History Literature / TheAccursedKings

* AlasPoorVillain: Well done for [[spoiler: Robert of Artois and Mahaut d'Artois]], but somewhat difficult when it comes to mourn the less evil, but much more annoying, [[spoiler:Charles de Valois]].

* ParentalMarriageVeto: Played dead straight with Marie de Cressay's mother and brothers' when they learn that she's pregnant and married to Guccio, notwithstanding that he saved their asses multiple times, that they were feeding off his charity, and that he had more money that they could ever have. Guccio barely escapes with his life and is forced to flee Paris, while Marie is placed in a convent until she gives birth [[spoiler: to Giannino, who will impersonate the little King John the first at his baptism]]. His uncle Tolomei muses that [[DisproportionateRetribution had they caught him the only retribution they would have garnered would be to pay a very cheap fine]] for killing [[LatinLover a Lombard who was a seducer of noblewomen]].

* TraumaticHaircut: Jehanne de Poitiers, Blanche and Marguerite de Bourgogne have their heads shaven before their trial.

* UnresolvedSexualTension: Between Isabelle and Robert in the first book. When they meet several years later, it's all gone. The UST between Robert and Béatrice gets resolved in the sixth book, [[spoiler: but it ends tragically for both of them]].

* WomanInWhite: White was traditionally worn by queens in mourning. This includes [[spoiler: Clémence of Hungary, Jehanne de Poitiers, Isabelle of France and, by book seven, several others]].

* YourCheatingHeart : the adultery of Marguerite and Blanche pretty much kickstarts the events leading to a Hundred Years War. While Charles is ready to forgive his wife her treachery, Louis is all too willing to get rid of Marguerite. [[spoiler: And he does.]]

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: [[WildMassingGuessing Probably]] the case for Béatrice d'Hirson: nothing is known about the real woman, other than that she was a lady-in-waiting of Mahaut d'Artois.

* KnightInSourArmor: Enguerrand de Marigny, [[spoiler: just before being hanged]] : "for just causes, I have done unjust actions". [[WellIntentionedExtremist Philip IV the Fair]] and Philippe V the Tall could also qualify.

* IWasQuiteALooker: Charles de Valois. He's younger brother of Philip the Fair. It looks the other way around.

* LawfulStupid: Hugues de Bouville, royal steward, [[spoiler: who royally fucks up the situation after the assassination of (false) Jehan I]].

** Played for laugh when Hugues of Bouville meets the GenreSavvy cardinal Dueze; when the subject of possibly annulling the marriage of Louis and Marguerite is touched upon, Dueze snidely comments that this trope is so convenient, he could unmarry all princes and princesses of Europe because of consanguinity.

* DeadpanSnarker: Phillippe de Poitiers; his uncle, Louis d'Evreux; and cardinal Dueze [[spoiler: later Pope John XXII]].

* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Philippe and Jehanne de Poitiers, Edward III and his wife, Philippa. Subverted for Louis and Marguerite and Edward II and Isabelle, with dire consequences.

* BreakTheCutie: The assassination of [[spoiler:baby Giannino, who impersonated Jean I for his presentation to the Barons]]. Also, the fate of his mother, Clémence of Hungary.

* FingerLickingPoison: [[spoiler:Jean I]] falls victim of that. [[spoiler: Actually, it was an impersonator]].

** Played both for IronicEcho and BookEnds in the seventh book. The Salic Law applied only for France, not in Navarre where women could inherit the throne. Philippe the Fair's wife Jeanne was Queen of Navarre on her own right, and passed it to Louis X upon her death. As Louis' daughter [[MamasBabyPapasMaybe Jeanne de Navarre]] was never declared officially a bastard she inherited the throne of Navarre when her uncle Charles IV died and, through her marriage to the son of Philip the Fair's half-brother Louis, comte d'Évreux, gave birth to [[TheStarscream King Charles II]] [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder "the Bad"]] [[TheDeterminator of Navarre]], the BigBad of the seventh book, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything who never accepted losing the counties of Brie and Champagne for a question of lineage bump and used his own belated claim to the Kingdom of France to repeatedly plot, lie, cheat, pillage, burn, and ultimately make war on the French by ultimately allying with England, just to have his inheritance recognised]]. [[SarcasmMode Hilarity Ensues]].

