The Man in the Iron Mask: The Mystery SolvedAlexandre Dumas said that his famous Three Musketeers never existed, but Athos, Aramis and Porthos were flesh and blood. Their supposedly fictional duel with Cardinal Richelieu's guards actually took place in 1640 and Charles d'Artagnan, a teenager on his first day in Paris, fought alongside the Musketeers. According to Oxford historian Macdonald, several other elements of the tale are also based in fact — the Cardinal's agent, Milady de Winter, really was an English aristocrat, and against all odds, the country boy without influence, d'Artagnan, did succeed in becoming Captain of the King's Musketeers, the only man whom Louis XIV could trust to arrest his over-mighty minister, Fouquet. It was d'Artagnan who escorted Fouquet to the feared Alpine fortress of Pignerol, wherein lived the most mysterious of all prisoners, the Man in the Iron Mask. Macdonald has spent five years unraveling fact from fiction to reveal the true story of the Musketeers and their link with the Man in the Iron Mask. It is a reality more extraordinary than anything Dumas could devise. Honor and heroism, betrayal and intrigue, are set amidst the lust, jealousy, and deadly poisons that made the Sun King's court a world of glittering paranoia. |
Contents
The Facts behind the Fable | 1 |
A Gascon in Paris | 3 |
The Devils Child | 21 |
Copyright | |
18 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
abbé Anne of Austria Aramis arrest arrived asked Athénaïs de Montespan Athénaïs's Athos Barbezieux Barrail Bastille became Besmaux brother captain cardinal Cardinal's Guards cell Charles château Cinq-Mars Colbert comte Court courtiers Courtilz Cubières Cyrano d'Ar d'Artag d'Artagnan death donjon Dumas escort Étienne Eustache Exiles fortress Fouquet France Françoise French Gascon governor Henrietta historians hôtel huge husband imprisonment Iron Mask jailer July Junca Jussac king King's Musketeers knew La Voisin later Lauzun letter lieutenant livres London Louis XIII Louis XIV Louise Louvois Louvois's Maastricht Madame Madame de Sévigné Mademoiselle Maria-Theresa Marie marquis Martin Masque de Fer Mattioli Mazarin minister Mirabeau mistress Monsieur never Nicolas Fouquet Ormesson palace Paris Pignerol Porthos Prignani queen Renneville Reynie Richelieu Roux royal Saint Saint-Germain Saint-Mars Saint-Mars's Sainte-Marguerite Scarron secret prisoner sent sexual sword Tellier Three Musketeers told took Tower Tréville Tréville's valet Vallière Voltaire wife wrote XIV's