Fouquet

Also known as: M. Fouquet / Monsieur Fouquet / the superintendent · Family: Royal court · Role: superintendent · First appears: Chapter 1

At the beginning, D’Artagnan saw Fouquet as the man bringing him ruin and death, yet “Fouquet bowed with a smile to him who, an hour before, was bringing him ruin and death.” By chapter 18, Fouquet was working with Louis XIV and Colbert, and in chapter 19 he presented Belle-Ile-en-Mer to the king. At Fontainebleau, Louis XIV demanded four million francs for his fête, which Fouquet promised within three days; Aramis offered to remedy the resulting crisis, while Fouquet promised him fifty thousand francs for the arrangement through Baisemeaux de Montlezun, whose appointment had been purchased from Louviere and Tremblay. In 1659, Baisemeaux de Montlezun still intended to seek Fouquet’s help for Aramis’s address and money, while Fouquet’s rivalry with Colbert sharpened.

In chapter 28, Madame de Belliere offered Fouquet her fortune, then declared her love when he rejected her financial help. He accepted both her devotion and her million-franc dowry. Eight days later, four million francs had been consumed by the ballet’s expenses; Louis XIV declined to pressure him further, though Colbert insisted that Fouquet must continue to provide money. At Vaux, Fouquet agreed to offer the king another fête, and by 1661 Louis XIV granted him an audience at two in the morning, withdrew his prejudices against him, and kept him near until the celebration. Fouquet’s tact, consideration, and generosity damaged Colbert’s standing, while his recommendation secured Aramis’s appointment as bishop of Vannes. He was also urged to court La Vallière, though their connection was later described as respectful friendship.

From chapter 52 onward, Aramis remained closely tied to Fouquet, leaving his château in disguise and later declaring that Belle-Isle’s new garrison belonged to them both. Aramis sought Fouquet’s support for replacing Louis XIV with a king devoted to Fouquet, offering him ten million; Fouquet signed the letter intended to win La Vallière’s affection, then was directed to recover it and present himself only as her devoted friend. When La Vallière denied receiving it, Fouquet’s servant Toby, who had served him faithfully for twenty years, claimed to have placed the note in her apartment before taking Fouquet’s fastest horse and escaping. Fouquet also remained concerned for his friend Porthos, and Raoul was sent to him carrying letters for the king of Great Britain.