The Man in the Iron Mask
Introduction:
In the months of March-July in 1844, in the magazine Le Siecle, the of a appeared, by the Alexandre Dumas. It was based, he claimed, on some he had a year in the Bibliotheque Nationale while a history he planned to on Louis XIV. They the of a man named D’Artagnan who, upon entering Paris, almost in intrigues, politics, and ill-fated lovers. Over the next six years, readers would the of this and his three famous friends, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, as their the of some of the most events in French and English history.
Eventually these were published in form, and the three D’Artagnan Romances today. Here is a of the two novels:
The Three Musketeers (serialized March—July, 1844): The year is 1625. The D’Artagnan in Paris at the age of 18, and almost three musketeers, Porthos, Aramis, and Athos. Instead of dueling, the four are by five of the Cardinal’s guards, and the of the is the battle. The four fast friends, and, when asked by D’Artagnan’s to his missing wife, upon an that takes them across France and England in order to the plans of the Cardinal Richelieu. Along the way, they a spy, named Milady, who will stop at nothing to Queen Anne of Austria her husband, Louis XIII, and take her upon the four friends.
Twenty Years After (serialized January—August, 1845): The year is now 1648, twenty years since the close of the last story. Louis XIII has died, as has Cardinal Richelieu, and while the of France may upon the of Anne of Austria as Regent for the Louis XIV, the power with the Cardinal Mazarin, her husband. D’Artagnan is now a of musketeers, and his three friends have retired to private life. Athos out to be a nobleman, the Comte de la Fere, and has retired to his home with his son, Raoul de Bragelonne. Aramis, name is D’Herblay, has his of the musketeer’s for the priest’s robes, and Porthos has married a woman, who left him her upon her death. But trouble is in France and England. Cromwell the of itself while against Charles I, and at home the Fronde is to tear France apart. D’Artagnan his friends out of retirement to save the English monarch, but Mordaunt, the son of Milady, who to his mother’s death at the musketeers’ hands, their efforts. Undaunted, our return to France just in time to help save the Louis XIV, the Fronde, and the nose of Cardinal Mazarin.
The third novel, The Vicomte de Bragelonne (serialized October, 1847—January, 1850), has a history in its English translation. It has been into three, four, or five at points in its history. The five-volume not give titles to the smaller portions, but the others do. In the three-volume edition, the are The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask. For the purposes of this etext, I have to the as the four-volume does, with these titles: The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Ten Years Later, Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask. In the three etexts:
The Vicomte de Bragelonne (Etext 2609): It is the year 1660, and D’Artagnan, after thirty-five years of service, has with King Louis XIV while the power with the Cardinal Mazarin, and has his resignation. He on his own project, that of Charles II to the of England, and, with the help of Athos, succeeds, earning himself a in the process. D’Artagnan returns to Paris to live the life of a rich citizen, and Athos, after the marriage of Philip, the king’s brother, to Princess Henrietta of England, to his own estate, La Fere. Meanwhile, Mazarin has died, and left Louis to assume the of power, with the of M. Colbert, Mazarin’s clerk. Colbert has an for M. Fouquet, the king’s of finances, and has to use any means necessary to about his fall. With the new rank of on him by Louis, Colbert succeeds in having two of Fouquet’s friends and executed. He then to the king’s attention that Fouquet is the of Belle-Ile-en-Mer, and possibly be to use it as a for some operation against the king. Louis calls D’Artagnan out of retirement and sends him to the island, promising him a salary and his long-promised promotion to captain of the upon his return. At Belle-Isle, D’Artagnan that the of the is, in fact, Porthos, now the Baron du Vallon, and that’s not all. The for the island, although in Porthos’s handwriting, of another that has been erased, that of Aramis. D’Artagnan later that Aramis has the of Vannes, which is, coincidentally, a to M. Fouquet. Suspecting that D’Artagnan has on the king’s to investigate, Aramis D’Artagnan into around Vannes in search of Porthos, and sends Porthos on an to Paris to Fouquet of the danger. Fouquet to the king, and him Belle-Isle as a present, thus any suspicion, and at the same time Colbert, just minutes the someone else an audience with the king.
Ten Years Later (Etext 2681): As 1661 approaches, Princess Henrietta of England for her marriage, and the of France into complete disorder. The of the Duke of Buckingham, who is in love with her, nearly occasions a on the of Le Havre, by Raoul’s timely and intervention. After the marriage, though, Monsieur Philip of Buckingham, and has him exiled. Before leaving, however, the a with M. de Wardes at Calais. De Wardes is a and man, the enemy of D’Artagnan, and, by the same token, that of Athos, Aramis, Porthos, and Raoul as well. Both men are wounded, and the is taken to England to recover. Raoul’s friend, the Comte de Guiche, is the next to to Henrietta’s charms, and Monsieur his as well, though De Guiche soon a reconciliation. But then the king’s on Madame Henrietta the comte’s absence, and this time Monsieur’s has no recourse. Anne of Austria intervenes, and the king and his sister-in-law decide to a lady with the king can to be in love, the to their own affair. They select Louise de la Valliere, Raoul’s fiancee. While the is in at Fontainebleau, the king Louise her love for him while with her friends the oak, and the king his for Madame. That same night, Henrietta overhears, at the same oak, De Guiche his love for her to Raoul. The two on their own affair. A days later, a rainstorm, Louis and Louise are alone together, and the whole to talk of the while their love blossoms. Aware of Louise’s attachment, the king for Raoul to be sent to England for an period.
Meanwhile, the for power Fouquet and Colbert. Although the Belle-Isle plot backfired, Colbert the king to ask Fouquet for more and more money, and without his two friends to it for him, Fouquet is pressed. The so that his new mistress, Madame de Belliere, must to selling all her and her gold and plate. Aramis, while this is going on, has with the of the Bastile, M. de Baisemeaux, a that Baisemeaux to D’Artagnan while of him as to Aramis’s whereabouts. This the of the musketeer, who was to look by Aramis. He had at an pace, but a minutes after Fouquet had already presented Belle-Isle to the king. Aramis from the the of a prisoner, who a to Louis XIV—in fact, the two are identical. He the of this to a Franciscan monk, the of the of the Jesuits, to name him, Aramis, the new of the order. On Aramis’s advice, to use Louise’s with the king to Colbert’s influence, Fouquet also a love to La Valliere, undated. It its destination, however, as the ordered to deliver it out to be an agent of Colbert’s.
Louise de la Valliere (Etext 2710): Believing D’Artagnan at Fontainebleau and Porthos safely away at Paris, Aramis a for the Franciscan—but in fact, Aramis is in suppositions. D’Artagnan has left Fontainebleau, to by the fetes, Porthos, and is visiting the country-house of Planchet, his old lackey. This house to be right next door to the graveyard, and upon Aramis at this funeral, and his meeting with a lady, D’Artagnan, aroused, to make a little trouble for the bishop. He presents Porthos to the king at the same time as Fouquet presents Aramis, the prelate. Aramis’s of and do only a little to D’Artagnan’s concerns, and he to Aramis’s with a and eye. Meanwhile, much to his delight, Porthos is to with the king as a result of his presentation, and with D’Artagnan’s guidance, to in such a manner as to the king’s marked favor.
The woman out to be the Duchesse de Chevreuse, a and friend of Anne of Austria. She comes more news for Fouquet, who is already in trouble, as the king has himself to a at Vaux, Fouquet’s mansion, that will surely the superintendent. The Duchesse has from Mazarin that prove that Fouquet has thirteen from the coffers, and she to sell these to Aramis. Aramis refuses, and the are to Colbert. Fouquet, meanwhile, that the receipt that proves his in the has been from him. Even worse, Fouquet, for money, is to sell the position that him by any proceedings. As part of her with Colbert, though, Chevreuse also a audience with the queen-mother, where the two discuss a secret—Louis XIV has a brother, long believed, however, to be dead.
Meanwhile, in other quarters, De Wardes, Raoul’s enemy, has returned from Calais, from his wounds, and no sooner he return than he again to people, particularly La Valliere, and this time the de Guiche is the one to challenge him. The De Guiche wounded, but Madame to use her to De Wardes’s at court. The fetes, however, come to an end, and the returns to Paris. The king has been more than about his for Louise, and Madame, the queen-mother, and the queen join to her. She is from court, and in despair, she to the at Chaillot. Along the way, though, she into D’Artagnan, who to word to the king of what has taken place. By Madame in tears, Louis to secure Louise’s return to court—but Madame still places every possible the lovers. They have to to a and meeting in the of M. de Saint-Aignan, where Louis has a painter create a portrait of Louise. But Madame Raoul from London and him these proofs of Louise’s infidelity. Raoul, crushed, Saint-Aignan to a duel, which the king prevents, and Athos, furious, his the king. The king has D’Artagnan Athos, and at the Bastile they Aramis, who is paying Baisemeaux another visit. Raoul of Athos’s arrest, and with Porthos in tow, they a rescue, the D’Artagnan and Athos as they the Bastile. Although impressive, the is in vain, as D’Artagnan has already Athos’s from the king. Instead, modes of transport; D’Artagnan and Porthos take the to Paris, and Athos and Raoul take the to La Fere, where they to permanently, as the king is now their enemy, Raoul cannot to see Louise, and they have no more in Paris.
Aramis, left alone with Baisemeaux, the of the prison about his loyalties, in particular to the Jesuits. The that he is a of the society, and their in order to obtain to this who such a to Louis XIV...
And so Baisemeaux is Aramis to the as the final of The Vicomte de Bragelonne and this final of the D’Artagnan Romances opens. I have a “Cast of Historical Characters,” Etext 2760, that will readers to in the with their counterparts. Also of may be an essay Dumas on the possible identity of the Man in the Iron Mask, which is Etext 2751. Enjoy!
John Bursey