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Le vicomte de Bragelonne #3/4
Луиза дьо ла Валиер. Том 2
De burggraaf van Bragelonne: Tien jaar later is een boek van Alexandre Dumas père dat mede gebaseerd is op de legende van de man in het ijzeren masker. Het is het derde en laatste deel van de D'Artagnan-romancyclus (met voorgaande titels De drie musketiers en Twintig jaar later). Het boek werd eerst uitgegeven in drie delen en in sommige landen in vier of vijf delen in de jaren 1847 en 1850. Het boek bevat 268 hoofdstukken en is drie keer zo dik als de eerste uitgave van De drie musketiers.
In Engeland werd in vijf jaar tijd het boek als volgt in vier delen uitgebracht: eerst De burggraaf van Bragelonne, het jaar er op Tien jaar later, gevolgd door Louise de La Vallière en De man in het ijzeren masker.
In Engeland werd in vijf jaar tijd het boek als volgt in vier delen uitgebracht: eerst De burggraaf van Bragelonne, het jaar er op Tien jaar later, gevolgd door Louise de La Vallière en De man in het ijzeren masker.
416 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1991
78 people are currently reading
427 people want to read
About the author
Alexandre Dumas
7,103 books12.4k followersThis note regards Alexandre Dumas, père, the father of Alexandre Dumas, fils (son). For the son, see Alexandre Dumas fils.
Alexandre Dumas père, born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a towering figure of 19th-century French literature whose historical novels and adventure tales earned global renown. Best known for The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and other swashbuckling epics, Dumas crafted stories filled with daring heroes, dramatic twists, and vivid historical backdrops. His works, often serialized and immensely popular with the public, helped shape the modern adventure genre and remain enduring staples of world literature.
Dumas was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a celebrated general in Revolutionary France and the highest-ranking man of African descent in a European army at the time. His father’s early death left the family in poverty, but Dumas’s upbringing was nonetheless marked by strong personal ambition and a deep admiration for his father’s achievements. He moved to Paris as a young man and began his literary career writing for the theatre, quickly rising to prominence in the Romantic movement with successful plays like Henri III et sa cour and Antony.
In the 1840s, Dumas turned increasingly toward prose fiction, particularly serialized novels, which reached vast audiences through French newspapers. His collaboration with Auguste Maquet, a skilled plotter and historian, proved fruitful. While Maquet drafted outlines and conducted research, Dumas infused the narratives with flair, dialogue, and color. The result was a string of literary triumphs, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both published in 1844. These novels exemplified Dumas’s flair for suspenseful pacing, memorable characters, and grand themes of justice, loyalty, and revenge.
The D’Artagnan Romances—The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne—cemented his fame. They follow the adventures of the titular Gascon hero and his comrades Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, blending historical fact and fiction into richly imagined narratives. The Count of Monte Cristo offered a darker, more introspective tale of betrayal and retribution, with intricate plotting and a deeply philosophical core.
Dumas was also active in journalism and theater. He founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris, which staged dramatizations of his own novels. A prolific and energetic writer, he is estimated to have written or co-written over 100,000 pages of fiction, plays, memoirs, travel books, and essays. He also had a strong interest in food and published a massive culinary encyclopedia, Le Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, filled with recipes, anecdotes, and reflections on gastronomy.
Despite his enormous success, Dumas was frequently plagued by financial troubles. He led a lavish lifestyle, building the ornate Château de Monte-Cristo near Paris, employing large staffs, and supporting many friends and relatives. His generosity and appetite for life often outpaced his income, leading to mounting debts. Still, his creative drive rarely waned.
Dumas’s mixed-race background was a source of both pride and tension in his life. He was outspoken about his heritage and used his platform to address race and injustice. In his novel Georges, he explored issues of colonialism and identity through a Creole protagonist. Though he encountered racism, he refused to be silenced, famously replying to a racial insult by pointing to his ancestry and achievements with dignity and wit.
Later in life, Dumas continued writing and traveling, spending time in Belgium, Italy, and Russia. He supported nationalist causes, particularly Italian unification, and even founded a newspaper to advocate for Giuseppe Garibaldi. Though his popularity waned somewhat in his final years, his literary legacy grew steadily. He wrote in a style that was accessible, entertaining, and emotionally reso
Alexandre Dumas père, born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a towering figure of 19th-century French literature whose historical novels and adventure tales earned global renown. Best known for The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and other swashbuckling epics, Dumas crafted stories filled with daring heroes, dramatic twists, and vivid historical backdrops. His works, often serialized and immensely popular with the public, helped shape the modern adventure genre and remain enduring staples of world literature.
