The Vagabond Life

Hortense Joule was a mistress of the French king Louis XVI. She describes his controlling behaviour and bizarre views. He would have her travel 200 leagues while she was with child, even near to giving birth. His paranoia only seemed to grow with time - he blamed her for being wasteful. It is a timeless story of coercive, abusive behaviour that must have been appalling to live through. Even his contemporaries were shocked when they read about it.