''Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge'' (translated as ''The Knight of Maison-Rouge: A Novel of Marie Antoinette'' or ''The Knight of the Red House'') was written in 1845 by Alexandre Dumas, père. It is related to a series referred to as the , though technically not part of that series as the characters of Joseph Balsamo (also known as Cagliostro) and Doctor Gilbert do not appear in the novel, and many of the other series' protagonists have died by the start of this novel. The novel takes place shortly after the end of the series, following the death of Louis XVI. Set in Paris during the Reign of Terror, the novel follows the adventures of a brave young man named Maurice Lindey who unwittingly implicates himself in a Royalist plot to rescue Marie Antoinette from prison. Maurice is devoted to the Republican cause, but his infatuation with a beautiful young woman leads him into the service of the mysterious Knight of Maison-Rouge, the mastermind behind the plot.
Alexandre Dumas based events in the novel on "", an attempt by the Marquis Alexandre Gonsse de Rougeville to communicate with Marie Antoinette by hiding a secret message in the petals of a carnation. According to the biography ''La vie d'Alexandre Dumas père'' by J. Lucas-Dubreton, Dumas had originally titled the work ''Le Chevalier de Rougeville'', but changed the title to ''Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge'' after receiving a complaint from the son of the Marquis de Rougeville.
Bibliography
English translation of ''La vie d'Alexandre Dumas père'' by J. Lucas-Dubreton
External links
(French)
1845 French novels
Novels by Alexandre Dumas
Novels set in the French Revolution
Novels set in Paris
Cultural depictions of Louis XVI
Cultural depictions of Marie Antoinette
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