The Adventures of Belfort and Lupin

The construction of Versailles nearly ruined the French budget. Louis XIV personally oversaw all expenses and demanded that every material—from marble to mirrors—be produced exclusively within France. This gave a powerful boost to French industry (it was then that the famous Saint-Gobain mirror manufactory was founded). Below is a breakdown of the colossal costs of creating the Versailles complex (converted into modern economic equivalents by historians): The total cost of Versailles, in modern terms, is estimated by experts to be between $3 and$30 billion.

A "Golden Cage" for the Nobility: The King obliged all leading French aristocrats to reside at court. Those who retired to their ancestral estates lost the king's favor, their positions, and their income.
Personality cult and etiquette: Louis transformed his daily life into a sacred theater. The country's most noble dukes fought for the right to... offer the king a shirt upon waking in the morning (the Levée procession) or hold a candle as he went to bed.

Total Control: While the nobles spent fortunes on lavish clothing, plotted intrigues in the Hall of Mirrors, and watched who sat closest to the monarch at dinner, Louis XIV ruled the country single-handedly through a tight circle of loyal professional ministers (such as Jean-Baptiste Colbert). Versailles became the perfect instrument: instead of instigating conspiracies and civil wars in the provinces, the French aristocracy was tamed by glitter, luxury, and strict court etiquette.

The Grand Canal: A vast, cross-shaped body of water, over 1.5 kilometers long, stretching straight to the horizon. Under the kings, authentic Venetian gondolas and miniature warships sailed along it.

Louis XIV was building not just a palace, but a new model of government—an absolute monarchy, where everything was subordinated to the will of one man. To force the proud French nobles to submit, he decided to move the capital from rebellious Paris to the open field where his father's modest hunting lodge stood—Versailles. Construction began in 1661 and continued for over half a century, becoming Europe's premier construction project.

The site for the future capital of luxury was extremely unfortunate: swamps, quicksand, and a complete lack of clean water. But for the "Sun King," this was a challenge—he wanted to prove that his will was stronger than nature itself. The scale of the work: Up to 36,000 people worked on the construction site at one time (in peacetime, even the army was called in). Diggers drained swamps, cleared forests, and leveled hills.

The human cost: Thousands of workers died from swamp fever, malaria, and accidents at the construction site. According to contemporaries, carts secretly removed the bodies of the dead every night so as not to spoil the king's mood.

The Battle for Water: To power dozens of grand fountains, a complex engineering system was created. They even attempted to bring water from the Loire River using a colossal Marly machine (a giant pump), considered an engineering marvel of its time.

The "Kingdom of Versailles" never existed as a separate country—Versailles was the dazzling center, heart, and unofficial capital of the French kingdom during the Age of Absolutism (1682 to 1789). The Palace of Versailles itself (Château de Versailles) is the world's greatest palace and park complex, built by the "Sun King" Louis XIV, and becoming the epitome of luxury for all European monarchs.

The Golden Gate: Welcomes visitors at the main entrance. It is a huge wrought-iron grille covered in pure gold leaf and adorned with royal crowns, lilies, and the face of Apollo (the symbol of Louis XIV). The Hall of Mirrors: The palace's most famous room, 73 meters long, features 17 enormous windows overlooking the garden on one side, and 357 mirrors on the other. Mirrors were incredibly expensive at the time, and this hall dazzled guests with its light and the optical expansion of space. Massive crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, painted with scenes of the king's victories.

The Park of Versailles is the pinnacle of French formal gardening, where nature is completely subordinated to geometry. Perfect symmetry: From a bird's eye view, the gardens appear like a giant living carpet with precise patterns. Shrubs and trees are perfectly trimmed into cones, spheres, and smooth walls, creating intricate labyrinths (bosquets).

Fountain Masterpieces: The park boasts approximately 50 fountains, adorned with gilded sculptures of gods, titans, and animals. The most famous are the Fountain of Latona (shaped like a multi-tiered wedding pyramid) and the Fountain of Apollo, where the sun god emerges from the water on a chariot drawn by four horses.

3. Palace interiors: Inside, the halls looked like European royal residences: enormous crystal chandeliers, carpets, portraits of monarchs in gold frames, and velvet upholstery. However, the halls also featured massive golden thrones in the shape of sacred lotuses and figures of mythical creatures.

Royal rituals in Siam were considered sacred, as the king was perceived by the people as the earthly incarnation of a deity.

The Coronation: It was a dazzling spectacle. The King dressed in heavy gold robes embroidered with precious stones and donned the Great Crown of Victory—a tall, cone-shaped gold crown weighing over 7 kilograms and studded with diamonds. During the ceremony, the monarch was bathed in sacred water collected from the main rivers of Siam.

Royal Procession on Water (Kathin): One of the most spectacular spectacles in the world. Dozens of enormous narrow boats (barges), carved from solid teak trunks, floated down the Chao Phraya River. The prows of these boats were carved in the form of golden mythical creatures—dragons, Garuda birds, and multi-headed snakes. Rowers in bright red historical costumes lifted their oars in unison to the accompaniment of ritual chants, while the king himself sat in the center of the main golden barge under a luxurious canopy.

Land Excursions: On land, the king was carried on enormous golden palanquins (seats) by dozens of guards. Sacred white umbrellas (symbols of royal authority) fluttered around them, and the procession was accompanied by royal war elephants adorned with golden caparisons and head shields.

2. Chief Queen Saovabha Phongsri: Petite in stature, with delicate features, dark skin, and a very short, almost "boyish" haircut, typical of Siamese women of the time. She masterfully combined styles: she wore the traditional Siamese silk sarong kung (draped like bloomers), but complemented it with European lace blouses with puffed sleeves, stockings, high-heeled shoes, and luxurious Western necklaces.

