Real musketeers: who they were

In 1611, the tragedy of Shakespeare's The Tempest was staged in England. In the same year, Kuzma Minin liberated Moscow from the Poles. And also the real d'Artagnan was born - Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore. Although historians are not sure of this to the end.

The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas do not need a special introduction. One of the greatest adventure novels was published in 1844.
Dumas, talking about the friendship of the musketeers, guides the heroes through love and betrayal, tests of loyalty. However, literary heroes had real prototypes.

D'Artagnan was indeed a military man and died during the Franco-Dutch war in the historic city of Maastricht. The musketeers of the king also existed. This military unit was created in 1622 and disbanded in 1816, a few years after the French Revolution. Porthos, Athos and Aramis were also very specific people, although the heroes of the book have only a very weak relation to reality. The prototype of Athos was Armand de Siyèg d'Atos d'Otville, Portosa - Isaac de Porto, and Aramisa - Henri d'Aramitz.

So, Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore was born in the small village of Lupiak in Gascony in southwestern France. Today in Lupiak there is a small museum dedicated to d'Artagnan, and a festival dedicated to the musketeers is held annually.

In the 1630s, d'Artagnan moved to Paris and managed to join the musketeers, probably with the help of his uncle Henri de Montesquieu. During his stay in the city he was engaged in espionage in the interests of Cardinal Mazarin. His ability to carry out secret missions soon attracted the attention of King Louis XIV. He began to carry out secret missions in the interests of the monarch.

April 3, 1659 d'Artagnan married, his chosen one was Anna Charlotte de Shanlesi de Saint Croix. The couple had two sons, who also became musketeers. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last long and in 1665 they broke up. Anna Charlotte de Shanlesi moved to the castle of Saint Croix, where she was supposed to spend the rest of her days. By the way, the couple married in the church of the Chateau de Saint-Croix, demolished in Paris in 1815. Now in its place you will find Saint-André-des-Arts Square.

After an unsuccessful marriage, d'Artagnan focused on a military career, climbing the ranks. D'Artagnan became notorious throughout France in connection with the arrest of Finance Minister Nicolas Fouquet. He was a great lover of architecture, and his greatest acquisition, the estate of Vaux-le-Viscount, was probably the first great creation of the French in the Baroque style. However, Louis XIV confiscated the castle and threw Fouquet into prison for the rest of his life.

By 1667, d'Artagnan was transferred to the position of captain-lieutenant of the royal musketeers, which meant that he was actually the second person after the king. He was not long governor of Lille, and then returned to the battlefield. So, d'Artagnan entered the Franco-Dutch war in the 1670s.

At the age of about sixty, the present d'Artagnan died, besieging the walls of the Dutch city of Maastricht. It was 1673. Historians believe that d'Artagnan was shot from a musket. His last refuge is unknown, but most likely somewhere in the ramparts that are located under Maastricht.

The Memoirs of Monsieur D'Artagnan inspired Alexander Dumas to write a novel. The real Aramis and Porthos had a long life. Henri Aramitts had four children, and Porthos, Isaac de Porto, was a Protestant who was baptized in Pau in 1617. Unlike Athos, in reality, Armand de Sieg d'Atos d'Otville entered the musketeers in 1640, but three years later he died in a duel.

Watch the video: Finding out what real Musketeers were like Vlog (May 2024).