ABSTRACT
The Le Grand Conde who emerged from prison therefore claimed to be a loyal subject of the king but at the same time the champion of an old-established set of values which prized individualism and guaranteed all conditions of men protection from tyranny. The few pitched battles that took place depended on the Apologie des Frondeurs' confronting Conde's troops with a determined, trained force. Conde had been the nation's idol, but the reality of the blockade very quickly made them view his iconic status in a different light. Conde's pamphleteers had set out to challenge du cardinal Mazarin on the principle of how the subject related to the sovereign. Pamphlets offered apologies for some aspects of Conde's behaviour towards Monsieur de Beaufort, Hotel de Gondi and the rest, explaining them as due to misunderstandings or misinterpretations of their intentions. The expulsion of Mazarin and a new alliance for the benefit of all were the solution proposed.