Dumas was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a celebrated general in Revolutionary France and the highest-ranking man of African descent in a European army at the time. His father’s early death left the family in poverty, but Dumas’s upbringing was nonetheless marked by strong personal ambition and a deep admiration for his father’s achievements. He moved to Paris as a young man and began his literary career writing for the theatre, quickly rising to prominence in the Romantic movement with successful plays like Henri III et sa cour and Antony.
In the 1840s, Dumas turned increasingly toward prose fiction, particularly serialized novels, which reached vast audiences through French newspapers. His collaboration with Auguste Maquet, a skilled plotter and historian, proved fruitful. While Maquet drafted outlines and conducted research, Dumas infused the narratives with flair, dialogue, and color. The result was a string of literary triumphs, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both published in 1844. These novels exemplified Dumas’s flair for suspenseful pacing, memorable characters, and grand themes of justice, loyalty, and revenge.
The D’Artagnan Romances—The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne—cemented his fame. They follow the adventures of the titular Gascon hero and his comrades Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, blending historical fact and fiction into richly imagined narratives. The Count of Monte Cristo offered a darker, more introspective tale of betrayal and retribution, with intricate plotting and a deeply philosophical core.
Dumas was also active in journalism and theater. He founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris, which staged dramatizations of his own novels. A prolific and energetic writer, he is estimated to have written or co-written over 100,000 pages of fiction, plays, memoirs, travel books, and essays. He also had a strong interest in food and published a massive culinary encyclopedia, Le Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, filled with recipes, anecdotes, and reflections on gastronomy.
Despite his enormous success, Dumas was frequently plagued by financial troubles. He led a lavish lifestyle, building the ornate Château de Monte-Cristo near Paris, employing large staffs, and supporting many friends and relatives. His generosity and appetite for life often outpaced his income, leading to mounting debts. Still, his creative drive rarely waned.
Dumas’s mixed-race background was a source of both pride and tension in his life. He was outspoken about his heritage and used his platform to address race and injustice. In his novel Georges, he explored issues of colonialism and identity through a Creole protagonist. Though he encountered racism, he refused to be silenced, famously replying to a racial insult by pointing to his ancestry and achievements with dignity and wit.
Later in life, Dumas continued writing and traveling, spending time in Belgium, Italy, and Russia. He supported nationalist causes, particularly Italian unification, and even founded a newspaper to advocate for Giuseppe Garibaldi. Though his popularity waned somewhat in his final years, his literary legacy grew steadily. He wrote in a style that was accessible, entertaining, and emotionally reso
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
October 15, 2025
This historical fiction is part of the THE THREE MUSKETEERS series, but kinda not. There is a continuance of some of the characters, but kinda not. Also, it looks as though it is a separate novel, but kinda not. You see, from the time Dumas wrote this, publishers have been breaking up the original novel (The Vicomte of Bragelonne) into separate editions, with the second section being this title. It’s confusing. And that is why it’s not my favorite of the series, but definitely still readable. It just doesn’t swash very many buckles.
For the reader, one doesn’t really need to be acquainted with the Musketeers, mainly because they don’t have much of a focus here. Instead, the emphasis is upon the title character, who is deployed as a decoy for an affair between Louis XIV and Princess Henrietta, the sister of Charles II of England. But it’s Dumas, so the French King instead falls in love with Louise. That’s not good, because the illegitimate son of Athos (my favorite musketeer) has loved her since childhood. Plus, it’s Louis IV, who would fall in love with a turnip.
So where are the various musketeers while all of this is happening? Nowhere, really. Except for Aramis, the most devious of the group. He’s planning to do something with a prisoner in the Bastille (which will lead us into that Iron Mask dude in the next book). So, if you’re looking for action and swordfighting, this isn’t the title to expect it, as this is the romance portion of the series.
That all sounds as though I was bored or not happy with this book, right? Wrong. I did enjoy it, mainly because it’s written so well, with some comedy elements involved. However, I will state that if you can only miss one title in the series, then this is it.
