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Secrets d'histoire Season 15 Episodes
Season 15 Episode Guide
12 Episodes 2021 - 2021
Episode 1
Néron, le tyran de Rome
109 mins
Nero, the tyrant of Rome: Proclaimed emperor at the age of only 16, Nero is a key figure in the history of Ancient Rome. Notably famous for his active participation in the dramatic fire that devastated Rome in 64 AD, Nero was also a generous patron of the arts and enthusiastic artist.
Episode 2
Elisabeth, la drôle de reine de Belgique
105 mins
Elisabeth, a queen of Belgium unlike any other: Elisabeth of Belgium, whose destiny was as singular as it was inspiring. Niece of the famous Empress Sissi she hit the headlines more than once, notably by meeting Khrushchev and Mao Zedong at the height of the cold war. But behind her rebellious spirit lay a gentle humanist personality.
Episode 3
Raphaël, le prodige de la Renaissance
114 mins
Raphael, prodigy of the Renaissance: Raphael is a major reference in the world of the Italian Renaissance. Disciple of Perugino, he succeeded in innovating whilst still respecting traditional diktats, and producing work that profoundly marked western painting. Surrounded by specialists, Stéphane Bern follows the artist from his childhood to the height of his career.
Episode 4
Joséphine Baker, la fleur au fusil...
111 mins
Josephine Baker, heedless of danger - The extraordinary destiny of Josephine Baker. From her native Missouri to Paris, the artist succeeded in making her name as the queen of music hall. But Josephine Baker was also a fighter, with the French Resistance during the Second World War, and against racism.
Episode 5
Victor-Emmanuel II: Le premier roi d'Italie
105 mins
Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy: The first king of Italy achieved the feat of unifying the entire Italian peninsula under one flag after centuries of division. Stéphane Bern sheds light on this political prowess and introduces us to a reunifying sovereign.
Episode 6
Napoléon, l'éxilé de Sainte-Hélène
117 mins
Napoleon, the exile on Saint Helena: Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the truly great figures in French history. Stéphane Bern looks back at the last six years in the life of the first French emperor and explores some of the emblematic places associated with him, from Fontainbleau to Châteauroux and, finally, to Saint Helena.
Episode 7
Marie de Bourgogne: seule contre tous
103 mins
Mary of Burgundy: alone against the world: Aged just 19, following the death of her father Charles the Bold, Mary of Burgundy already ruled a principality almost as powerful as the Kingdom of France. Stéphane Bern introduces us to this inimitable princess with a remarkable destiny.
Episode 8
Toussaint Louverture: la liberté à tout prix...
106 mins
In the 18th century, Toussaint Louverture managed to escape bondage to become a genius general and politician, who, from his Caribbean island, showed the way forward to free the slaves of Santo Domingo.
Episode 9
Philippe le Bel et l'étrange affaire des Templiers
102 mins
Philip the Fair and the strange case of the Knights Templar: On 11 March 1314, Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Temple, was burnt at the stake watched by Philip the Fair, the main person responsible for his execution. Stéphane Bern looks back at the circumstances surrounding the event that triggered the end of the Order of the Knights Templar.
Episode 10
Louis XV et la Bête du Gévaudan
110 mins
Louis XV and the Beast of Gévaudan: Under the reign of Louis XV, Gévaudan, today part of the French department of the Lozère, was the theatre for innumerable mysterious deaths attributed to a bloodthirsty beast. The question of the exact nature of the predator rapidly gave rise to a myth that continues to fascinate us today.
Episode 11
Emile Zola, la vérité quoi qu'il en coûte.
101 mins
Germinal, L'Assommoir, Au Bonheur des Dames... Émile Zola's novels have captivated millions of readers worldwide. But what kind of man was the author of the Rougon-Macquart series? A loyal friend, a tireless worker, a committed writer, an exemplary father leading a double life. In this Secrets of History episode, follow Stéphane Bern in the footsteps of Émile Zola, from his home in Médan to the courthouse where he defended Alfred Dreyfus.
Episode 12
Gustave Flaubert, la fureur d'écrire.
101 mins
Gustave Flaubert, a rage to write. Gustave Flaubert, an extraordinary writer and meticulous perfectionist, who invented the modern novel in the middle of the 19th century. He also inadvertently created a major scandal. 29 January 1857, the 35 year-old Flaubert is in the dock because of the heroine of his novel, Emma Bovary, and her character.