Princess Marie Christine of France marries prince Vittorio Amadeo I.of Savoy and brings a free livestyle into the severe catholic court of Turin, where she finds the love of her live in her guard, the artist and event creator Fillippo de San Martino, Count d´Agliè and has to fight against the two Spain supporting brothers of Vittorio, cardinal Mauritzio and Francesco Thomaso after her husband´s death to keep the regency in Turin.

SYNOPSIS:

TV SERIES SYNOPSIS :

The fight between France and Spain on Italien territory is the reason for the conflicts between Marie Christine of France and her brothers in law, cardinal Maurizio and prince Thomaso Francesco, and their ambition to near king´s houses like the Bourbon,is the reason to be marbeled between rivals and confederates. The church is also part of this game of might in Italy. Cardinal Richelieu is the secret emperor in France and allows no contrahent. Even not if supported by Rome. He is sceptic against the pope and believes to be the only authority in the state of the churches. Father Monod caricatures cardinal Richelieu in the poem "Preasul galeatus" and recieves the livelong hateress of the cardinal. Marie Christine defends not only her French livestyle, but also her confessor father Pietro Monod against cardinal Richelieu and the pope.

She has to decide between the interrests of France ( her homeland ) and the duchy of Piemont. With the help of Fillippo de San Martino, count of Aglié, an artist at her court, whom she desires and loves, she can make a clear decision and chooses the duchy, whose regent she becomes after the death of her husband duke Vittorio Amadeo. She defends the interrests of Savoy against cardinal Richelieu and king Louis 13th her brother in France, but also against her brothers in law, cardinal Maurizio and prince Thomaso Francesco, who are influenced by Spain, where they grew up after the death of their Spanish mother Michaela. And she hold position against the vatican state and the church orders of whom she demands to pay taxes like the nobelty to strengthen the duchy. The picture of the world and their main protagonists change dramatically in her century when Galileio Galilei describes for the first time the sun as a new centre of the universe. The church cannot accept these scientific renewal of the world and a fight of the most inteligent spirits of the country starts against old believes.

Duchess Marie Christine invents commissions for commoners as seen in France and parts the land into 18 local governed districts, ruled by gouvernors. Marie Christine of France loves Fillippo de San Martino and stays her live long his reign, true friend and lover.

PILOT SYNOPSIS:

THE BOUND OF LOVE IS THE BELT OF THE EMPIRE

Katharina Michaela of Spain and Carlo Emanuelle duke of Savoye plan the future of their son Vittore Amadeo. They discuss that he has to become a cardinal like his forefather who was even pope for 10 years. Katharina is pregnant, her 9 children are around her. She writes her father the king of spain letters about her live at the court. She is a severe mother who holds on to the spain court ceremonies.

Vittorio Amadeo grews up and Carlo Emanuelle has other plans for him as duke of Savoye. So his brother Maurizio is presented to the pope as a cardinal at the age of 2 years.

The birth of Katharina Michaels tenth child starts too soon and she dies in the arms of her husband 1597.

Her son Maurizio is 4 years old when his father promises her to keep on asking the pope for the cardinal´s hat for his son. While the pope refuses the influence of Spain in Rome, the duke does not accept this decision and refuses the bishop and the other representives of the pope as long as his son does not get a cardinal´s hat.

He sends his sons Filippo Emanuele, Vittorio Amedeo and Emanuele Filiberto to the court of Madrid, to complete their education in 1603. Abbot G. Botero accompanies them. In January 1605 the three princes fell ill with smallpox; Filippo Emanuele dies and Vittorio Amadeo, now a crown prince, is recalled to Turin together with his younger brother Emanuelle Filiberto.

In 1607 Vittorio Amadeo begins a long and hard political-military training. Carlo Emanuele I considers his children as intimate coadjutors, and therefore gives them positions of responsibility and delicate missions. Vittorio Amadeo is sent to Spain 1613, but the trip ends in a diplomatic failure that presages the neighboring armed conflict.

When Maurizio ist 14 years old he becomes cardinal and is sent to Rome.

Maurizio meets the cardinals and the pope and learns about the live of a man of the church in Rome.

