Cinq-Mars

Cinq-Mars is a historical novel published in 1826 by the French writer Alfred de Vigny, his only foray into the novel form. Set during the reign of Louis XIII, it portrays the rebellious conspiracy of Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis of Cinq-Mars, who unsuccessfully tried to overthrow the chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu, and was executed.

The work belongs to the first wave of French historical novels, inspired by the great popularity Walter Scott's novels enjoyed in France. Alongside A Chronicle of the Reign of Charles IX (1829) and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831), it forms part of that movement. Its gloomy tone also recalls the works of Ann Radcliffe.

The novel also had an influence on the arts: over the following years several painters produced works inspired by it, including Claudius Jacquand and Paul Delaroche, who painted The State Barge of Cardinal Richelieu on the Rhône in 1829. In 1877, Charles Gounod composed the opera Cinq-Mars, also inspired by the book.