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[[File:3031d50934e64c0853bdb85c6e90004f.png|thumbnail|left|200px|Season 2 of <i>Versailles</i>]]

Season 2 of Versailles focuses on increasing tensions at court as the nobles have numerous feuds against each other as well as with the king. Meanwhile, new religious fervor, headed by the queen (Queen Maria Theresa of Spain).

External threats are also present, with William of Orange becoming more powerful in Holland and threatening Louis XIV's hold on power.

===Characters and Accuracy===

Versailles Season 2 takes far more liberty with historical accuracy relative to Season 1. In fact, some events begin to combine different periods in Louis' reign. Generally, the conflict with the Dutch, Affairs of the Poisons, common court feuds, including between Madame de Montespan and the queen, did occur, but the details were often likely different. Many characters are shown as jealous and power hungry, which is generally true from what we know. Various characters, including Fabien Marchel, who is the chief investigator and private enforcer, are fictional.<ref>For more on events around the court of Louis XIV, including conspiracies and events, see: <i>Funck-Brentano,Frantz and Maidment, George. (2010)<i> Princes and Poisoners, Studies of the Court of Louis XIV. </i> Nabu Press.</ref>

Louis XIV: This season shows Louis having more difficulties sleeping. In part, he seems haunted by his image and whether or not he would make a good king and leave a lasting legacy. His affair with Madame de Montespan causes problems for him, particularly at court, with the queen, and the church. The church was known to have rebuked Madame de Montespan, by refusing to give her communion, and trying to get Louis to end the affair. However, this never ultimately succeeded. He even eventually legitimizes his children with his lover, a move that caused a lot of anger in the church. Louis still shows himself being a strong character when it counts and making decisive decisions, despite his worries and deep stress.<ref>For more on Louis' reign from the 1670s to 1680s, see: Young, W.A. (2004)<i> International politics and warfare in the age of Louis XIV and Peter the Great: a guide to the historical literature.</i> New York N.Y., i Universe.</ref>

Prince Philippe: While the princes' homosexuality is a well known fact, other aspects of his personality were more fictional. For instance, it is not clear that the king and Prince Philippe ever had any open feuds to the extent they were depicted. Prince Philippe was known to have great skill in the battlefield, which is discussed in Season 2, where it was found surprising that the king did not send him to fight the Dutch rather than lead the battle(even by William III). Historically, Phillipe did often lead in many of the major conflicts France was involved in. <ref>For more, see Barker, 2008</ref>

Madame de Montespan: Her character was developed perhaps more than any other character in Season 2, as she now fights and tries to maintain her power position as the chief mistress to the king. Her hold on power is displayed, where Louis' ministers begin to question if she is having too much influence on the king and affecting his decision making in political areas. Her willingness to use whatever means needed to hold onto her power have some accuracy, as there is evidence she used her wit and charm to attain relatively high power for a period and was willing to poison her rivals.<ref>See Petitfils, 2009</ref>

In the 1670s and 1680s, Louis XIV increased his influence not only in France but across Europe as well, as his reputation as the strong ruler of France began to be evident in the battlefield at through his grip on power. <i>Versailles</i> is more about the tensions that this caused, whether in Louis' court, or abroad, as rivals such as William III tried to thwart his plans in becoming the master of Europe. Season 2 takes more liberties with events, embellishing characters' personalities and not always following the timeline of when key events occurred. For instance, the Affairs of the Poisons was slightly later than many of the poisonings depicted, while characters being killed off, such as Louis' chief doctor, likely never happened. Nevertheless, some of the key personalities, their ambitions, desires, and weaknesses do reflect what happened. Influential characters historically, such as Louis and Philippe, have their key personalities that influenced their decisions shown in the episodes, but conflicts between the brothers and other disputes took likely liberty from historical accuracy.

===References===

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