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Philippe de Poitiers wants to be King of France, but Jeanne de Navarre is higher in the line of succession. To cast her away, he instates the Salic law on the basis of inaccurate historical documents and shady legal procedures. The Salic law basically forbids women to inherit the crown of France or to transmit it to their children, and had never been in place until then. Thanks to LaserGuidedKarma, Philippe becomes king but only has daughters, which means he can't give the crown to any of his descendants.

** Philippe the Fair is a rare male example. He is derided (behind his back) as an unemotional, statue-like individual by his courtiers and his daughters-in-law. Also mentioned in the first book is that for all his striking beauty, he has remained chaste since his wife Jeanne de Navarre's death, nine years before the events of the first book.

* KnightInSourArmor: Enguerrand de Marigny, [[spoiler: just before being hanged]] : "for just causes, I have done unjust actions". [[WellIntentionedExtremist Philip IV the Fair]] and Philip V the Tall could also qualify.

* LawfulStupid: Hugues de Bouville, royal steward, [[spoiler: who royally fucks up the situation after the assassination of (false) Jean I]].

* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: The whole issue of Jeanne de Navarre's (possibly) illegitimate birth. It's been somewhat implied that she was really Louis' daughter.

* TheNeidermeyer: In the seventh book, Jean II.

* OneSteveLimit: Averted. There are so many Blanches, Jeannes, Philippes, etc., it's even lampshaded during the meeting of noble families before Philippe's coronation.

* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Philippe and Jeanne de Poitiers, Edward III and his wife, Philippa. Subverted for Louis and Marguerite and Edward II and Isabelle, with dire consequences.
* ThePope: Clement V and later, Jean XXII.

* SuccessionCrisis: The plot for the second part of the story, after Charles IV of France dies. This happens after a previous, smaller succession crisis declares that Jeanne II de Navarre, daughter of Louis X of France, is declared ineligible for crowning because she is a girl.

* TraumaticHaircut: Jeanne de Poitiers, Blanche and Marguerite de Bourgogne have their heads shaven before their trial.

* TheWisePrince: Philip de Poitiers, although on his way to the throne he [[KickTheDog kicks several puppies]]. [[MoralEventHorizon Hard]]. Later, Edward III turns out to be this.
* WomanInWhite: White was traditionally worn by queens in mourning. This includes: [[spoiler: Clémence of Hungary, Jeanne de Poitiers, Isabelle of France and, by book seven, several others]].

* BoisterousBruiser: Robert D'Artois, until he [[spoiler: is kicked out of France and]] turns GrimDark.
* BreakTheCutie: The assassination of [[spoiler: baby Giannino, who impersonated John the Ist for his presentation to the Barons]]. Also, the fate of his mother, Clémence of Hungary.

* TheDitz: Louis X, Philippe's eldest, can't be called retarded per se, but he's just plain dumb as a brick. Blanche de Bourgogne is a more straight example.

* DyingCurse: The titular curse, cast by Jacques de Molay on Pope Clemens V, Guillaume de Nogaret and king Philippe IV. They all die before the end of the year, while the house of Capet expires within next 30 years.

* FemmeFatale: Marguerite de Bourgogne and Beatrice d'Hirson. They both meet a rather grisly end.

** Played both for IronicEcho and BookEnds in the seventh book. The Salic Law applied only for France, not in Navarre where women could inherit the throne. Philippe the Fair's wife Jeanne was Queen of Navarre on her own right, and passed it to Louis X upon her death. As Louis' daughter [[MamasBabyPapasMaybe Jeanne de Navarre]] was never declared officially a bastard she inherited the throne of Navarre when her uncle Charles IV died and, through her marriage to the son of Philip the Fair's half-brother Louis, Count of Evreux, gave birth to [[TheStarScream King Charles II]] [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder "the Bad"]] [[TheDeterminator of Navarre]], the BigBad of the seventh book, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything who never accepted losing the counties of Brie and Champagne for a question of lineage bump and used his own belated claim to the Kingdom of France to repeatedly plot, lie, cheat, pillage, burn, and ultimately make war on the French by ultimately allying with England, just to have his inheritance recognised]]. [[SarcasmMode Hilarity Ensues]].
* HenpeckedHusband: Hugo de Bouville. It ends badly.

* LadyOfBlackMagic: Beatrice d'Hirson likes to pose as one, but her standard weapon is poison, as - with the possible exception for the titular curse - this series lacks any supernatural elements.

* LawfulStupid: Hugo de Bouville, royal steward, [[spoiler: who royally fucks up the situation after the assassination of (false) John I]].

