Who was the man in the iron mask?

Question

I've seen the movie, but does anyone know anything about the real man in the iron mask? Who he was? Where the story came from and what he did?

I appreciate all the great answers.

Answer 1

If you want a swashbuckling rendition of these events, read the book. Absolutely marvelous stuff. As for the man, Voltaire wrote a letter that dropped a lot of pretty explicit hints that the guy in the mask was Louis XIV's twin brother. The writer spent time in the Bastille and got out, but the Man lived and died there. The reasons why were basically that Louis XIII didn't want a civil war because of the identical twins and locked the younger one away.

Another account is that the Man was the Duc de Beaufort. Louis XIII and Anne of Austria hated one another, and didn't consummate their marriage for at least four years. As such, Anne might have given birth to a child fathered by the duc during one of her many flings. According to this version, Louis XIII - obviously not happy - threw the duc in the Bastille for cuckolding him, but kept the boy as an heir.

All other accounts are along those lines - usually, some noble was the Man for fathering Louis XIV. There are even a version where the Man is a WOMAN. Here, the girl was actually the daughter of Louis XIII and Anne, but fearing that this be their only child and wanting a son to succeed the throne, they traded their girl for someone's boy. The imposter grew up to be Louis XIV and the girl the "Man" in the Iron Mask. This was a piece of propaganda and not really part of the Iron Mask mythos.

Personally, I prefer Dumas' story. Hope this helps!

Answer 2

The man in the Iron Mask was speculated to be the king's twin brother however many agree that this theory was mainly the invention of Alexander Dumas.

There was a historical person who did wear an iron mask (most likely a mask of black velvet) and was incarcerated in Bastille. Since Bastille was a prison reserved mainly for nobility and nobles were often thrown there not only for crimes but as the result of various intrigues, it is quite possible that a high ranking person was there, possibly even a foreign diplomat.
However, due to correspondence between officials of those times, they state the man's name as one Eustache Dauger. His crime against the crown is not revealed though.
There has been many theories and many documents but the legend persists and the theories continue to grow.

Answer 3

Supposedly he was the king's twin brother Phillipe. Historically, I'm not sure if Louis had a twin. If he did, they managed to either kill him or keep him hidden quite well. It could be that the whole thing was the invention of Alexandre Dumas. I'm sure that there have been books written on the subject. Try your local library. According to the story line, the reason that Phillipe was hidden away was to preserve the kingdom. It was thought that if there were two heirs to the throne, the country would be torn apart by civil war. Turns out it was anyway with only one king! And he got a haircut....REAL SHORT!

Answer 4

No one really knows who he was. There was a prisoner being held in the Bastille that wore an iron mask during the reign of King Louis XIV. Many still debate who he actually was.

Answer 5

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