Editing Man in the Iron Mask (section)

{{Short description|Unidentified prisoner in 17th-century France}}
{{about|the French historical figure}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}	
{{Infobox criminal
| name              = 
| image             = 
| image_size        =
| alt               =
| caption           =
| birth_date        = Unknown
| birth_place       = 
| death_date        = 19 November 1703
| death_place       = [[Bastille]], Paris, France
| resting_place     = Saint-Paul Cemetery, Paris
| other_names       = {{plainlist|
*{{lang|fr|"Eustache Dauger"|italic=no}} 
*{{lang|fr|"La Tour"|italic=no}} 
*{{lang|fr|"L'ancien prisonnier"|italic=no}} 
*"Marchioly" 
}}
| occupation        =
| known_for         = Mystery regarding his identity
| conviction_status = Died in prison
| spouse            = <!-- Do not include unless notable or relevant to the crime involved -->
| children          = <!-- (as above) -->
| parents           = <!-- (as above) -->
| allegiance        = <!-- [[Lucchese crime family]] (only?) -->
| wanted_by         = [[François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois|Louvois]], for [[Louis XIV]]
| locations         = {{plainlist|
*[[Pinerolo|Pignerol Dungeon]]<br>(1669–1681)
*[[Exilles Fort]] (1681–1687)
*[[Île Sainte-Marguerite|Île Sainte-Marguerite Fort]] (1687–1698)
*[[Bastille#Reign of Louis XIV and the Regency (1661–1723)|Bastille Bertaudière Tower]] (1698–1703)
}}
| apprehended       = 28 July – 24 August 1669
| penalty           = Life imprisonment
}}

The '''Man in the Iron Mask''' ({{Langx|fr|L'Homme au Masque de Fer}}; died 19 November 1703) was an unidentified [[Political prisoner|prisoner of state]] during the reign of [[Louis XIV]] of France (1643–1715). The strict measures taken to keep his imprisonment secret resulted in a long-lasting legend about his identity. Warranted for arrest on 19 July 1669 under the name of "Eustache Dauger", he was apprehended near [[Calais]] on 28 July, incarcerated on 24 August, and held for 34 years in the custody of the same jailer, {{lang|fr|[[Bénigne Dauvergne de Saint-Mars]]|italic=no}}, in four successive French prisons, including the [[Bastille]]. When he died there on 19 November 1703, his [[Burial|inhumation]] certificate bore the name of "Marchioly", leading several historians to conclude the prisoner was Italian diplomat [[Ercole Antonio Mattioli]].

His true identity remains a mystery, even though it has been extensively debated by historians, and various theories have been expounded in numerous books, articles, poems, plays, and films. During his lifetime, it was rumoured that he was a [[Marshal of France#Louis XIV, 1643–1715|Marshal of France]] or a President of ''[[Parlement#The Fronde|Parlement]]''; the [[François, Duke of Beaufort|Duke of Beaufort]], or a son of [[Oliver Cromwell]], and some of these rumours were initiated by Saint-Mars himself. Among the oldest theories is one proposed by French philosopher and writer [[Voltaire]], who claimed in his {{lang|fr|Questions sur l'Encyclopédie}} (1771) that the prisoner was an older, illegitimate brother of Louis XIV. Other writers similarly believed he was the King's twin or younger brother. In all, more than 50 candidates, real and hypothetical, have been proposed by historians and other authors aiming to solve the mystery.

What little is known about the prisoner is based on contemporary documents uncovered during the 19th century, mainly some of the correspondence between {{lang|fr|Saint-Mars|italic=no}} and his superiors in Paris, initially [[François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois|Louvois]], Louis XIV's secretary of state for war. These documents show that the prisoner was labelled "only a valet" and that he was jailed for "what he was employed to do" before his arrest. Legend has it that no one ever saw his face, as it was hidden by a mask of black velvet cloth, later misreported by Voltaire as an iron mask. Official documents reveal, however, that the prisoner was made to cover his face only when travelling between prisons after 1687, or when going to prayers within the Bastille in the final years of his incarceration; modern historians believe the latter measure was imposed by Saint-Mars solely to increase his own prestige, thus causing persistent rumours to circulate about this seemingly important prisoner.

In 1932, French historian Maurice Duvivier proposed that the prisoner was [[#Eustache Dauger de Cavoye|Eustache Dauger de Cavoye]], a nobleman associated with several political scandals of the late 17th century. This solution, however, was disproved in 1953 when previously unpublished family letters were discovered by another French historian, [[:fr:Georges Mongrédien|Georges Mongrédien]], who concluded that the enigma remained unsolved owing to the lack of reliable historical documents about the prisoner's identity and the cause of his long incarceration.

He has been the subject of many works of fiction, most prominently in 1850 by [[Alexandre Dumas]]. A section of his novel ''[[The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later]]''—the final installment of his [[D'Artagnan Romances|D'Artagnan saga]]—features this prisoner, portrayed as Louis XIV's identical twin and forced to wear an iron mask. In 1840, Dumas had first presented a review of the popular theories about the prisoner extant in his time in the chapter "{{lang|fr|L'homme au masque de fer}}", published in the eighth volume of his non-fiction {{lang|fr|Crimes Célèbres}}. This approach was adopted by many subsequent authors, and speculative works have continued to appear on the subject.
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