* MasterPoisoner: Beatrice d'Hirson has some good records at that game, including [[spoiler: a minister and two kings (supposedly)]], and even [[spoiler: her own employer and her daughter]].

* NotGoodWithPeople: Philippe IV is type 2. He has better relationships with his dogs and horses than with his own children, and most people fear even looking into his eyes, no matter how endearing he tries to be.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Louis d'Evreux, step-brother of Philippe IV. Unfortunately, only Philippe de Poitiers pays any attention to his opinions.

* ShaggyDogStory: The bonus chapter depicting the life of Giannino Baglioni, [[spoiler: the real Jehan I.]]

** Played for laugh when Hugo of Bouville meets the GenreSavvy cardinal Dueze; when the subject of possibily annuling the marriage of Louis and Marguerite is touched upon, Dueze snidely comments that this trope is so convenient, he could unmarry all princes and princesses of Europe because of consanguinity.

* UndyingLoyalty: Hugo de Bouville towards the royal family. Lormet to Robert d'Artois.

* UnresolvedSexualTension: Between Isabelle and Robert in the first book. When they meet several years later, it's all gone. The UST between Robert and Beatrice gets resolved in the sixth book, [[spoiler: but it ends tragically for both of them]].

* BigScrewedUpFamily: Almost all families, but especially the Capetian dynasty. Allegedly, it all comes from the curse launched by the Knights Templars' Grand Master Jacques of Molay while burning on the pyre.

* BrokenBird: Isabelle of France, Clemence of Hungary and Marie de Cressay. It was a bad time for women.

* DyingCurse: The titular curse, cast by Jacques de Molay on Pope Clemens V, Guillaume de Nogaret and king Phillip IV. They all die before the end of the year, while the house of Capet expires within next 30 years.

* FemmeFatale: Marguerite de Bourgogneand Beatrice d'Hirson. They both meet a rather grisly end.
* FingerLickingPoison: [[spoiler:John the Ist]] falls victim of that. [[spoiler: Actually, it was an impersonator]].

** Played both for IronicEcho and BookEnds in the seventh book. The Salic Law applied only for France, not in Navarre where women could inherit the throne. Philip the Fair's wife Joan was Queen of Navarre on her own right, and passed it to Louis X upon her death. As Louis' daughter [[MamasBabyPapasMaybe Jeanne de Navarre]] was never declared officially a bastard she inherited the throne of Navarre when her uncle Charles IV died and, through her marriage to the son of Philip the Fair's half-brother Louis, Count of Evreux, gave birth to [[TheStarScream King Charles II]] [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder "the Bad"]] [[TheDeterminator of Navarre]], the BigBad of the seventh book, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything who never accepted losing the counties of Brie and Champagne for a question of lineage bump and used his own belated claim to the Kingdom of France to repeatedly plot, lie, cheat, pillage, burn, and ultimately make war on the French by ultimately allying with England, just to have his inheritance recognised]]. [[SarcasmMode Hilarity Ensues]].

* IceQueen: Isabelle of France. Marguerite de Bourgogne uses it for insult after her sentence for adultery: She lashes that Isabella is such a frosty, emotionless woman that she has pushed her husband away from her bed into the arms of men, not even other women.

The story begins in 1314, during the reign of Philip the Fair. The main focus of the plot is the adultery of his two daughters-in-law, which proves to be just the beginning of succession crisis. In the background of it all is the conclusion of seven year trial of the remnants of Knight Templars and the curse cast upon royal family by Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Templars.

Curse? The title comes from the legend that before being executed by Philip the Fair, de Molay cursed the [[UsefulNotes/LEtatCestMoi Kings of France]] unto the seventh generation (and, creepily, the next seven Kings of France had notably horrible reigns, and although Philip had three surviving sons, ''all'' of them inherited the throne, and ''none'' had any surviving sons of their own).

* AttemptedRape: Robert tries this on Marguerite of Burgundy. She manages to fight him off with some well-aimed threats.

* {{Bishonen}}: Phillip the Fair, at least by this period's standards. Charles the Fair inherits his looks and nothing else, [[BrainlessBeauty unfortunately]].

* BreakTheCutie: The assassination of [[spoiler: baby Giannino, who impersonated John the Ist for his presentation to the Barons]]. Also, the fate of his mother, Clemence of Hungary.
* BrokenBird: Isabella of France, Clemence of Hungary and Marie de Cressay. It was a bad time for women.

* TheChessmaster: Philip the Fair and his second son Philip de Poitiers (the later Philip V). Pope John XXII is this and a ManipulativeBastard.

