In Monsieur de Chauvelin's Will we are introduced to several of the historical characters who play parts of some prominence in the first of the so-called Marie-Antoinette Romances, the Memoirs of a Physician, and to one - the Duc de Richelieu - who had been a leading figure at court and in society from the very beginning of the century, and whom the author has introduced, as a young man, in The Regent's Daughter, and, a few years later, in Olympe de Cleves, lending a willing hand in the work of corrupting the young Louis XV, and launching him upon the path which he followed so consistently to the last ghastly hour of his deplorable life. The historical element is not more prominent in any of the author's historical romances than in the one before us. As the characters, almost without exception, are historical personages, so it may be said that there is authority for almost every incident of the narrative. Alexandre Dumas (also known as Dumas père) (1802-1870) was one of the most famous French writers of the 19th century. Dumas is best known for the historical novels The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both written within the space of two years, 1844-45, and which belong to the foundation works of popular culture. Dumas' works are fast-paced adventure tales that blend history and fiction.