The young nobleman Philippe Filippo de San Martino, Conte D´Agliè is the son of Giulio Cesare San Martino d’Aglié, the first duke of San Germano and member of one of the oldes families of the Piemont und Ottavia Gentile, daughter of

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Olderico Gentile a gentlemen of the Republic of Genua. He, leds a free and adventurous live in Turin and falls in love with a young lady which leads to a duell with the count of Parella. His father sends him to cardinal Maurizio of Savoye in Rome, an old friend of the family as a chambermaster.

The both share an interest in arts and literature and become friends.

Duke Carlo Emanuelle calls cardinal Maurizio to come back to Turin. His brother Vittorio Amadeo is now 31 years old and has to marry the daughter of the king of France to guarantee the peace with France. Maurizio has to make the deal with the French and go to Paris. The young cardinal travels to Paris at the side of bishop Francesco Di Sales and meets there the 12 year old Marie Christine of France who impresses him with her beauty and selve esteem.

He is desperate about his forced live as a cardinal and that he cannot marry her himselve, but fulfills his duty and makes a deal for the marriage with Claude de Bullion. The contract is signed on 11.1.1619.

Prince Vittorio Emanuelle travels to Paris and the marriage with princess Marie Christine takes place with a big ceremony at her birthday on 10.th February 1619 in the Louvre of Paris.Mauritzio attends the party and the festivities in Paris.

The couple travels back to Turin. She is nearly a child and her 18 year elder husband amuses her with dance and theatre events in Turin to celebrate the marriage. He amuses himselve with an older woman at the night of his arrival and lets Marie Christine sleep alone about which she is very released. The court amuses the young princess, but she is used to more sophisticated amusements and has a fight with the cardinal and the duke Carlo Emanuelle about the severe ceremony at the court. She gets the castle Valentino from the duke to celebrate her marriage and lives there with Vittorio Emanuelle who respects her because of her inteligence and her beauty even when his interests ly more in walking alone in the woods an hunting than in festivities at the court.She becomes a very beautiful woman and Mauritzio returns to Rome.

1622 she gets pregnant of her husband Vittorio with their first son Ludovico Amadeo.They have a little family now and she is supported by her husband who is under the legacy of his severe and ambitious father.

1624 Filippo writes his first ballet "Bacco trionfatore delle Indie" in Rome. The live in Rome is luxurous and cardinal Mauritzio supports his development as a young

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artist. To be more independent from the Vatican cardinal Mauritzio decides to come back to Turin and 1627 he founds the accademy of Solinghi in Turin.

His chamber master Fillippo accompanies him and enters the academy under the pseudonym of Fillindo il Constante. He writes poems, learns about the greek antic author Homer and amuses himselve with other young noblemen in Turin.

1628 dies Marie Christine´s son Ludovico Amadeo at the age of six. She is completely desperate and cries in despair. The court men try to amuse her again. She flirts with the court men and has an affair with a young court man, Pommeuse, who is soon banned from court by her father in law duke Carlo Emanuelle.

1629 Marie Christine gets another baby, a daughter, Ludovica Cristina. The rumor comes up that the baby is by the banned court man Pommeuse and not by prince Vittorio. Her marriage is under the pressure of getting another son and the severe father of her husband reminds her of the leagcy of his spain wife who is ruling the family like a ghost. Her big picture hangs in the castle and she escapes with her child to castle Valentino.

1630 the duke dies and Vittorio becomes duke of Turin. Fillippo meets the couple Vittorio and Marie Christine in Cherasco. Fillippo di San Martino is very impressed by Marie Christine and fights with his feelings as a nobleman.

1631 Filippo di san Martino becomes a guard of the couple in Turin. Fillipo is happy to stay around Marie Christine and aranges parties and danse events to help her to feel better again. He writes ballets for her and presents them in the court. He also writes the ballet "Le ballet des montagnards" which is presented at the court in Paris. Marie Christine´s husband is amused and supports the art of Fillippo which makes him shine at the court of the king of France and his admiration for Marie Christine as a way to keep his wive happy.