* CorruptHick: The Cressay family, [[OlderThanTheyThink half a millenium or so before there even were hicks.]]

* DeadpanSnarker: Phillip de Poitiers, his uncle, Louis d'Evreux and cardinal Dueze [[spoiler: later Pope John XXII]].
* DefrostingTheIceQueen: Isabella of France.
** Philip the Fair shows signs of this towards Isabella in private, during their conversation in Pontoise.
* DiesWideOpen: Phillip the Fair. Courtiers attempted to close his eyes after his death, in vain, so they blindfolded his body as it laid in full regalia over his deathbed.

* TheDitz: Louis X, Phillip's eldest, can't be called retarded per se, but he's just plain dumb as a brick. Blanche of Burgundy is a more straight example.

* EvilUncle: Both Charles de Valois and his nephew Philip de Poitiers have shades of this.

* FemmeFatale: Marguerite of Burgundy and Beatice d'Hirson. They both meet a rather grisly end.

** The small, innocuous fact that [[spoiler: adultery alone is not a sufficient motive for annuling a marriage in canon law]] leads to all kinds of consequences for the members of the Capetian dynasty, most directly for [[MurderTheHypotenuse Marguerite of Burgundy]] and to a lesser extend, her comrade-in-crime [[DrivenToMadness Blanche of Burgundy]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}: All over the place. The meeting on 16th July 1316 deserves a special mention, as it featured members of all three houses which ruled France in the next five centuries: Capets, de Valois and Bourbons.

* GoMadFromTheIsolation: Blanche and Marguerite of Burgundy slowly lose their sanity during their imprisonment in Castle Gaillard.

* HeirClubForMen: Thanks to Phillip V, who, as a regent, reinstates Salic Law to prevent his niece from inheriting the throne. [[spoiler: It bites him in the ass when his only son dies and he's left with daughters, thus allowing his stupid younger brother to become the next king.]]
** Played both for IronicEcho and BookEnds in the seventh book. The Salic Law applied only for France, not in Navarre where women could inherit the throne. Philip the Fair's wife Joan was Queen of Navarre on her own right, and passed it to Louis X upon her death. As Louis's daughter [[MamasBabyPapasMaybe Joan of Navarre]] was never declared officially a bastard she inherited the throne of Navarre when her uncle Charles IV died and, through her marriage to the son of Philip the Fair's half-brother Louis, Count of Evreux, gave birth to [[TheStarScream King Charles II]] [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder "the Bad"]] [[TheDeterminator of Navarre]], the BigBad of the seventh book, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything who never accepted losing the counties of Brie and Champagne for a question of lineage bump and used his own belated claim to the Kingdom of France to repeatedly plot, lie, cheat, pillage, burn, and ultimately make war on the French by ultimately allying with England, just to have his inheritance recognised]]. [[SarcasmMode Hilarity Ensues]].

* TheHighQueen: Isabella of France.

* INeverGotAnyLetters: Robert d'Artois, on his second [[spoiler: (and for her, lethal)]] visit to Marguerite of Burgundy at the end of the second book. Turns out that Marguerite of Burgundy changed her mind and did write the letter she had been asked to write to her husband Louis, but it was delivered to Enguerrand de Marigny instead, [[spoiler: who burned the letter over a candlelight and pretended it never existed.]]
* IceQueen: Isabella of France. Marguerite of Burgundy uses it for insult after her sentence for adultery: She lashes that Isabella is such a frosty, emotionless woman that she has pushed her husband away from her bed into the arms of men, not even other women.
** Philip the Fair is a rare male example. He is derided (behind his back) as an unemotional, statue-like individual by his courtiers and his daughters-in-law. Also mentioned in the first book is that for all his striking beauty, he has remained chaste since his wife Joan of Navarre's death, nine years before the events of the first book.

* TheIngenue: Clemence of Hungary is both this and ThePollyanna. [[BreakTheCutie After arriving to French court she quickly gets hit with]] TraumaCongaLine.

* LackOfEmpathy: Implied with Phillip the Fair.

* LargeHam: Robert D'Artois and Charles de Valois almost make it a WorldOfHam, and they get some help from other characters. Although in Robert's case, [[HamAndCheese it's at least partially an act]].

* TheMagnificent: Philip IV the Fair, Louis X the Stubborn, Philip V the Tall, Charles IV the Fair and Isabella the She-wolf of France.

* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: The whole issue of Joan of Nawarre's (possibly) illegitimate birth. It's been somewhat implied that she was really Louis' daughter.
* TheMarvelousDeer: While hunting, Philip IV briefly sees a deer with St. Hubert's cross between its antlers [[spoiler: before he tumbles off his horse due to a brain aneurysm.]]

* ModestRoyalty: Phillip V.
* MommasBoy: Eudocius of Burgundy
* MoralityPet: Clemence of Hungary is this to Louis X.
* TheNeidermeyer: In the seventh book, John II.

* NotGoodWithPeople: Phillip IV is type 2. He has better relationships with his dogs and horses than with his own children, and most people fear even looking into his eyes, no matter how endearing he tries to be.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Guillaume de Nogaret, who is a cross of this and WellIntentionedExtremist, combined with his UndyingLoyalty towards Phillip IV.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. There are so many Blanches, Joans, Philips, etc., it's even lampshaded during the meeting of noble families before Philip's coronation.

* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Phillip and Joan de Poitiers, Edward III and his wife, Philippa. Subverted for Louis and Marguerite and Edward II and Isabella, with dire consequences.
* ThePope: Clement V and later, John XXII.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Louis d'Evreux, step-brother of Phillip IV. Unfortunately, only Phillip de Poitiers pays any attention to his opinions.

* SillyRabbitRomanceIsForKids: Sums up Philip the Fair's attitude and reaction when his daughter Isabella confides to him that she's one unhappy, lonely Queen of England, and when she reminds him [[AllGaysArePromiscuous to what sort of man he had married her]].
* ShaggyDogStory: The bonus chapter depicting the life of Giannino Baglioni, [[spoiler: the real John I.]]
* SexlessMarriage: One of the underlying reasons why [[IceQueen Isabella]] and [[CampGay Edward II]] loathe each other so much, and in public in front of the court. Yet somewhat averted, if only to produce heirs (Edward II and Isabella had four children together, including the future Edward III). If Isabella is to be believed, Edward was so repulsed by sleeping his wife that he would come in her room with a male favourite to be fondled and caressed until he could perform the act with her.

* SuccessionCrisis: The plot for the second part of the story, after Charles IV of France dies. This happens after a previous, smaller succession crisis declares that Joan II of Navarre, daughter of Louis X of France, is declared ineligible for crowning because she is a girl.

* TraumaticHaircut: Joan de Poitiers, Blanche and Marguerite of Burgundy have their heads shaven before their trial.

* TheUnfavorite: Although Phillip IV doesn't show fondness for any of his children, Louis X is clearly the case.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: Between Isabella and Robert in the first book. When they meet several years later, it's all gone. The UST between Robert and Beatrice gets resolved in the sixth book, [[spoiler: but it ends tragically for both of them]].
** In the fifth book it is implied that Isabella's evident relishing of watching Hugh de Despenser being so cruelly and brutally executed, plus her hesitation in having Edward II himself disposed off under her lover Mortimer's advice, are both fueled in part by the fact that [[AllLoveIsUnrequited she did still love her husband]] [[UnwantedSpouse despite all the humiliation]] [[AllGaysArePromiscuous he made her live through]].

* WifeHusbandry: ArrangedMarriage between Phillip de Poitiers' daughter and Eudocius of Burgundy.

* WomanInWhite: White was traditionally worn by queens in mourning. This includes: [[spoiler: Clemence of Hungary, Joan de Poitiers, Isabella of France and, by book seven, several others]].

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Robert d'Artois is apparently very proud of his mother, Blanche of Bretogne.

Curse? The title comes from the legend that before being executed by Philip the Fair, de Molay cursed the [[UsefulNotes/LEtatCestMoi Kings of France]] unto the seventh generation (and, creepily, the next seven Kings of France had notably horrible reigns, and although Philip had four surviving sons, ''all'' of them inherited the throne, and ''none'' had any surviving sons of their own).

* OnlyMostlyDead: Invoked and played with: Mortimer tricks his own brother into believing Edward II isn't dead, only to make him uncover his plans of rebellion against his puppet king Edward III.

* WifeHusbandry: ArrangedMarriage between Phillip de Poitiers' daughter and Eutocius of Burgundy.

* BigScrewedUpFamily: Allegedly, it all comes from the curse launched by the Knights Templars' Grand Master Jacques of Molay while burning on the pyre.

* TheChessmaster: Phillip the Fair. Pope John XXII is this and a ManipulativeBastard.

* BigEater: Mahaut d'Artois. Not played for laughs.

