It is loosely based on the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, an episode involving fraud and royal scandal that made headlines at the court of Louis XVI in the 1780s.

It is the second in a series of four novels focused on the character of Cagliostro, presented by Dumas as the man pulling all the strings of the affair.

The first chapters of the novel, which feature a dinner hosted by the old Marshal of Richelieu, were inspired by a text by Jean-François de La Harpe called The Prophecy of Cazotte.

This foreshadowing throws light on the tragic plot, as the reader already knows that the efforts of the protagonists, including the queen, to prove their innocence are doomed to failure.

The plot of the novel was fully or partially included in adaptations for film and television, which also drew on the historical facts: