The content of this article is written with authoritative information combined with personal opinions, and the source of the literature and screenshots have been marked at the end of the article, please be aware.
A person with a face, as the name suggests, is a person who covers his face or even his entire head and never shows his or her true body.
They often give the impression of being mysterious, like untold ghosts lurking in the shadows. They usually only appear in literature or anecdotes, because it's hard to imagine a real world where people would live with masks all day long.
But in the time of Louis XIV of France, there was a real "Man in the Iron Mask", a masked prisoner who was imprisoned by Louis XIV in the Bastille for 34 years until his death, and he is also one of the most legendary figures in French history.
It is rumored that he holds the core secrets of the royal family, and has been forbidden to speak for the rest of his life, and his identity has caused discussion and speculation from all walks of life in France for many years.
Who is he? What does it have to do with Louis XIV? Why is it covered with iron?
The "Man in the Iron Mask" escorted by the Divine Decree
The Man in the Iron Mask's true name and identity remain a mystery to this day, with historical sources dating back to a letter from the French Minister of War that revealed that the Man in the Iron Mask was first escorted to Pinheirol prison by decree in 1669, when the king ordered it was Louis XIV.
The mere appearance of this iron-clad prisoner who did not say a word aroused the suspicion of many, not to mention that he was still being detained by the king's own order.
Later, Louis XIV issued a series of bizarre instructions: the Man in the Iron Mask must be kept alone, the cell must be heavily guarded, the cell must be completely soundproofed, the warden must only deliver food once a day, and no one else must set foot in the cell.
And the most emphasized, and the most arouse the curiosity of future generations, is the following provision:
No one is allowed to speak to the Man in the Iron Mask. If the Man in the Iron Mask takes the initiative to speak, it is forbidden to reply and must be reported immediately.
Violation of this provision is punishable by death for any reason.
The harsh wording, harsh conditions, and severity of the punishment of this decree cast a more fantastical color on this already mysterious iron-masked prisoner. Many people were curious about his identity, but they didn't dare to find out.
In the eyes of St. Marr, the prison warden who approached him the most times and was the closest to him, the Man in the Iron Mask was a man of gentle manners, steady and mature. His every move revealed composure, as if the hardships of the situation could not make him forget his former dignity.
In 1687, the Man in the Iron Mask was once again ordered to be escorted to St. Margaret's Island, where the process of transportation was equally mysterious - St. Marr built a wooden cage covered in wax to store enough air for one person to breathe, while completely insulating himself from sound. Eight Italian peasants who did not speak French were involved in the transport.
Clearly, Louis XIV attached great importance to the concealment of the Man in the Iron Mask. St. Margaret's Island also built a more "luxurious" solitary prison for him, which was more tight than in the past.
In addition to eating and sleeping, the Man in the Iron Mask prayed in his cell. I spent a long time on the island.
Later, Louis XIV issued a new order to transfer the Man in the Iron Mask to the Bastille. Saint-Marr was not surprised by this, as the Bastille was a gathering place for criminals of the royal family, and the Man in the Iron Mask was clearly inextricably linked to the current king.
And the one who came to pick up the Man in the Iron Mask on the Isle of St. Margaret turned out to be the Minister of Defense of France, and he was polite to the Man in the Iron Mask with his honorable status, and obviously had great respect for the other party.
However, such a special and respected person has been locked up in prison all the time, and he is not even allowed to show up and communicate. As a result, the identity of the Man in the Iron Mask has also attracted more suspicion.
After coming here, the Man in the Iron Mask still maintained the habit of praying, as if this was his only spiritual comfort. But one day in 1703, he lay down in bed after a routine prayer and never woke up.
The mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask was buried in the basement of the diocese of St. Paul, along with his body. The man disappeared until nearly 100 years later, during the French Revolution, when citizens stormed the Bastille and saw a cell marked "Man in the Iron Mask".
Multiple conjectures of true identity
There have been many opinions about the true identity of the Man in the Iron Mask, and although there has been no conclusive conclusion, it is nothing more than the following conjectures:
1. The Man in the Iron Mask was Louis XIV's biological father.
It is reported that Louis XIII and Queen Anna were indifferent and often separated, and it was rumored that the queen had an affair with a noble man named Dore, and the remaining children were Louis XIV.
Dore and Louis XIV are very similar in appearance, and after Dore learns of Louis XIV's origins, he rushes to the palace to ask for money. Louis XIV was unwilling to kill his husband and feared that others would doubt his origins because of his appearance and thus shake the throne, so he put on an iron mask for Dore and imprisoned him until death.
2. The Man in the Iron Mask was Louis XIV's twin brother.
This conjecture was written by the famous writer Alexandre Dumas in the novel "The d'Artagnan Trilogy".
It is hypothesized that the Man in the Iron Mask was Louis XIV's twin brother Philippe, who was imprisoned for a long time because he threatened the throne.
In Alexandre Dumas's novel, Philippe finally overthrew Louis XIV's rule and imprisoned Louis XIV in an iron mask. This is similar to the last conjecture.
3. The Man in the Iron Mask was Louis XIV himself.
Since Louis XIV was less than five years old when he ascended the throne, the regent Mazarin was responsible for the early state affairs. The conjecture is that in order to seize the power that comes with the throne, Mazarin changed the tanuki for the crown prince, replacing the real Louis XIV with a young boy who was loyal to him. In order not to be discovered, the latter was put in an iron mask and thrown into prison.
In addition to this, there are many more bizarre speculations. While there is plausibility to each claim, there is no empirical support for it, so until now, the identity of the Man in the Iron Mask has been a mystery.
Resurrection from the dead in literature
As mentioned earlier, the identity of the Man in the Iron Mask is very mysterious, and he has a lot of entanglements with the royal family, so his image has brought full inspiration to many writers.
In their literature, the Man in the Iron Mask is given a new identity, either resurrected from the dead or freed. In addition to the d'Artagnan Trilogy mentioned above, he was also documented in Voltaire's The Age of Louis XIV.
The identity of the Man in the Iron Mask and the secrets of the French royal family are like a fog, and it is unlikely that they will be unearthed. He has become a literary symbol that exists in people's hearts.
References: Voltaire's The Age of Louis XIV, Alexandre Dumas's Viscount Bragelona