The cardinal Maurizio gets jealous not only of Marie Christine but also of loosing his friend Fillippo and chamber master to her. He tries to build an oponnent circle at the court where the Spain rules are kept on. He wants to keep the legacy of his Spain mother on court and is irritated about the new festivities that have a french character and are not kept in traditional manner.

The three men fight for her attention, her husband Vittorio supports the french habits at court to keep her amused and on his side, his brother Maurizio is jealous and searches his lost luck in art and severeness against those habits

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with the help of a part of the noblemen at court. And the artist Fillippo admires openly the duchess and organises theatre and dance events for her.

He becomes choreographer, event organiser and writer of theatre and danse productions at the court of the duchess.

1632 Marie Christine gets another baby, the long awaited son, Prince Franz Hyazinth.

1633 the duke tells Fillippo to build the castle Valentino into a modern baroque building and soon Marie Christine and Fillippo share their ideas and plans for the project in french style.She moves there as her prefered residence.

The duke is free to amuse himselve with the court ladies and Marie Christine does not intervene.Fillippo is honored to be an important partner of the duke and the duchess.

1634 Marie Christine gets another baby, her son Carlo Emaunelle. She is now the centre of the court and all activities , ballets and cultural events are organised by Fillippo for her.

On summer day Fillippo shows a ballet in the garden to the court. Fillippo admires the beauty of the young mother and she shows with her loving eyes her interest. He keeps himselve in respectfull distance, but his admiration is welcome at the side of the duchess. They meet with their eyes and a secret passion makes Fillippo suffer in love for his admired reign.

Cardinal Mauritzio gets more and more jealous. He feels expulsed from the joys of the court, from the realtion of Fillippo with Marie Christine and he starts to organise the nobelity around him against his brother and his loose treats of the new liberal French habits.

Marie Christine plays with her might. She knows that Fillippo loves and admires her but would never get too close as the nobelman he is. He is her servant and she treats him like a reign does, he has to follow her wishes and she lets him suffer for her.

They come each other nearer and in a silent hour in her garden she kisses Fillippo. Fillippo confesses her his affection, that she has conquered his heart in storm, and that he is her willing servant and would do everything for her. She is his princess and reign.

Marie Christine is happy to be the only ruler of his heart and keeps him at her side as often as she wishes. The court

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ladies realise their nearness and the first rumors about their behaviour occur. He is a fool to let himselve seduce by her, the court noblemen say. Other say that the duke is a fool to let his wive live a free live like that. But she lets him his own interests, sleeps with him and raises his children and so all have to accept the situation. Cardinal Mauritzio uses the irritation at the side of the noblemen to support his position as the severe leader of the church.

1635 Marie Christine gets another baby with the duke, her daughter Margherete Yolande. She is now a happy mother and Fillippo suffers a lot, but accepts his position as a cultural servant for the family of the duke.

1636 Marie Christine gets twins, Katharina Beatrix and Henriette Adelheid.

Marie Christine discusses the situation at the court with her husband. He has heard about the negative rumors and that Mauritzio tries to oponent them. Marie Christine says he is the reign and rules the country. Also the church has to bow before him. The jesuits own a lot of land in the country and do not pay taxes until now and she wants them to fill the state´s empty funds to build more churches and castles. The duke agrees. The new tax law makes cardinal Mauritzio angry and he oposes his brother now openly.

Her daughter Katharina Beatrix dies on 26.August 1637 while Vittorio Amadeo the duke tries to create an anti spanish league in Italy with the help of the cardinal Richelieu and fights in a military operation against the Spaniards in Mombaldone where he forces them back into their regions.

Filippo is at her side and helps her in her despereateness.

On the evening of the 25 september 1637 the Duke of Crèguy offers the duke Vittorio Amadeo a dinner after which many of the guests feel ill and are forced to stay in bed. Vittorio Emanuelle is serious ill and transported to Turin where he dies at 2:30 in the morning on 7. october 1637.

A few days after his death Marie Christine reclaims the right of guardianship of her own children and therefore the right to rule the country as a duchess. She is accepted by the Turin government. But cardinal Mauritzius and his brother Thomas Franz will not accept the desicion of the people of Turin.