The Accursed Kings
Season 1
In 1300s France, King Philippe IV raids the Knights Templar's treasury. Their Grand Master de Molay, burned at stake, curses the king, his advisor, and pope for 13 generations, leading to decades of turmoil before the 100 Years War.
Where to Watch The Accursed Kings • Season 1
5 Episodes
- Le Roi de fer (The Iron King)
E1Le Roi de fer (The Iron King)France, 1307. With the royal coffers empty, and no formalised system of taxation, King Philippe IV (Tchéky Karyo) asks Jacques de Molay (Gérard Depardieu), the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, for a loan. When he is refused, the King has every member of the Order arrested on the same night (Friday the 13th of October), and seizes the gold anyway. Under torture, the Grand Master confesses to spitting on the cross and is convicted of heresy. The King promptly has him burnt at the stake, coercing the Pope into greenlighting the whole affair. However, as Molay burns, he issues a curse upon the King and Pope Clement, and all of their descendants for 13 generations… When the Pope dies shortly afterwards, it seems as though the curse is at work. Meanwhile, Robert of Artois, a French nobleman, feels that he has been cheated out of his inheritance by his aunt, Mahaut (Jeanne Moreau). Her daughters are married to the King’s sons, and when Robert learns of their infidelity, he enlists the help of the King’s daughter, Isabella, to bring them down. His actions set in motion a series of events that are to have wide-ranging consequences for both France and England. - La Reine étranglée (The Strangled Queen)
E2La Reine étranglée (The Strangled Queen)King Philippe is deeply affected by the deaths of the Pope and one of his most trusted advisors, which he blames on the curse of the Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Obsessed with the curse, Philippe starts wasting away and dies shortly afterwards. With Philippe’s eldest son, Louis X, on the throne, Robert d’Artois intensifies his scheming to reclaim the County of Artois from his aunt Mahaut. To gain the support and trust of the new king, he allies himself with the king’s uncle Charles of Valois and plots to undermine the once influential chamberlain, Enguerrand de Marigny. King Louis seeks a new wife to provide him with an heir and ensure the succession, but is hindered by the fact he is still married to Marguerite of Burgundy, who has been imprisoned for adultery. Furthermore, a new Pope has not been elected and his marriage cannot be annulled. He sends Robert d’Artois to Marguerite in an attempt to coerce her into writing a letter stating that their marriage was never consummated and that her daughter is illegitimate. She writes the letter, but the king does not receive it, and another solution must be found… - La Louve de France (The She-Wolf of France)
E4La Louve de France (The She-Wolf of France)The death of King Louis X Le Hutin intensifies rivalries, with different factions fighting over the regency. Mahaut sides with Philippe the Tall, but his absence from Paris leaves a clear way for Charles de Valois, supported by Robert d'Artois, to claim the regency. Rumours about Mahaut's murderous schemes begin to surface. - Le Lis et le Lion (The Lily and the Lion)
E5Le Lis et le Lion (The Lily and the Lion)Warned by Robert d'Artois of their imminent deportation back to England, Queen Isabelle and her lover Mortimer escape. With the assistance of their many allies both in France and England, they manage to build up an army and eventually march to London. King Edward II flees with his lover Lord Despenser, but the pair is soon caught and arrested. Back in France, the curse of the Templars strikes again.