Book Season = Summer (wild hearts)
For the reader, one doesn’t really need to be acquainted with the Musketeers, mainly because they don’t have much of a focus here. Instead, the emphasis is upon the title character, who is deployed as a decoy for an affair between Louis XIV and Princess Henrietta, the sister of Charles II of England. But it’s Dumas, so the French King instead falls in love with Louise. That’s not good, because the illegitimate son of Athos (my favorite musketeer) has loved her since childhood. Plus, it’s Louis IV, who would fall in love with a turnip.
So where are the various musketeers while all of this is happening? Nowhere, really. Except for Aramis, the most devious of the group. He’s planning to do something with a prisoner in the Bastille (which will lead us into that Iron Mask dude in the next book). So, if you’re looking for action and swordfighting, this isn’t the title to expect it, as this is the romance portion of the series.
That all sounds as though I was bored or not happy with this book, right? Wrong. I did enjoy it, mainly because it’s written so well, with some comedy elements involved. However, I will state that if you can only miss one title in the series, then this is it.
Book Season = Summer (wild hearts)
September 12, 2025
Ok, look, I’m sorry, but this is the one where it got intolerable. Dumas was too obviously getting paid by the line. I’m sure for others the romance plot was good, but I didn’t like it and it dragged on for literally hundreds of pages. If the story is about Bragelonne, we should have had his perspective for more than like 100 pages in this book, or had him do anything other than mope. If the story is the Man in the Iron Mask and Aramis, some focus on that would have been nice. The ending chapters were good, but it was a real drag through the middle, and I just can’t give it more than 2 stars.
June 18, 2014
Huh, I didn't rate or review this before moving on to the final volume, so here's my making up for this neglect: Although I cannot actually add a lot I haven't already written about the first two parts. I simply can't bring myself to care about all that romance business, and Louise's undecidedness as well as Louis' fickleness don't endear them to me as characters either.
This whole book (not just this volume) is simply too long without me being able to say that any of the parts are actually completely superfluous. Not all scenes move the plot along, but they add to the characters, to the significance of the locations chosen, or help immerse the reader in the period. Still, it is simply too much to not end up overwhelming the reader with detail to the detriment to any suspense built up.
I am however very excited about the power struggle between Fouquet and Colbert, and even more so about Aramis' machinations. I am already dreading the finale (on behalf of the poor characters!) when all of this will come apart.
This whole book (not just this volume) is simply too long without me being able to say that any of the parts are actually completely superfluous. Not all scenes move the plot along, but they add to the characters, to the significance of the locations chosen, or help immerse the reader in the period. Still, it is simply too much to not end up overwhelming the reader with detail to the detriment to any suspense built up.
I am however very excited about the power struggle between Fouquet and Colbert, and even more so about Aramis' machinations. I am already dreading the finale (on behalf of the poor characters!) when all of this will come apart.
August 8, 2015
Well, I am confirmed in my dislike of Louise! But the scene is well set for the final part of the story - "The Man in the Iron Mask" and the action started picking up towards the end.
October 20, 2024
3.5/5 — not enough of aramis and no athos 😭😭
September 17, 2025
More like 3 but I’m high off the last quarter of the book which is actually The Man in the Iron Mask by most translations
September 26, 2016
The romp continues...
You can definitely tell that this was serialized, because it kind of reads like a soap opera. Just as you begin to cheer for one couple, a new couple forms--not just Raoul/Louise to Louise/Louis, but also Aure/Malicorne, Madame/de Guiche -/Buckingham -/Louis, etc., Fouquet/de Belliere (actually what de Belliere does for Fouquet is above and beyond really lovely). And it's not just the fickle affections of the characters themselves but the way the narrative presents them. You might be inclined to feel sorry for one character (Louis Quatorze), and then he gradually does everything possible to make you feel less sorry for him and then actually hate him. And then the narrative snaps back to his perspective for a moment so that you still feel half-sorry for him.
It's the same with the musketeers in the story. They're all still impressive and honorable men, but they've definitely grown apart and they have their own separate intrigues. And depending on who is the focus in each chapter, it's easy to start rooting for one over the other. Porthos doesn't exactly enter into this, since he's everybody's friend, but Aramis is frequently at odds with Athos and D'Artagnan, keeping secrets and edging his way up the ladder. It makes him seem slimy, and I always liked them better anyway, so Aramis is kinda-sorta on my shit list. And I already know how The Man in the Iron Mask plays out, so it's just going to get worse.
