Editing Man in the Iron Mask (section)

====King's twin brother====
Many authors supported the theory of the prisoner being a twin brother of King Louis XIV: [[Michel de Cubières]] (1789), [[Jean-Louis Giraud Soulavie|Jean-Louis Soulavie]] (1791), [[Emmanuel, comte de Las Cases|Las Cases]] (1816), [[Victor Hugo]] (1839), Alexandre Dumas (1840), Paul Lecointe (1847), and others.{{sfn|Mongrédien|1961|p=51}} 
<!-- Aligned with this theory, a thorough examination of the French Kings' genealogy shows many twin births, in the [[Capetian dynasty]], as well as in the [[House of Valois]], the [[House of Bourbon]], and the [[House of Orléans]].{{sfn|Kermabon|1998}}
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In a 1965 essay, ''Le Masque de fer'' (revised in 1973 under the title ''[[Le secret du Masque de Fer]]''), French novelist and playwright [[Marcel Pagnol]], proposing his hypothesis in particular on the circumstances of Louis XIV's birth, claimed that the Man in the Iron Mask was indeed a twin brother, but born second, who would have been hidden in order to avoid any dispute over the throne holder.{{sfn|Pagnol|1973|pp=19–22}} At the time, there was a controversy over which one of twins was the elder: the one born first, or the one born second, who was then thought to have been conceived first.{{sfn|Pagnol|1973|pp=289–290, 334}}

Historians who reject this hypothesis (including [[:fr:Jean-Christian Petitfils|Jean-Christian Petitfils]]) highlight the conditions of childbirth for the queen: it usually took place in the presence of multiple witnesses—the main court's figures. According to Pagnol, immediately after the birth of the future Louis XIV at 11 a.m. on 5 September 1638, Louis XIII took his whole court (about 40 people) to the [[Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye|''Château de Saint-Germain'']]'s chapel to celebrate a ''[[Te Deum]]'' in great pomp,{{sfn|Pagnol|1973|pp=19–22}} contrary to the common practice of celebrating it several days before childbirth.{{sfn|Dumont|1739}} Pagnol contends that the court's removal to this ''Te Deum'' had been rushed to enable the queen to deliver the second twin in secret and attended only by the midwife.{{sfn|Pagnol|1973|pp=19–22}}

Pagnol's solution&mdash;combining earlier theories by [[Jean-Louis Giraud Soulavie|Soulavie]] (1790),{{sfn|Soulavie|1790}} [[Andrew Lang]] (1903),{{sfn|Lang|2002}} [[Arthur Barnes (monsignor)|Arthur Barnes]] (1908),{{sfn|Barnes|1908}} and Edith Carey (1924){{sfn|Carey|1924}}&mdash;speculates that this twin was born a few hours after Louis XIV and grew up on the Island of [[Jersey]] under the name [[James de la Cloche]], believing himself to be an illegitimate son of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]. During a hypothetical, secret meeting in January 1669, Charles is assumed to have recognised the twin for his resemblance to the French king and revealed to him his true identity.{{sfn|Pagnol|1973|pp=330–334}} Shortly thereafter, the twin would supposedly have adopted the new identity of "Martin" as a valet to [[Roux de Marcilly]], with whom he conspired against Louis XIV, which led to his arrest in Calais in July 1669.{{sfn|Pagnol|1973|pp=137–165}} Historically, however, the real valet Martin (distinct from Pagnol's reinterpreted "Martin") could not have become "Eustache Dauger" because he had fled to London when the Roux conspiracy failed; this is well known because his extradition from England to France had at first been requested by Foreign Minister [[Hugues de Lionne]] on 12 June 1669, but subsequently cancelled by him on 13 July.{{sfn|Noone|1988|p=187}} Pagnol explained this historical fact away by claiming, without any evidence, that "Martin" must have been secretly abducted in London in early July and transported to France on 7 or 8 July, and that the extradition order had therefore been cancelled because it was no longer necessary, its objective having already been achieved.{{sfn|Pagnol|1973|pp=155–156}}