The Amours of Zeokinizul, King of the Kofirans: Translated from the Arabic of the famous Traveller Krinelbol

In Short

Published in English in 1749, The Amours of Zeokinizul, King of the Kofirans is an allegorical satire of the French court, masking the real-life scandalous reign of King Louis XV beneath the thin veneer of an orientalized fable set in "Kofir." The narrative traces the monarch's transformation from a devoted husband into a serial adulterer whose private appetites dictate national policy. Guided by an anagrammatic key that decodes historical figures like Cardinal Fleury and Madame de Pompadour, the text survives as a sharp, contemporary exposure of royal hypocrisy, ministerial corruption, and the fragile line between sovereign duty and sensual indulgence.

The Story

The chronicle opens with an account of the Kingdom of the Kofirans, a fertile and naturally fortified realm elevated to immense glory under its previous ruler, Zokitarezoul. Following his death, the young prince Zeokinizul inherits the throne amid severe court factionalism. Dreading the ambition of rivals, the late king had willed the regency to his natural son, but the cunning Kam of Anserol successfully voids the will before the Pemenralt and seizes control of the state. Early in his reign, Zeokinizul earns the deep devotion of his people through his genuine love for his Queen, a marital fidelity that shields him from the infamous debaucheries of his predecessors.

This domestic harmony, however, threatens the designs of Jeflur, an elder advisor who believes a monarch absorbed in virtuous marriage is easily influenced. Recognizing the fickle nature of the Kofiran populace—who foolishly desire their king to display "spirit" through a fashionable court intrigue—Jeflur conspires to corrupt his sovereign. Enlisting the artful courtier Kelirieu, Jeflur manipulates the King's hidden anxieties, persuading him that his melancholy can only be cured by taking a mistress. Zeokinizul reluctantly surrenders to the temptation, embarking on a secret affair with Liamil, an unpretentious woman of thirty-six who agrees to govern her behavior according to Jeflur's strict instructions.

Liamil's reign as royal favorite is disrupted when she unwisely introduces her sister, Leutinemil, to the court. Possessing an unbridled ambition and a sharp wit, Leutinemil promptly supplant her sister in the King's affections. The court soon descends into a cycle of intra-familial rivalry and political maneuvering as a third sister, Lenertoula, maneuvering through religious scruples and court intrigue, drives out the previous favorites to claim absolute authority over royal posts, titles, and public funds. Jeflur dies, leaving behind a legacy of mismanaged state affairs and unfulfilled promises.

When war breaks out against foreign powers, Zeokinizul departs for the front accompanied by Lenertoula. The exertion of their continuous private intimacy, combined with the stress of military anxieties, triggers a life-threatening fever in the King. Fearing imminent damnation, Zeokinizul repents, dismisses Lenertoula, and reunites with his Queen. Yet his recovery brings a swift return to old habits. Returning victorious to his capital, he falls enamored with a series of new lovers at a masked ball, ultimately elevating the scheming Vorompdap. Only after pursuing the virtuous Nasica—who resolutely rejects his illicit advances and appeals to his royal honor—does the monarch experience a true moral awakening. Overcome with self-reproach, Zeokinizul renounces the pursuit of women entirely, devoting his remaining years to wise governance and the education of his royal heir.

How It Unfolds

The rise of the regent Following the death of the old King Zokitarezoul, the ambitious Kam of Anserol overturns the royal will before the Pemenralt to claim the regency. He quenches subsequent court rebellions in blood while preserving the young heir, Zeokinizul, from internal threats.

The corruption of the King Zeokinizul's virtuous devotion to his Queen frustrates the minister Jeflur, who fears a moral king cannot be manipulated. Jeflur hires the courtier Kelirieu to convince the sovereign that taking a mistress is the sole remedy for his melancholy.

The procession of sisters Liamil becomes the initial favorite under Jeflur's strict guidance, but her moderate reign is shattered when her predatory sister Leutinemil supplants her. A third sister, Lenertoula, eventually engineered Liamil's banishment to a mosque and assumes control over state patronage.

A deathbed repentance Accompanying the King on a military campaign, Lenertoula exhausts his fragile health, causing a life-threatening fever. Believing himself near death, Zeokinizul banishes his mistress, reconciles with the Queen, and vows lifelong amendment.

The return to court gallantry Upon recovering his health and securing a military victory, the King forgets his pious vows during a lavish masked ball in Kofir. He resumes his pursuit of court beauties, eventually raising the calculating Vorompdap to high favor.

The final reformation Zeokinizul attempts to seduce the young noblewoman Nasica, who boldly refuses to participate in a guilty passion that would disgrace her family. Moved by her virtue, the King turns from sensual indulgence to devote his remaining days strictly to public duty.

The People

• Zeokinizul: The King of the Kofirans, initially a tender and principled husband who wishes to govern through his subjects' love. Caught between moral remorse and weak resolve, he allows ministers and mistresses to dictate his private life until a final rejection inspires his lasting reformation.
• Jeflur: An elderly, scheming minister who views royal virtue as a direct obstacle to his political influence. He deliberately engineers the King's moral corruption to secure his own hold on power, remaining treacherous and self-serving up to his death.
• Kelirieu: A mercenary courtier who acts as Jeflur's agent in compromising the King. Driven purely by titles, gold tomans, and self-preservation, he unhesitatingly shifts his allegiances whenever a new favorite rises to power.
• Liamil: The King's first official mistress, a mild-mannered woman of thirty-six whose modest temper is exploited by court factions. Her reign ends in humiliation and exile when her own sisters supplant her in the royal bed.
• Leutinemil: Liamil's ambitious and revengeful sister, who uses her superior wit to capture the King's waning attention, inaugurating a destructive tradition of family rivalry.
• Lenertoula: The third sister to capture the King's favor, far exceeding her predecessors in her grasp for authority. She manipulates the King's passions to dispose of national treasure and government posts at her whim.
• Vorompdap: A later court favorite who secures the King's affections during his return to peacetime luxury, exercising immense control over the monarch's leisure.
• Nasica: A young noblewoman of severe virtue whose firm, dignified refusal of the King's illicit proposals shames him into permanently abandoning his gallantry.

In Its Own Voice

"Must I, being the Interpreter, and Protector of the Laws, only make a Parade of My Prerogative, by licentiously violating them?"

Zeokinizul initially recoils when his courtiers suggest that taking a mistress is the only cure for his persistent melancholy.

"Love is well known to pay no Regard to the Tyes of Nature; Liamil was so exasperated at Leutinemil's being her Rival, that she forgot she was her Sister."

The narrator observes the collapse of familial affection as the royal mistresses compete viciously for supreme influence at court.

"Sire, replied Nasica, resolutely, your Highness can only offer me a guilty Passion, and I would incur your utmost Displeasure, I would die, rather than condescend to it."

The virtuous Nasica refuses the King's improper advances at a court ball, sparking his ultimate moral awakening.

What It's Really About

Beneath its orientalist framing, the text functions as a devastating critique of eighteenth-century absolutism and courtly decadence. It argues that a nation's destiny is dangerously hostage to the private frailties of its monarch. When a ruler surrenders his moral agency to corrupt advisors, the state apparatus quickly degenerates into a marketplace where public offices, legal decisions, and military commands are bought and sold through the favor of royal mistresses. The narrative exposes the myth of romantic gallantry, revealing court romance as a cynical exercise in political leverage, financial greed, and emotional exploitation. True sovereign authority, the work contends, is found not in the conquest of physical desires or foreign territories, but in the internal mastery of one's own passions for the public good.

Why Read It Today

The Amours of Zeokinizul offers modern readers an illuminating artifact of political satire written at the height of the French Enlightenment. Reading it feels like decoding a dangerous political pamphlet: fast-paced, acidic, and brimming with suppressed scandal. It captures the exact historical moment when the traditional reverence for the French monarchy began to rot from within, replaced by widespread public contempt for Louis XV's private life.

The work does present distinct historical difficulties. Modern readers must navigate an archaic key of anagrams—where Paris becomes "Kofir," France becomes "Kofirans," and Fleury becomes "Jeflur"—which can initially feel cumbersome without constant reference to the appended index. Furthermore, its eighteenth-century gender dynamics and transactional view of romance reflect the cynical court politics of the period. Nevertheless, those fascinated by secret histories, political satire, and the backroom mechanics of royal courts will find it a sharp, surprisingly modern examination of how personal vices ruin public institutions.

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