyllic English village lies a secret buried deeper than the enigmatic shadows of Lovers' Cave. Anthony Berkeley's "The Mystery at...
![Your Affectionate Godmother Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/your-affectionate-godmother.webp)
Your Affectionate Godmother by Elinor Glyn
It follows the adventures of a young girl named Sylvia as she navigates the complexities of love and friendship in early 20th century England. The boo...
![The Short Line War Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-short-line-war.webp)
The Short Line War by Samuel Merwin
"The Short Line War is a story that will appeal more particularly to the sterner sex, and we take it that the hyphenated name, Merwin-Webster, stands...
![The Mistress of Shenstone Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-mistress-of-shenstone.webp)
The Mistress of Shenstone by Florence Louisa Barclay
When Lady Myra Ingleby learns by telegram that her husband has been killed in the war, the sadness if not true grief that assails her along with the s...
Reviews for Ten Years Later
No reviews posted or approved, yet...