[3] Around May 1883 Chabrier wrote to his publishers that for his next stage work he was hoping to create something like Offenbach's successful 'grand fantaisie' Le roi Carotte.

[7] An article by Theodore Massiac[8] described in some detail Chabrier's composition process for Le roi malgré lui.

At his home at La Membrolle, Chabrier would read the words out loud in order to find the tone and rhythm of each piece and only after having played around with the text for some time would take up his pen and start composing.

Finally, Jean Richepin, an old friend of the composer, had a major part in helping provide Chabrier with a libretto he could feel happy with.

Although much criticized, the stage situations of Najac and Burani are "dexterously handled and reveal a sense of variety and climax".

Casts included Roger Bourdin as Henri de Valois, Yvonne Brothier as Minka and Vina Bovy as Alexina.

The American stage premiere was on 18 November 1976 at the Juilliard, conducted by Manuel Rosenthal, with choreography by George Balanchine.

[19] The British stage premiere had to wait until the centenary of the composer's death, when it was produced in an adaptation by Jeremy Sams and Michael Wilcox at Opera North and also seen at the Edinburgh Festival.

Leon Botstein led the American Symphony Orchestra in a concert version at Avery Fisher Hall in 2005, and in a fully staged production directed by Thaddeus Strassberger at Bard Summerscape in 2012, a co-production seen later that year at the Wexford Festival Opera.

Although the ordinary people had been well-disposed towards Henri, the nobility, led by Count Albert Laski, seemed to be joining together to oppose him and support the other claimant to the throne, the Archduke of Austria.

He enters, busy with preparations for the coronation, pretending to Nangis that he does not know Laski, and, on learning of the king's continued homesickness, cannot resist airing his views on the differences between the Poles and the French in a comic song.

After Fritelli has gone, Nangis confesses to his friends that during the eight days he has been away trying to raise an army, he has fallen in love with a charming girl, Minka, who unfortunately is a slave in Laski's household.

Minka's lone voice is heard off-stage, and as the curtain falls, Nangis manages to let slip his captors, jump out of a window and escape.

When the dancing is over, the Duke and Duchess of Fritelli arrive and introduce a new conspirator as the Count de Nangis (in reality the king in disguise).

Alexina is still furious that Henri left her in Venice without a farewell, but during the ensuing duet, he gradually wins her round, and their feelings are rekindled.

An inn between Krakow and the Polish frontier The innkeeper, Basile, and his staff are preparing to receive the new king of Poland.

Henri, introducing himself to Basile as Nangis, sent in advance of the king, is stunned when he hears that he won't be able to complete his escape, as all the coaches were sent off to meet the Archduke, so he has to settle for a cart and an old nag, with a servant girl to show him the way.

Alexina finally tells her that the king is murdered and Minka, believing that this means her beloved Nangis is dead, collapses.

Basile arrives to say that the servant girl he had promised 'Nangis' to guide his way has gone to the Basilica to watch the coronation and Alexina determines to take her place.

Alexina enters dressed as a servant girl and meets Henri; Fritelli hurries them on their way, content to be rid of his rival, but his pleasure is short-lived as he learns that the servant-girl was his wife, and he rushes off in pursuit of them both.

Henri is shortly brought back in, reconciled to becoming king and receiving the acclamation of the pages, lords and soldiers assembled.

In La Reine Margot, chapter LXV: Les Ambassadeurs, Alexandre Dumas, père conjures up the coronation of Henri in Kraków, and his unhappiness at being king.

[2] Grove comments, "the brilliance of Chabrier’s music, often reminiscent of Berlioz and sometimes of Bizet, rests on a superbly crafted structure.

The balance between romantic and comic episodes, a striking feature of all Chabrier's opera, is at its most perfect in Le roi malgré lui.

The original plan, around 1884, a light work in the style of L'étoile was reinvigorated by Carvalho in 1886, into something grander and more dramatic with greater love interest.

[13] Huebner concludes his exploration of Le roi malgré lui by proposing that the collision of the traditions of opérette and opéra-comique results in "an explosion of pastiche, quotation, allusion, archaisms, dance rhythms of all kinds, Wagnerian chromaticisms, modernist parallel chords, patter singing", and for musical pleasure brackets Le roi malgré lui with Verdi's Falstaff.