King Chulalongkorn had many wives and over 70 children. Family photographs often depict the younger children in traditional semi-nude attire, with ritual sacred topknots on their heads. However, as they grew older, the king's sons changed dramatically: European education: The king sent his sons to study in Europe (the UK, Germany, and Russia).

The princes' appearance: As they matured, they transformed into sophisticated dandies. They wore formal tuxedos, perfectly parted hair, bow ties, and gold watches on chains. In photographs from the late 19th century, they look like Oxford graduates or guards officers.

A striking example of the King of Siam's impeccable appearance was his visit to St. Petersburg in 1897. Famous photographs survive of Rama V seated next to Emperor Nicholas II. The Siamese monarch, in his embroidered ceremonial uniform, was in no way inferior to the Russian autocrat in stature, confidence, and elegance, which made a huge impression on the European press.

The Grand Palace in Bangkok was the heart of the country. During the reign of King Rama V (Chulalongkorn), its architecture underwent a true revolution: Chakri Maha Prasat Palace: This is the main building of the palace complex and best reflects the spirit of that era. The king commissioned British architects to construct the lower part of the building in a strict European Neo-Renaissance style (with classical columns and grand staircases). However, the king ordered the building's roof to be made purely Thai—with multi-tiered spires covered in pure gold and vibrant mosaics.

1. King Rama V (Chulalongkorn): Considered one of the greatest rulers, he had the appearance of a true aristocrat: he sported a neat moustache, had a strong gaze, and slicked-back hair. The king completely abandoned traditional Eastern attire in favor of European military uniforms or elegant, classic three-piece suits. His image demonstrated to the West that Siam was a modern, civilized power.
   Siam away from the kingdom of Versailles.

An interesting historical fact: the Siamese royal family had close ties to the Russian Empire. King Rama V was personally friends with Emperor Nicholas II (photographs of them together in European uniforms have survived), and one of the Siamese princes, Chakrabong, even married the Russian noblewoman Ekaterina Desnitskaya, who became the true princess of Siam for a time.

Queens of Siam: The royal wives (such as the famous Queen Sunandha) possessed the classic Siamese (Thai) appearance—dark skin, expressive dark almond-shaped eyes, and straight black hair. The queens wore traditional hairstyles (often short or high, sacred buns) and exquisite traditional silk sarongs, accessorized with massive gold jewelry and pearl necklaces.

Louis XIV (the Sun King) was short in stature—around 156–160 cm—with brown eyes, dark hair, and a majestic posture. Height: He was short (approximately 156–160 cm). Posture: He had a proud and upright posture, which made him appear taller and more imposing in portraits. Gait: He moved gracefully and confidently, as he was an excellent dancer. Face and features: Eyes: Expressive, brown. Facial features: Regular, but changed over time. Attractive in his youth, in his mature years he sported a thick mustache and long, curly hair.

The kingdom of Versailles is huge, with 6 or 5 floors, and there was one legend, a werewolf, or a real wolf of enormous size, blood-red color, Louis believed that this monster was dead, but it was still alive and hiding in the forest, Lupin is considered this monster, or all the servants are afraid of Wolves because of this legend, and it is a cannibal.

Sita: This is a black Panther from the Kingdom of Siam, and she has a gold-colored decoration on her, and Arianna is also from the Kingdom of Siam if she is a Siamese cat herself.

Artus and Marcus are energetic birds, often caught up in the bustle around the palace.
Artus the Red Bird
Marcus the Bluebird
(and both men)

Monsieur de Stunningmane is a proud horse with a luxurious mane. He has black hair, a smooth coat, and a black mane, and is the best racehorse, and participates in competitions.
(man).

Llama: A cute Llama in the kingdom's zoo:) and he spits a lot, he's also rude.

Princess Marie-Adélaïde, a young member of the royal family, wears a pink dress, a chocolate-colored wig, and yellow bows.

Chico: This is a pink flamingo who is bullied by other flamingos and always panics and is called a loser.

Chevalier: Rainbow parrot (not exactly Rainbow, but like different colors, I don't know the species) he also loves the scent of orange, and he talks and is a macaw.

The guards all look the same: their clothes are elegant and red, like they are servants, and they have chocolate-colored hair styled down and slightly curly.

Arlette, Georgette and Colette are hardy moles who live under garden beds.

Diana is the king's favorite dog, Belfort's mother, and Diana is strict, just like Belfort.

Belfort's sisters are court dog-lovers who are sometimes jealous of all the attention Belfort gets and get into minor mischief or pranks. They are similar to him but have different colors, like their mother, and they have bows.
and their name: Tanya and Pony

They don't have a dad.

(girls)

Bazir: in elegant red clothes, but he is not in a dress, but in a man's dark red suit, and a white shirt inside, and as always, he has SMELLY SHOES... and he has long hair on top, with bows.
Gender: Male

Ghazen: She is a cute little mouse with an elegant dark red dress and a blonde wig, and she lives in a princess wig.

Madame Rose: An African elephant in an accessory, she is elegant and beautiful and loves flowers.

both girls

Belfort: a smart, refined and elegant court spaniel who enjoys the special favor of the Sun King, and is very kind and has an elegant voice, and is the kindest, but... he has no sense of smell :( and his color is orange, his delicate nose and paws, and his belly is white and his neck too

Lupin: a fearless, kind and generous wolf from the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, who hides from guards and people only trusts Belfort, and Belfort trusts him, and he is allergic to the word Moon, and immediately begins to howl, and his coat is dark like that of a black wolf

both men.