But I'm in this till the end, so *sigh*, I'll be reading that soon.
You can definitely tell that this was serialized, because it kind of reads like a soap opera. Just as you begin to cheer for one couple, a new couple forms--not just Raoul/Louise to Louise/Louis, but also Aure/Malicorne, Madame/de Guiche -/Buckingham -/Louis, etc., Fouquet/de Belliere (actually what de Belliere does for Fouquet is above and beyond really lovely). And it's not just the fickle affections of the characters themselves but the way the narrative presents them. You might be inclined to feel sorry for one character (Louis Quatorze), and then he gradually does everything possible to make you feel less sorry for him and then actually hate him. And then the narrative snaps back to his perspective for a moment so that you still feel half-sorry for him.
It's the same with the musketeers in the story. They're all still impressive and honorable men, but they've definitely grown apart and they have their own separate intrigues. And depending on who is the focus in each chapter, it's easy to start rooting for one over the other. Porthos doesn't exactly enter into this, since he's everybody's friend, but Aramis is frequently at odds with Athos and D'Artagnan, keeping secrets and edging his way up the ladder. It makes him seem slimy, and I always liked them better anyway, so Aramis is kinda-sorta on my shit list. And I already know how The Man in the Iron Mask plays out, so it's just going to get worse.
But I'm in this till the end, so *sigh*, I'll be reading that soon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2025
Отново доста интересно и завързано и пак свърши недовършено, така че нямам търпение да прочета и третия том.
Книжен вариант
Книжен вариант
February 8, 2017
Slow going, this book. So much of it could have beed omitted. Dumas spends alot of pages describing the scenery in a very flourishing way, and the love-scenes are often way too long. Also, he often spends several pages on a conversation, which should only have to consist of a couple of sentences. What is said, is said several times.
For some reason, Porthos seems to get bigger and more stupid for each book. He's now a sort of parody of what I thought of him in "The Three Musketeers".
In this (free Kindle-edition, there are some irritating spelling mistakes. There are also many sentences ending whith a preposition, and I find myself reconstructing them so they fit the style and age of the book.
Anyway, I am now embarking on the next book, "The Man in the Iron Mask", which I hope is a more interesting read.
For some reason, Porthos seems to get bigger and more stupid for each book. He's now a sort of parody of what I thought of him in "The Three Musketeers".
In this (free Kindle-edition, there are some irritating spelling mistakes. There are also many sentences ending whith a preposition, and I find myself reconstructing them so they fit the style and age of the book.
Anyway, I am now embarking on the next book, "The Man in the Iron Mask", which I hope is a more interesting read.
July 31, 2015
The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later has been published in several different editions that divide the novel into separate books in different ways. I am reading the Project Gutenberg version, which separates the novel into four parts.
Louise de La Vallière is the third part and covers the chapters 141 to 208 of the full novel and is set in 1661. It is perhaps the most difficult part of the book to read, competing with the previous instalment, mainly because it focuses almost solely on Louise de La Vallière and her relationship with the king. The 'action' mainly consist of them trying to be together when Madame (the king's previous lover and his brother's wife) conspires to stop them at any cost.
You can read the full review here:
http://susimetsa.blogspot.fi/2015/07/...
Louise de La Vallière is the third part and covers the chapters 141 to 208 of the full novel and is set in 1661. It is perhaps the most difficult part of the book to read, competing with the previous instalment, mainly because it focuses almost solely on Louise de La Vallière and her relationship with the king. The 'action' mainly consist of them trying to be together when Madame (the king's previous lover and his brother's wife) conspires to stop them at any cost.
You can read the full review here:
http://susimetsa.blogspot.fi/2015/07/...
July 20, 2020
The third part of third novel in the D'Artagnan romances focuses on the blossoming romance between Louis XIV and his mistress, Louise de la Valiere. The plot advances slowly in this novel, but each of our heroes makes appearances: Aramis as the scheming man of the cloth, Porthos as the brash and lovable sidekick, Athos as the protective father, and D'Artagnan as the ever capable Captain of the Musketeers. This is a slow novel, mostly spent laying the groundwork for the Man in the Iron Mask. Dumas' flair for humor and character development, however, never leaves him.
