A man in a velvet mask. Iron mask

In 1698, a prisoner was brought to the Bastille, whose face was hidden by a terrible iron mask. His name was unknown, and in prison he was numbered 64489001. The created aura of mystery gave rise to many versions of who this masked man could be.

Prisoner in an iron mask in an anonymous engraving from the French Revolution (1789).
The authorities knew absolutely nothing about the prisoner transferred from another prison. They were ordered to place the masked man in the most remote cell and not talk to him. After 5 years the prisoner died. He was buried under the name Marcialli. All the deceased’s belongings were burned, and the walls were torn apart so that no notes remained.
When the Bastille fell at the end of the 18th century under the onslaught of the French Revolution, the new government published documents that shed light on the fate of the prisoners. But there was not a single word about the man in the mask.


Bastille is a French prison.
The Jesuit Griffe, who was a confessor in the Bastille at the end of the 17th century, wrote that a prisoner was brought to prison wearing a velvet (not iron) mask. In addition, the prisoner only put it on when someone appeared in the cell. From a medical point of view, if the prisoner actually wore a mask made of metal, it would invariably disfigure his face. The iron mask was “made” by writers who shared their assumptions about who this mysterious prisoner really could be.

The Man in the Iron Mask.
The masked prisoner was first mentioned in the Secret Notes of the Persian Court, published in 1745 in Amsterdam. According to the Notes, prisoner No. 64489001 was none other than the illegitimate son of Louis XIV and his mistress Louise Françoise de La Vallière. He bore the title of Duke of Vermandois, allegedly slapped his brother the Grand Dauphin, for which he ended up in jail. In fact, this version is implausible, because the illegitimate son of the French king died at the age of 16 in 1683. And according to the records of the confessor of the Bastille, Jesuit Griffe, the unknown was imprisoned in 1698, and he died in 1703.

Still from the film “The Man in the Iron Mask” (1998).
François Voltaire, in his work "The Age of Louis XIV", written in 1751, first pointed out that the Iron Mask could well be the twin brother of the Sun King. To avoid problems with the succession to the throne, one of the boys was raised secretly. When Louis XIV found out about his brother’s existence, he doomed him to eternal imprisonment. This hypothesis explained the presence of the prisoner’s mask so logically that it became the most popular among other versions and was subsequently filmed more than once by directors.

The Italian adventurer Ercole Antonio Mattioli could be hiding under the mask.
There is an opinion that the famous Italian adventurer Ercole Antonio Mattioli was forced to wear the mask. The Italian in 1678 entered into an agreement with Louis XIV, according to which he undertook to force his duke to surrender the fortress of Casale to the king in exchange for a reward of 10,000 crowns. The adventurer took the money, but did not fulfill the contract. Moreover, Mattioli gave out this state secret to several other countries for a separate reward. For this treason, the French government sent him to the Bastille, forcing him to wear a mask.


Russian Emperor Peter I.
Some researchers have put forward completely implausible versions about the man in the iron mask. According to one of them, this prisoner could be the Russian Emperor Peter I. It was during that period that Peter I was in Europe with his diplomatic mission (“Grand Embassy”). The autocrat was allegedly imprisoned in the Bastille, and a figurehead was sent home instead. Like, how else can we explain the fact that the tsar left Russia as a Christian who revered traditions, and returned back as a typical European who wanted to break the patriarchal foundations of Rus'.

The date of birth of the mysterious character in the iron mask is unknown. But the date of death is recorded accurately: he died on November 19, 1703. In general, the story of the Iron Mask begins in July 1669, when the minister of Louis XIV sends a letter to the head of the prison in the city of Pinerolo with a request to receive and provide special attention to a mysterious prisoner in a mask.

Since then, evidence of the Man in the Iron Mask has surfaced either in personal letters or in philosophical treatises. Even Voltaire did not ignore the existence of the Iron Mask and hinted that he knew much more about it than many, but, like a true Frenchman, he would remain silent. From these words of the philosopher it somehow naturally followed that the imprisonment of the enigmatic prisoner was connected with state secrets.

And really, why bother with an ordinary person like that? It’s easier to kill, especially since it’s the 17th century. But the prisoner was not only not killed: in all the places where he stayed, including the Bastille, he was given the most comfortable living conditions. The main inconvenience of his life was (besides, of course, the fact of confinement) wearing a mask around the clock. Although here the story has slightly thickened the colors: the mask was not iron, but made of black velvet. Agree, the material is qualitatively different.

The legend of the Man in the Iron Velvet Mask has not subsided over the centuries, but has acquired new details. The main question - who the prisoner was - is still relevant today. There are at least 52 versions in total. But we won’t torment you with everyone; we’ll introduce you only to the most interesting ones, in our opinion.

Mysterious lady

It is not for nothing that the expression “Cherche la femme” was invented by the French. They always imagine a woman behind any secret. The version arose after the prisoner (prisoner) visited the prison on the island of Sainte-Marguerite and probably made a romantic impression on the prison governor.

A theory that appeared at the end of the 19th century. They say that Moliere (pardon the pun) was so tired of the authorities with his accusatory plays that it was most convenient to put his talent into a mask. Although the writer and the king had, strictly speaking, cultural relations: Moliere even held the honorable position of the king’s bed-guard.

Skin cancer patient

1933 version. A terrible illness struck the skin of a certain high-ranking official, and therefore this face had to be covered with a mask.

Twin brother of Louis XIV

Until the death of the de facto regent Mazarin, the young Sun King was completely uninterested in politics. He just danced, changed outfits and, so to speak, flirted with the ladies. But the day after the death of the cardinal, the king’s behavior changed dramatically (and again, sorry for the pun): he became serious and became concerned about governing the state. Just a different person! What if this is our king’s twin brother, hidden immediately after birth? Well, exactly. This is true. And the king, apparently, is now sitting in captivity and wearing a mask. The version gained popularity thanks to Dumas and the 1998 film “The Man in the Iron Mask” with Leonardo DiCaprio (yes, he was not given an Oscar for this film either).

Black son of Maria Theresa

A child born from an inappropriate relationship between the queen and her black page. The excuse “it doesn’t happen to anyone” did not work in the royal families, and the criminal fruit of love had to be imprisoned forever.

The events of November 20, 1703 still attract historians today. On this day, a prisoner was secretly buried in the cemetery near St. Paul's Church, who went by the name Iron Mask in the prison registry. Until now, researchers are speculating about what kind of personality was hidden behind the mask.

Charlotte Elisabeth of Bavaria d'Orléans

Rumors about the mysterious Iron Mask began to spread during the reign of Louis XIV, and they were spread by the widow of the Duke of Orleans, Charlotte Elizabeth of Bavaria. She claimed that for a number of years a strange prisoner in an iron mask was held in the Bastille and died.

Bastille

These rumors gave rise to many speculations about the identity of the prisoner, some suggested that he was an English lord who was involved in a conspiracy against the English king William III.

Louise de La Valliere

In 1745, the book “Secret Notes on the History of Persia” by an unknown author was published, which further concentrated rumors around the identity of the mysterious prisoner. The book tells the story of the tragic fate of the hero Giafer, who was the illegitimate son of Shah Abas, in whom the image of Louis XIV was recognizable. Giafer slapped his half-brother Sefi Mirza (Grand Dauphin) and was imprisoned for life in the Bastille as punishment.

Louise de La Vallière and her children from Louis XIV Mademoiselle de Blois and Count of Vermandois

If you believe the book, then the prisoner was the Count of Vermandois - the great French admiral - the illegitimate son of Louis XIV and his favorite Louise de La Vallière.

Anne of Austria, Maria Theresa and Dauphin Louis

The image of the Iron Mask troubled the minds of the great French. Thus, in 1751, Voltaire wrote the book “The Age of Louis XIV,” in which he reveals the story of a mysterious prisoner who was forced to wear an iron mask for the rest of his life. The book immediately became a bestseller. And only twenty years later Voltaire revealed the secret of the iron mask to readers. It turned out that under the mask was hidden the elder brother of Louis XIV, the son of Anne of Austria and her favorite. The Iron Mask became the main character in the works of J. Chancel de Lagrange, Seneca de Millan, A. Griffe, Abbot Papon, S. Lenge and others.

Voltaire

Voltaire, by revealing the secret of the Iron Mask, dealt a strong blow to the prestige of the royal family. And in 1775, by order of the Parisian minister Amelo, in order to conceal the secret, a special 120th sheet, which described the history of the prisoner’s admission to prison, was removed and destroyed from the Bastille. This fact further removed the mystery from being solved.

Cardinal Mazarin

At the end of the 18th century, a new version of the Iron Mask was born. According to her, there were twin brothers - the children of the Queen of France. The real son of Louis XIII was supposedly imprisoned in the fortress, and the throne was taken by the son of Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin.

Napoleon Bonaparte

This assumption refuted the right of the Bourbon throne, starting with Louis XIV. This hypothesis suited the supporters of Napoleon Bonaparte, who claimed in 1801 that Napoleon was a descendant of the Iron Mask.

Storming of the Bastille

In 1789, the famous Taking of the Bastille took place, and then the archives of the prison were made public. It turned out that the man in the Iron Mask was brought to the Bastille by the governor of Saint-Mars from the island of Sainte-Marguerite, where he was in the company of eight other political criminals in the fortress of Pignerol. Saint-Mars at that time was the commandant of the Pignerol fortress and served under the command of Charles de Bas Castelmore (we recognize d'Artagnan).

Louis XIV

It turned out that the Iron Mask was one of these eight. The research process was further complicated by the fact that each of the prisoners was named not by name, but by a conventional nickname. It turned out that one of the eight was Count Lozen, who was later released.

Queen Maria Theresa of Austria

Throughout the 19th century, the question of establishing the identity of the Iron Mask was studied by a whole team of scientists and historians, and interest in this topic did not wane in the 20th century. New works by A. Lang, M. Duvivier, J. Mongredien, playwright M. Pagnol. In 1970, books by P.-J. were published. Arreza "Iron Mask" Finally a solved riddle” and J.-C. Ptifis "Iron Mask - the most mysterious prisoner in history." The book by P.-M. became sensational. Dijols Nabo or the Iron Mask" in 1978. The author is convinced that the servant of Queen Maria Theresa, the Moor Nabo, was hiding under the mask.

The mystery of the Iron Mask has worried various writers for centuries: N. Karamzin, A. de Vigny, A.S. Pushkin, V. Hugo, A. Dumas the father, P. Moreau, A. Decaux, J. Bordoneva.
At different times, based on the same facts, writers and historians, librarians and scientists tried to defend completely different hypotheses, which confirmed that the mystery of the Iron Mask has not yet been solved.

It’s very good that there are so many caring people on VO, and they very often suggest what to write about. For example, after the material about the IF castle, many wanted to learn more about the mythical Iron Mask and the castle on the island of Sainte-Marguerite, in which he was kept based on Dumas’ novel “The Vicomte de Bragelonne or Ten Years Later.” And it turns out that it is possible (and should be told) about all this! Through various ingenious calculations, it seems that it was possible to establish that this same prisoner was born around 1640, and died on November 19, 1703. Under number 64389000, he was kept in various prisons, including (from 1698) the Bastille, and he was kept there wearing a velvet mask (and only in later legends did it turn into an iron one).

The best version of the “iron mask” from the 1962 film of the same name with Jean Marais in the role of D’Artagnan.

This mysterious man was first written about in the book “Secret Notes on the History of the Persian Court”, published in Amsterdam in 1745 - 1746, and it was there that it was reported that the “Iron Mask” was the Duke of Vermandois, the son of King Louis XIV and his mistress Louise de La Vallière, who was imprisoned for slapping the Dauphin. However, this story is completely implausible, since the real Louis of Bourbon died in 1683, when he was 16 years old.

Then the great Voltaire had a hand in the drama of The Iron Mask. In his essay “The Age of Louis XIV” (1751), he was the first to write that the “Iron Mask” was none other than the twin brother of Louis XIV, absolutely similar to him, and therefore very dangerous as a possible usurper.

Dutch writers, who had no love for France and tried to cast a shadow on its kings at every opportunity, declared that the “Iron Mask” was... the chamberlain and lover of Queen Anne of Austria and therefore the real Pope of Louis XIV. Then the Jesuit Griffe, who served as confessor in the Bastille fortress for nine years, spoke about the “Iron Mask”, and in 1769 published an essay in which he cited the diary of the royal lieutenant of the Bastille, according to which on September 19, 1698, a prisoner was brought here from the island of St. Margaret in a sedan chair, whose the name was unknown, and the face was covered with a black velvet (but not iron) mask.

He died on November 19, 1703. Well, as for Voltaire, in his “Philosophical Dictionary” in an article about Anne of Austria, he wrote that he knew more than Griffe knew, but since he was French, he was forced to remain silent.

That is, this was the eldest, but illegitimate son of Anna of Austria, and that, supposedly, the confidence in her infertility by the birth of this child was refuted; but then she gave birth to Louis XIV from her legal husband, and Louis XIV, having reached adulthood, found out about all this and ordered his brother to be imprisoned in a fortress. Immediately, insinuations worthy of Dumas himself appeared: “The Iron Mask” is the son of the Duke of Buckingham, the “Iron Mask” is the fruit of the marriage of Anne of Austria with Cardinal Mazarin, the “child of love” from the captain of the cardinal’s guard Doge de Cavoye, Prince of Condé, and so on, and everything like that.

From film to film the mask became more and more terrible...

Abbot Suliavi also claimed in 1790 that the “Iron Mask” was the twin brother of Louis XIV, whom Louis XIII ordered to be raised in secret so that the misfortunes predicted for him associated with the birth of twins would not come true. Well, after the death of Cardinal Mazarin, Louis XIV found out everything, but ordered his brother to be imprisoned, and besides, because of their striking similarity, he ordered him to wear a mask. During the years of the Great French Revolution, this point of view was generally accepted and it was on its basis that A. Dumas wrote his novel.

There is information that the prisoner in the black velvet mask was listed under the name Mattioli in the Bastille lists. And it seems that it was the adventurer Antonio Mattioli, who in 1678 promised Louis XIV to surrender the Casale fortress with the help of treachery. For this dark deed, he supposedly received 100,000 crowns, but then revealed this secret to Savoy, Spain and Austria simultaneously. For this he was caught and first kept on the island of Sainte-Marguerite, and then transferred to the Bastille. This assumption was supported by most historians of the late 19th century.

Then the cryptanalyst Etienne Bazery deciphered a certain document, on the basis of which he concluded that the unfortunate prisoner in the mask was General Vivien de Bulonde, but there was also such a point of view that the “Iron Mask” was the nobleman Armoise, who in 1672 in the Spanish Netherlands plotted against Louis XIV, but was captured in 1673 and imprisoned in the Bastille.

But there were also such versions, well, simply of a clearly fantastic nature. For example, the “Iron Mask” was identified with the disgraced superintendent Nicolas Fouquet, the guilty minister of Louis XIV, who actually died in Pignerol, or the English Duke of Monmouth, who rebelled against King James II and was then executed in 1685.

There is also a version, quite worthy of the pen of Bushkov and some authors here at VO, that this is how the enemies of Russia hid the real Tsar Peter I, who went to Europe with the “Grand Embassy”, and was replaced, and in his place came to Russia someone sent by the Jesuits or Freemasons an impostor hostile to everything Russian.

In 1963, Charles Benecroute, a French historian, “gave birth” to another version: in his opinion, the “Iron Mask” was none other than Cardinal Mazarin himself. They say it was like this: in 1614, a 12-year-old albino native was taken from Polynesia to France, who was like two peas in a pod like Cardinal Mazarin. This similarity was noticed by the Duke de Gaulle in 1655. He decided to replace Mazarin with a native, and he did it just fine. The native took the place of the first minister (that’s how he “takes away” some!) under Louis XIV, and the “iron mask” was put on Mazarin himself.

In 1976, the Soviet researcher Yu. Tatarinov expressed his assumption that there were several “iron masks”: first it was the ex-minister Fouquet, then the loser Mattioli and the same Estache Doget. In any case, all these people were then taken to the island of Sainte-Marguerite - the largest of the Lérins Islands, which is located just a kilometer from the famous city of Cannes on the French Riviera. This island itself stretches from east to west for 3 km, and its width is only 900 m. It is on this piece of land that the main tourist site of the island stands - Fort Royal, a fort and at the same time a prison, where the famous “Iron Mask” and where he threw plates out the window calling for help.

At first, that is, back in the days of Ancient Rome, the island was called Lero. Then the crusaders, setting off for the Holy Land, built a chapel on it in honor of St. Margaret of Antioch. In the 14th century, a certain Raymond Feraud invented that Saint Margaret lived on this island, leading a community of virgin nuns on it.

But already in 1612, Claude de Laurent, Duke of Chevreuse, began to own the island. And soon Fort Royal was built on it. In 1635 the Spaniards captured the island, but two years later the French drove them away. Then, just like the Château d'If, Fort Royal became a royal prison, but during the 18th century, the local settlement of Sainte-Margaret grew and grew, as it had to serve the garrison located on the island.

Today, the entire island of Sainte-Marguerite is overgrown with a dense forest of eucalyptus and pine trees. In the village on the island there are about twenty buildings, designed primarily to serve tourists. Well, in the fort itself there is a Maritime Museum, where you can see finds discovered on sunken Roman and Arab ships, and where former chambers are open to tourists, and, of course, the Iron Mask chamber and Roman tanks in which the Romans kept freshly caught fish. For lovers of war memorials, there is a small cemetery for French soldiers who took part in the Crimean War, and also a cemetery for North African soldiers who fought for France during World War II. There is also a small estate there that belongs to Vijaya Mallya, an Indian millionaire and owner of the Formula 1 Force India team. Well, he’s such an eccentric fellow that he wanted to have a villa there for himself, but that’s all the attractions there are.

In the late autumn of 1703 in Paris, the body of a mysterious prisoner was buried in a cemetery. The name of the deceased was hidden under the pseudonym Iron Mask. Since the second half of the eighteenth century, scientists and researchers have been arguing about who the masked prisoner was, whose last refuge was the Bastille. The legend became the basis for gossip and the search for candidates for the role of the prisoner. The information is still kept secret, and the work “The Iron Mask” fuels readers’ interest in the events of that era.

Origin story

The real name of the Bastille prisoner, who became the reason for speculation and legends, is unknown. His second pseudonym turned out to be prison number: 64489001. Researchers suggest that the young man’s date of birth is close to the forties of the seventeenth century, and throughout his life the man managed to visit several prisons. It is curious that the iron mask worn by the prisoner turned out to be a fiction. In reality, the prisoner wore a velvet mask, which helped to remain unrecognized and did not cause inconvenience. His identity was unknown even to the guards.

For the first time they started talking about the prisoner of the Bastille during the reign. The widow of the king's brother, Charlotte Elizabeth of Bavaria, in letters to a relative sent in 1711, shared the gossip that was circulating at court. The woman wrote that they were talking at court about a mysterious prisoner, whose identity remains unknown, since his face is constantly covered with an iron mask. Charlotte insisted that Mr. X, hiding under the metal, was an English lord who participated in a conspiracy against King William of Orange III of England.

Then information about the unknown person in custody was announced in the “Secret Notes on the History of Persia,” published in 1745. In imitation of Montesquieu, the anonymous author created a research work in an artistic style. An unknown writer described the story of Giaffer, the illegitimate son of Louis XIV, who was imprisoned for slapping his half-brother, the Dauphin. The illegitimate son of the king and Louise de La Vallière was allegedly placed under prison supervision at the age of 16.

In 1751 he published a book entitled “The Age of Louis XIV.” Having been imprisoned in the Bastille twice, the writer knew first-hand what was happening in prison. Voltaire saw those who served the Iron Mask. Despite the fact that he did not have the real facts, the writer assumed that the brother of the French king was hiding under the veil of secrecy. Voltaire believed that the son and her favorite was hiding from the public eye in the Bastille.

Legends and versions

Ideas about the origin of the mysterious person were put forward by Chancel de Langrange, Cenac de Melyan, Griffet, Abbot Papon, Lenguet, Charpentier and Soulavi. Some claimed that the Bourbon secret, which consisted in the queen’s dishonesty, was to blame. While preserving the name of the prisoner, by order of the royal family, the sheet with his data was excluded from the Bastille register. It is reliably known that the information was on sheet 120 and was certified in 1698, at the time of the prisoner’s arrival.

Gossips of the eighteenth century said that there had been a palace coup, as a result of which the king's twin brother was sitting on the throne, and the true ruler was under lock and key. This assumption left a mark on the reputation of the Bourbons and the authenticity of the pedigree. At the beginning of the 19th century, this theory was propagated by supporters who claimed that Napoleon was a descendant of the true king.

Ercole Mattioli was named among the contenders for the role of the Iron Mask. The Italian adventurer was famous for the agreement concluded with the king in 1678. Mattioli sold state secrets, for which he was transported to the Bastille.

This is not the only version about a prisoner not of blue blood. General Bulond could also be hiding behind a mask. Information from the secret diaries of Louis XIV suggests that the general was imprisoned after an offense committed during the Nine Years' War.

It is known from reliable sources that the Iron Mask was kept in the company of eight other criminals in the fortress of Pignerol. The story of the fellow sufferers is not impressive. Some were transferred to other prisons and died, some were released. The debate about who the mysterious man hiding behind the iron mask could be continues to this day.

Film adaptations

In the legend of the Iron Mask, there are discrepancies and inconsistencies that give rise to interesting plots that directors use in film adaptations. The legend of the mysterious prisoner of the Bastille became the basis for several full-length films. They starred recognized actors, thanks to whom you want to watch the films again and again.

The story of the mysterious prisoner was first presented on the big screen in 1962. The film was directed by Henri Decoin. The main character was incarnate, sent to rescue the prisoner. The Musketeer does not make it in time and finds the cell empty, since the daughter of the head of the Bastille, who is in love with him, helped the Iron Mask escape.

In 1976, the public was offered a new interpretation, in which the main character was portrayed. The plot described the twin brother of the king, who fell in love with the daughter of a cellmate. Louis transferred the prisoner to the island of Saint-Margaret, having learned about his feelings, and shackled his face in a mask. At this time, D'Artagnan helped the head of government replace his brothers in order to carry out a palace coup.

In 1998, he played the roles of Louis XIV and his twin Philip, shackled in an iron mask, in the film of the same name. The film was remembered for its scale and big names of artists, because it starred, and. Today the film is considered the largest film adaptation of the story of the prisoner of the Bastille.