For reasons I cannot explain (actually I can, I wanted Philippe badly imitating an italian accent), I have made a comic of Philippe imitating Mazarin for his friends. It's not as funny as I hoped it would be, but I think it does a decent job of characterizing them the way I imagine them, so enjoy!
Next pages, some explanations, ainsi que la version française below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Aside from this bad italian accent thing, I wanted to depict one of the ways they were known to entertain themselves with: comedy, mockery and mimickry. Mazarin not being very well liked, and Philippe having had a complex relationship with him, it felt fitting.
This comic is set very early in Philippe and Henriette's marriage, which took place three weeks after Mazarin passed away. For the anecdote, they couldn't make a big ceremony and had to get married in grieving outfits which I'm sure they were DELIGHTED about...........
That is to say, it also explains why they still get along quite well at this point. It's likely before anything began between Henriette and Louis, and during these times Philippe also kept his relationship with Armand quite secret (mind you, a lot of people knew, Henriette included, most likely).
Mazarin deserves his own article one day, for those who aren't familiar with him, so I won't get into the details of why he was so loathed, but one of the reasons was that he was italian. However, his relationship with Louis was excellent; he was his godfather, but Louis pretty much saw him as a father figure. The same cannot be said of Philippe, who's been pretty much ignored by Mazarin most of his life. While some historians have been particularly vicious about it, more moderate ones still acknowledge that Mazarin didn't pay him much mind and, like Anne of Austria, was far more focused on Louis than on Philippe. As a result, Philippe didn't like him, and was reported to be quite impolite towards him during his teens (not greeting him when he entered a room or not showing the appropriate marks of respect expected from him).
For both Anne of Austria and Mazarin, Philippe's behavior during Louis' illness in 1658 resulted in a growth of their respect and appreciation for him. While Anne of Austria apologized to Philippe about having taken so long to properly see him, I don't know if Mazarin ever said the same, and I feel like it's not much of a reach to imagine that Philippe never truly got over the way Mazarin never saw him as a son the way he did Louis -- which is also why I believe he'd be capable of spoofing him as such.
Two additional notes on the content of the dialogues:
Philippe as Mazarin says that he and Armand share "not a vice, but a grand refinement"; this refers to the italian vice, a euphemism for homosexuality, which Mazarin was """accused""" of by the people and which Anne of Austria also alleged.
Henriette speaks of "Monseigneur's lights seeming a little far apart"; this is précieuse slang for being confused.
Hope you enjoyed!
FR:
Je remets ici les petites notes concernant les dialogues:
Philippe en Mazarin dit que lui et Armand partagent "non pas un vice mais un grand raffinement"; il fait bien sûr référence au vice italien, euphémisme pour homosexualité, dont Mazarin était """accusé""" et qu'Anne d'Autriche a elle-même affirmé.
Henriette dit que "les lumières de Monseigneurs semblent quelque peu éloignées"; c'est de l'argot précieuse voulant dire que quelqu'un est confus.
*gripping toes in suspense* oh my golly goodness, people have periods *shakes with rage* NO! CALM DOWN, ALPHA WOLF SIDE! D-DONT COME OUT!! *my eyes turn red* NOOO!!
AWOOOOOO 🐺🐺🐺 I HATE PERIODS 🐺🐺🐺🐺 DESTROYA ALL PERIODS 🐺🐺🐺🐺 GRAFGRAFGRAF 🐺🐺🐺🐺
