We have all heard at some point about this French legend, about the Man in the Iron Mask. Imprisoned for “x” reason, in one of the most famous prisons in history, La Bastille, and forced to hide his face for life, And we are now complaining about the use of masks due to Covid!
Although the same was just that, a legend, or not? Can you imagine that it was a true story? What do you think? Let’s assume that it was true, that this man really existed, could he have been the twin brother of Louis XIV as has always been rumored?
Let’s learn the truth by delving into the records of the mysterious La Bastilla prison. Do not stop reading this article or you will miss every valuable detail about this entire exciting story. Definitely, It will surprise you!
Where to get the information about the Man in the Iron Mask. Can anyone help us?
As expected, if we talk about a secret man and hidden under a masklet’s not think of finding thousands of documents that speak openly about it. Is about hide the informationNot that this man’s existence was an open secret. In this way, we have to search among the possible sources to obtain the necessary documentation and investigate if this famous prisoner really existed or not.
According to historians, This information can be found in various personalities. The first would be one of the jailers of the man in the iron mask, Marcel Du Junca. Another, the prison officer Benigno de Saint-Marsand finally, voltairethe famous French Enlightenment philosopher (1). Let’s see what each one tells us…
Marcel Du Junca and his invaluable diary. The Man in the Iron Mask existed!
Through a diary written by this Bastille worker, Marcel Du Junca, we located the first data on this mysterious masked man. It was when he arrived at the Saint-Mars prison, making his debut as its governor. In the newspaper we can read:
“On September 18 at 3 in the afternoon, the new governor of the Bastille, Mr. Saint-Mars, has officially taken command of this prison. He comes from the island of Saint-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat and has brought with him in a litter an old prisoner whom he was already guarding in Pignerol. He always wears a mask and he hasn’t told me his name, he hasn’t even been registered.” (two)
Years later, in November 1703, the jailer wrote again in his diary:
“On Monday, November 19, 1703, the unknown prisoner whom M. Saint-Mars brought with him from the island of Santa Margarita and who had been here for a long time, died at 10 o’clock in the morning.” (3)
More than enough information to suspect that something strange was moving between the great and terrifying walls of La Bastille. Let’s read Voltaire, to see if this story tells us something more.
Voltaire and his grudge against royalty
The philosopher Voltaire did not agree with the Bourbon dynasty, he did not have any affection for King Louis XIV. For this reason, he got into the occasional problem when publishing a text mocking King Louis XIV’s brother, Philippe. Thanks to this desire to touch the feet of the Bourbons, Voltaire went headlong to the Bastille. (4)
During his stay in this prison, where he was “only” eleven months, our writer met this mysterious Man in the Iron Mask. He described him as a young man, tall, elegant and attractive. (5) Wait a minute… Wasn’t he wearing a mask? How did she know he was attractive? Anyway, maybe it was one of his little lies, like spreading the rumor that this mysterious prisoner he was the twin brother of King Louis XIV. Yes, it was him. The one who gave rise to this great legend was Voltaire. By the way, completely false slander.
Once free and after thirty years, in 1751, Voltaire would publish, for the first time, his writings on this masked man:
“The prisoner was wearing a mask. The chin piece had steel springs so that he could eat and the order was to kill him if he took it off… ”(6)
In addition, the writer describes that this mask was worn by the prisoner for more than forty years and that he was constantly transferred from one prison to another. According to Voltaire, Saint-Mars was in charge of “taking care of him” and ensuring that the identity of the prisoner did not come to light. (7)
What does the “secret” Queen paint in all this?
Françoise d’Aubigné was another great witness who recorded her important testimony for posterity. The second wife – secretly married – of King Louis XIV left the following text in her personal diary:
“A man has spent long years in the Bastille, where he died in prison. He always had two musketeers by his side, ready to kill him if he dared to remove his mask. He ate and slept masked. On the other hand, he was always very well treated, and he was given whatever he wanted. He was very devout and read continuously. It was never possible to know who he was ”. (8)
What happened at the French court when it all happened? Possible cause of the arrest of the Man in the Iron Mask
Forty years before the arrest of the Man in the Iron Mask, the plot of the poisonings, which landed many people in prison. At least one hundred people were imprisoned and thirty executed. The problem with all this is that this process was carried out with practically no guarantees for the defendants, enormous abuses and atrocities were committed. (9)
Although attempts were made to carry out this type of abuse in “secret”, Europe echoed it, and complaints began. It was then that France stopped arresting rebellious courtiers and nobles without rhyme or reason. However, the violations of the rights of any person, the abuse of power and the tremendous injustices had already been committed and many people knew about them. more than sixty people They knew all the overreaches the King carried out. For this reason, many of them were locked up in fortresses in France. (10)
Lies and truths. What happened to the Man in the Iron Mask?
The first step of these prisoners was to lose their identity, not even the jailers could know who they were guarding. Unfortunately, their stay in the fortresses was hell, because they lived in dire conditions for any living being. They were chained to the walls, waiting to die. Death that, at times, was slow in coming, extending its horrible agony for too long. In the case of the man in the iron mask, more than forty years. (eleven)
In 17th century France, the King could imprison whomever he wanted just by asking. There were no guarantees that the prisoners would have a fair trial, or even a decent defense. (12). pure and simple absolutism…
The little lies of the legend
However, thanks to medical advances and science, the conclusion has been reached that it is impossible for a human being to survive more than 40 years with a mask on his face. Well, if the prisoner never took it off, under the mask they would contain a multitude of organisms such as bugs and fungi.
Likewise, The bacteria would come to damage its interior, reaching the blood system and the skin would end up breaking with the rubbing of the mask. All of this would lead to a septicemia that, without a doubt, would end his life. (13)
The possible solution of the doubt
However, the testimonies are there, and everything seems to indicate that this man did truly exist. What is true and false in all this story?
If we go back to one of the writings of that jailer, Marcel Du Juncawhich he noted in his diary, we will read that he literally wrote:
“The prisoner always wore a black velvet mask.” (14)
Therefore, perhaps, the lie of this story would lie in ensuring that the mask was made of iron, since, if this mask was made of cloth, it would have been possible for this poor man to survive for so many years.
Hallelujah, the letters of Louis XIV!
Through cryptography, the soldier Etienne Bazeries managed to decipher the coded letters that Louis XIV, the Sun King, had written to one of his ministers (15).
These order the arrest of vivien de bulonde, a soldier destined to fight on the Italian border. It seems that upon learning that the Austrians were gaining ground, de Bulonde deserted, leaving his companions stranded, dying on the battlefield and endangering the Piedmont campaign. This provoked a terrible anger in the king that made him write:
“to immediately arrest General Bulonde, to be taken to the fortress of Pignerole, where he will be locked up in a cell guarded at night, and allowed (16) to walk the battlements during the day wearing a mask (17)…”
The rest of the letter could not be deciphered as it was written with the famous Grand Code of Louis XIV, used at the French court to keep communications secret. (18)
As I assured you, the mystery has been solved. Not only have we found out that the Man in the Iron Mask really existed, but we know who he was and what really happened to him. Of course, we can only regret his fate, because it must have been terrible to live imprisoned for so long and in those conditions…
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