3.5/5
3.5/5
August 1, 2012
I love Alexandre Dumas, and this book was fun to read, but I got a little discouraged because it kept jumping around between characters. It was hard to really invest in the different storylines and characters because there were just so many of them! The last few chapters (which finally got back to the original four musketeers) were very good, however, so on account of them I will give this book four stars.
January 22, 2015
So when I move to 17th-century France, my teenage daughters are so not going to the king's court. I don't care how great an honor it is, they are not going. That is what I learned from reading this book. It dragged in places, but the court intrigue was fun. Also, if the king of England ever offered me Hampton Court palace, I would not demure. I would accept so quickly he wouldn't know what happened.
February 16, 2018
A clear five stars for this #3.3 in the series, the previous two in the series left me wanting more and finally all those threads came together in this one. Thankfully. Now to complete the set I have begun The man in the Iron Mask.
I began 10 months ago with the Count of Monte Cristo and have read not much else besides Alexandre Dumas since. I was never bored. I expect in my lifetime I will read most if not all of his works.
I began 10 months ago with the Count of Monte Cristo and have read not much else besides Alexandre Dumas since. I was never bored. I expect in my lifetime I will read most if not all of his works.
January 8, 2025
Primarily concerns the lady love of the Vicomte de Bragelonne, of the previous book of that name, the dashing Vicomte, Raoul, son of Athos, one of the Musketeers.
Louise de La Vallière is a very unlikely heroine and when she was first encountered in the previous book, it does not seem she could ever become the subject of a book. But stranger things have happened, and it is an interesting if disquieting tale of courtly intrigue and betrayal.
Louise de La Vallière is a very unlikely heroine and when she was first encountered in the previous book, it does not seem she could ever become the subject of a book. But stranger things have happened, and it is an interesting if disquieting tale of courtly intrigue and betrayal.
April 18, 2012
Finally, stuff is happening! The king and La Valliere are still being insufferable and everyone at the royal court is still being highly unpleasant, but Athos and Porthos are back to being actual characters and Aramis's intrigues are delightful. And the king will get his comeuppance in the next book, yay!
November 12, 2014
This book gets a lot of grief as the slow sister of Dumas' Three Musketeers books, because it is short on swashbuckling and long on court intrigue. That is exactly why I like it. It's essentially a (presumably mostly fictional) meditation on how Louis XIV went from being a spoiled brat to The Sun King. (The answer, of course, reduces to "Gosh the musketeers sure did teach him well.")
September 12, 2010
This book was originally one book with "The Vicomte De Bragelonne" and "The Man in the Iron Mask." Translated into English they were broken into three delightful books that give Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnion a great ending.
August 18, 2015
More romance (modern day definition) between Kings, princesses, dukes, peasants, counts and what-have-you, while more sinister plots are brewing in the background all to set the stage for the next and final volume; The Man In The Iron Mask!
November 11, 2015
Little less intrigue than 10 Years Later. From what I remember of the story of the Man in the Iron Mask, this is a good set-up for the conflicts and backstory. Looking forward to Man in the Iron Mask, and the conclusion of these stories. Been a good, but long, run.
July 17, 2023
Highlight: Man in the Iron Mask prequel, Three Musketeers sequel
Lowlight: did I read this because people in my past did or wanted to, or did I put it in my want to read because it reminded me of them?
Lowlight: did I read this because people in my past did or wanted to, or did I put it in my want to read because it reminded me of them?
Read
December 18, 2023Again, I miss my old friends! Although the young generation is cute, and entertainingly dramatic, I miss d'Artagnan, Porthos, Athos and Aramis' banter, plotting and unquestionable friendship. But the ending, again, gives hope for the final installment!
August 31, 2014
[See review of The Vicomte de Bragelonne]
October 19, 2013
Not as much of an 'in-betweener' as the last one, but I'm glad to be moving on to Man in the Iron Mask.
July 19, 2017
I feel like this section of the story has spent too much time describing the kinds love affairs and not enough time progressing the plot.
September 22, 2016
I have enjoyed reading The D'Artagnan series. Nothing like them. I have one more to go and they just get better with each book.
April 29, 2019
This one is mostly about court intrigues. Still interesting, but feels somewhat odd, compared to the previous parts.
July 5, 2020
Disappointed with this book.
April 22, 2021
A musketeer story that reads like a soap opera. Onward, to finish the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews