The Rose of Versailles is the story of Oscar de Jarjayes, a woman who was raised as a man so she could serve in the Palace Guards of Versailles, as her father had. Oscar is a loyal guard but struggles with the social injustices of the time: The story is set at the time of the French Revolution, and Marie Antoinette is one of the lead characters.
Udon announced that it had licensed the series in 2015, and initially they planned to publish the first volume in 2016, but the project was delayed. One reason for the delay was Udon’s decision not to release the first volume until the entire series had been translated, edited, and lettered, both for continuity and to ensure that once publication began, the series would stay on schedule (see "Let Them Read Manga").
The manga was hugely popular when it was first released in Japan in the 1970s. It was a cultural phenomenon and has been adapted into several television and theatrical anime as well as a musical by the Takarazuka theater company.