Curse? The title comes from the legend that before being executed by Philip the Fair, de Molay cursed the [[UsefulNotes/LEtatCestMoi Kings of France]] unto the seventh generation (and, creepily, the next seven Kings of France had notably horrible reigns, and ''none'' had living male heirs to leave the throne).

The title comes from the legend that de Molay cursed the [[UsefulNotes/LEtatCestMoi Kings of France]] unto the seventh generation (and, creepily, the next seven Kings of France had notably horrible reigns, and ''none'' had living male heirs to leave the throne).

The story begins in 1314, during the reign of Philip the Fair. The main focus of the plot is the adultery of his two daughters-in-law, which proves to be just the beginning of succession crisis. In the background of it all is the conclusion of seven year trial of the remnants of Knight Templars and the curse cast upon royal family by Jacques de Molay.

The series has been adapted for television twice, in 1972 and in 2005, both only covering the six first books (the seventh is an independant plot set a decade after the others and doesn't involve any of the original cast).

Tropes in this work:
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating : Edward II. Explains why his reign crumbles so fast and bloodlessly (for the Despensers excepted) when Mortimer and Isabella come back from France.
* AlasPoorVillain : well done for [[spoiler: Robert of Artois and Mahaut d'Artois]], but somewhat difficult when it comes to mourn the less evil, but much more annoying [[spoiler:Charles de Valois]].
* AnyoneCanDie : pretty much unavoidable for a historical series encompassing such a large period. The final chapters of the sixth installment (which at the time was supposed to end the series) are mainly devoted to kill off all the survivors of the starting cast - not that they were so numerous.

* ArrangedMarriage: many, with varying degrees of success.

* AttemptedRape : Robert tries this on Marguerite of Burgundy. She manages to fight him off with some well-aimed threats.

* TheBaroness : Mahaut d'Artois.
* BattleBallgown : Mahaut apparently had one.
* BigEater : Mahaut d'Artois. Not played for laughts.
* BigScrewedUpFamily : allegedly, it all comes from the curse launched by the Knights Templars' Grand Master Jacques of Molay while burning on the pyre.

* BitterAlmonds : [[spoiler: how Mahaut poisons Louis, although it's never outright stated whether it was really cyanide.]]

* BreakTheCutie : the assassination of [[spoiler: baby Giannino, who impersonated John the Ist for his presentation to the Barons]]. Also, the fate of his mother, Clemence of Hungary.
* BrokenBird : Isabella of France, Clemence of Hungary and Marie de Cressay. It was a bad time for women.
* BuryYourGays : Edward II's ultimate fate after his forced abdication, in the words of one of his gaolers [[CruelAndUnusualDeath dying by where he has sinned.]]
* TheChessmaster : Phillip the Fair. Pope John XXII is this and a ManipulativeBastard.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: almost every single character.
* ConvenientMiscarriage : several.

* DeadpanSnarker : Phillip de Poitiers, his uncle, Louis d'Evreux and cardinal Dueze [[spoiler: later Pope John XXII]].
* DefrostingTheIceQueen : Isabella of France.

* DiesWideOpen : Phillip the Fair. Courtiers attempted to close his eyes after his death, in vain, so they blindfolded his body as it laid in full regalia over his deathbed.
* DissonantSerenity : ThePope

* DyingCurse: the titular curse, cast by Jacques de Molay on Pope Clemens V, Guillaume de Nogaret and king Phillip IV. They all die before the end of the year, while the house of Capet expires within next 30 years.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas : Robert d'Artois is apparently very proud of his mother, Blanche of Bretogne.
* EvilRedhead / RedHeadedHero : Robert d'Artois.
* EvilUncle : both Charles de Valois and his nephew Philip de Poitiers have shades of this.
* FaceDeathWithDignity : Enguerrand de Marigny.
* FemmeFatale : Marguerite of Burgundy and Beatice d'Hirson. They both meet a rather grisly end.
* FingerLickingPoison : [[spoiler:John the Ist]] falls victim of that. [[spoiler: actually, it was an impersonator]].
* ForWantOfANail : if Marigny hadn't had intercepted a letter from Marguerite to her husband (which would finally allow Louis to divorce her), both he and she would live, and the whole matter would be resolved peacefully.

* {{Foreshadowing}} : all over the place. The meeting on 16th July 1316 deserves a special mention, as it featured members of all three houses which ruled France in the next five centuries: Capets, de Valois and Bourbons.

* GoMadFromTheIsolation : Blanche and Marguerite of Burgundy slowly lose their sanity during their imprisonment in Castle Gaillard.
* GreyAndGrayMorality : Borderline BlackAndGrayMorality, in that the protagonist is on a very dark shade.
* HeirClubForMen : thanks to Phillip V, who, as a regent, reinstates Salic Law to prevent his niece from inheriting the throne. [[spoiler: It bites him in the ass when his only son dies and he's left with daughters, thus allowing his stupid younger brother to become the next king.]]

* HenpeckedHusband : Hugo de Bouville. It ends badly.
* TheHighQueen : Isabella of France.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard : Philippe de Poitiers wants to be King of France, but Jeanne de Navarre is higher in the line of succession. To cast her away, he instaures the salic law on the basis of inaccurate historical documents and shady legal procedures. The salic law basically forbids women to inherit the crown of France or to transmit it to their children, and had never been in place until then. Thanks to LaserGuidedKarma, Philippe becomes king but only has daughters, which means he can't give the crown to any of his descendants !
* HundredYearsWar : the inevitable result of events transpiring in the books. We see only the beginning of it at the end of the sixth book.
* IWasQuiteALooker : Charles de Valois. He's younger brother of Philip the Fair. It looks the other way around.
* INeverGotAnyLetters : Robert d'Artois, on his second [[spoiler: (and for her, lethal)]] visit to Marguerite of Burgundy at the end of the second book. Turns out that Marguerite of Burgundy changed her mind and did write the letter she had been asked to write to her husband Louis, but it was delivered to Enguerrand de Marigny instead, [[spoiler: who burned the letter over a candlelight and pretended it never existed.]]
* IceQueen : Isabella of France. Marguerite of Burgundy uses it for insult after her sentence for adultery : She lashes that Isabella is such a frosty, emotionless woman that she has pushed her husband away from her bed into the arms of men, not even other women.

* InfantImmortality : averted.
* TheIngenue : Clemence of Hungary is both this and ThePollyanna. [[BreakTheCutie After arriving to French court she quickly gets hit with]] TraumaCongaLine.
* KnightInSourArmor : Enguerrand de Marigny, [[spoiler: just before being hanged]] : "for just causes, I have done unjust actions". [[WellIntentionedExtremist Philip IV the Fair]] and Philip V the Tall could also qualify.
* KnightTemplar : Guillaume de Nogaret is a perfect example, ironically enough.

* LackOfEmpathy : implied with Phillip the Fair.
* LadyOfBlackMagic : Beatrice d'Hirson likes to pose as one, but her standard weapon is poison, as - with the possible exception for the titular curse - this series lacks any supernatural elements.

* LawfulStupid : Hugo de Bouville, royal steward, [[spoiler: who royally fucks up the situation after the assassination of (false) John I]].
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters : most of them sporting similar first names and titles, so be very careful about family names and serial numbers !

* MamaBear : Mahaut d'Artois is really protective about her daughters.
* MamasBabyPapasMaybe : the whole issue of Joan of Nawarre's (possibly) illegitimate birth. It's been somewhat implied that she was really Louis' daughter.
* TheMarvelousDeer: while hunting, Philip IV briefly sees a deer with St. Hubert's cross between its antlers [[spoiler: before he tumbles off his horse due to a brain aneurysm.]]
* MasterPoisoner : Beatrice d'Hirson has some good records at that game, including [[spoiler: a minister and two kings (supposedly)]], and even [[spoiler: her own employer and her daughter]].

* ModestRoyalty : Phillip V.
* MommasBoy : Eudocius of Burgundy
* MoralityPet : Clemence of Hungary is this to Louis X.
* TheNeidermeyer : In the seventh book, John II.
* NoSympathy : the only consolation Charles gets from his father after bursting into tears at the news of his beloved wife's adultery is "You were a very poor husband, so you might at least pretend to be good prince."

* ObstructiveBureaucrat : Guillaume de Nogaret, who is a cross of this and WellIntentionedExtremist, combined with his UndyingLoyalty towards Phillip IV.
* OneSteveLimit : averted. There are so many Blanches, Joans, Philips, etc., it's even lampshaded during the meeting of noble families before Philip's coronation.
* OnlyMostlyDead : invoked and played with : Mortimer tricks his own brother into believing Edward II isn't dead, only to make him uncover his plans of rebellion against his puppet king Edward III.
* ParentalMarriageVeto : Played dead straight with Marie de Cressay's mother and brothers' when they learn that she's pregnant up and married to Guccio, notwithstanding that he saved their asses multiple times, that they were feeding off his charity, and that he had more money that they could ever have. Guccio barely escapes with his life and is forced to flee Paris, while Marie is placed in a convent until she gives birth [[spoiler: to Giannino, who will impersonate the little King John the first at his baptism]]. His uncle Tolomei muses that [[DisproportionateRetribution had they caught him the only retribution they would have garnered would be to pay a very cheap fine]] for killing [[LatinLover a Lombard who was a seducer of noblewomen]].
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage : Phillip and Joan de Poitiers, Edward III and his wife, Philippa. Subverted for Louis and Marguerite and Edward II and Isabella, with dire consequences.

* PrinceCharmless : pretty much Louis X.
* PsychopathicManchild : Louis X has shades of this.
* RapePillageAndBurn : what Robert and his troops do upon invading Mahaut's realm.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure : Louis d'Evreux, step-brother of Phillip IV. Unfortunately, only Phillip de Poitiers pays any attention to his opinions.

* SillyRabbitRomanceIsForKids : Sums up Philip the Fair's attitude and reaction when his daugther Isabella confides to him that she's one unhappy, lonely Queen of England, and when she reminds him [[AllGaysArePromiscuous to what sort of man he had married her]].
* ShaggyDogStory: the bonus chapter depicting the life of Giannino Baglioni, [[spoiler: the real John I.]]
* SexlessMarriage: One of the underlying reasons why [[IceQueen Isabella]] and [[CampGay Edward II]] loath each other so much, and in public in front of the court. Yet somewhat averted, if only to produce heirs (Edward II and Isabella had four children together, including the future Edward III). If Isabella is to be believed, Edward was so repulsed by sleeping his wife that he would come in her room with a male favourite to be fondled and caressed until he could perform the act with her.

* TheSocialExpert : cardinal Jacques Dueze and Guccio Baglioni. Probably the reason why they get along so well.

* TangledFamilyTree : so much that the readers need a chart. It was added at the end of volume 7.

* TraumaticHaircut : Joan de Poitiers, Blanche and Marguerite of Burgundy have their heads shaven before their trial.

* UndyingLoyalty : Hugo de Bouville towards the royal family. Lormet to Robert d'Artois.
* TheUnfavorite : although Phillip IV doesn't show fondness for any of his children, Louis X is clearly the case.
* UnresolvedSexualTension : between Isabella and Robert in the first book. When they meet several years later, it's all gone. The UST between Robert and Beatrice gets resolved in the sixth book, [[spoiler: but it ends tragically for both of them]].

* VictoryIsBoring : as Charles de Valois discovers, [[spoiler: when he finally gets rid of chis arch-enemy, Enguerrand de Marigny]].
* VillainProtagonist : Robert d'Artois, arguably.

* WomanInWhite : white was traditionally worn by queens in mourning. This includes: [[spoiler: Clemence of Hungary, Joan de Poitiers, Isabella of France and, by book seven, several others]].
* WoundedGazelleGambit : [[spoiler: used by cardinal Dueze, who, during the Conclave, pretends to be on his deathbed. The rest of the cardinals, trapped in the church until they choose the Pope, decide to vote for him, hoping that he'll die soon after.]] Their reaction upon seeing him spring from bed is a CrowningMomentOfFunny.
* WretchedHive : Avignon was usually depicted as this during the Papacy's stay there. Pope John XXII turned it into a well-managed WretchedHive.

GeorgeRRMartin is fan of this saga, and drew some of his inspirations for ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' from it. He even [[FanBoy pushed for a new traduction and publication in English]], calling it ''The original GameOfThrones'', no less!

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* MagnificentBastard : Robert d'Artois. Textbook example.

The Accursed Kings by Maurice Druon is a series of seven historical novels that detail the destruction of the Knights Templar, then the subsequent deaths of Phillip the Fair and his sons, the ensuing succession crises and the beginning of the Hundred Year War, set up against the backdrop of France spiraling down into a veritable CrapsackWorld after it gets hit by [[TraumaCongaLine disaster after disaster]]. The visceral B-plot of Robert D'Artois and his attempts to (re)gain his father's county also gets a lot of attention, to the point where it can hardly even be called secondary, and there are other minor plots which are intertwined with the two major ones and each other. While the period is described (quite aptly) as France's DarkestHour, there is a lot of BlackComedy and [[LargeHam ham]] involved.