In the middle of the 15th century, a prisoner with a difference appeared in France, the "Man in the Iron Mask". He wore an iron mask, and no one had ever seen his true appearance, and even the noble French nobles of the time could not see his true appearance, so it was even more unlikely that anyone in the folk would know the true identity of this "man in the iron mask". However, only one person knew who this "Man in the Iron Mask" really was, and that was the king at that time. What was the reason why the King of France had so carefully concealed the true identity of the "Man in the Iron Mask"? What exactly is the identity of this "Man in the Iron Mask"?
In 1961, King Louis XIV of France was celebrating 18 years of his succession to the throne when he finally took pro-government power from his mother and regents. It was also the day the Iron Mask was escorted to St. Margaret's Island. Inside the palace, there was singing and dancing, but the "Man in the Iron Mask" was secretly sent to the island, everything was in secret progress, the "Man in the Iron Mask" was not allowed to leave the island for half a step, and the soldiers escorting him were not allowed to discuss the man with the iron mask. The soldiers only knew that this mysterious man had an extraordinary demeanor, about fifty years old, wearing a custom-made mask, the mask was very cleverly designed, and there were springs in the nose and mouth, which could ensure that the "Man in the Iron Mask" could breathe and eat. No one can open his mask, and if anyone tries to open the mask, execute him immediately!
The Man in the Iron Mask was secretly imprisoned for eight years on the island of Saint-Margaret, after which the king ordered him to be imprisoned in the Bastille. The Bastille of the French Dynasty imprisoned princes and ministers who had violated the king's status or committed serious crimes. However, what is more different about this "Man in the Iron Mask" is that it was the Minister of Defense who came to pick him up, and even the Minister of Defense, who was once in power, was very respectful of this mysterious "Man in the Iron Mask". The princes and nobles of the time also knew that such a mysterious person existed, and they also secretly exchanged the true identity of the iron-faced man. But despite this, the identity of this "Man in the Iron Mask" is still unknown.
The Life of the Man in the Iron Mask in prison is completely different from that of other prisoners, and he likes to read, so there are bookcases in the place where he is held, and there is a desk where he can pass the time by reading and writing. Even instead of wearing a prison uniform, he could wear clothes that could only be worn by the nobles, and he ate the fresh milk and bread sent that day. However, the King did not allow the Man in the Iron Mask to communicate with anyone, not even with the soldiers, and his only chance to speak was to speak to a condemned prisoner. Although the king had the intention of isolating the "Man in the Iron Mask" from the outside world, is it not contradictory that some nobles would come to visit him in prison and get the king's acquiescence? So this also makes people more and more suspicious of who this man in the iron mask really is?
The "Man in the Iron Mask" was imprisoned for a total of 34 years, and in the 34 years of imprisonment, he still lived like a nobleman, with a noble temperament between his hands and feet. The Iron Mask's favorite thing to do in prison is to write. After his old death in prison, the king ordered that all the prisons he had stayed in should be destroyed, that all his living things be hidden, and even, most terrifyingly, that all the soldiers guarding him should be killed. So, in the end, no one knows who this "Man in the Iron Mask" really is. Later, with the death of Louis XIV, several of his confidant ministers also died, and the identity of the "Iron Mask" was brought into the coffin with their death, and there was no evidence to prove the identity of the "Iron Mask". Later generations have put forward several speculations based on various timelines and Louis XIV's preoccupation with the "Man in the Iron Mask".
1, "Man in the Iron Mask" is the French Minister of the Exchequer Fouquet, after the capture of the Bastille, the name of "Fouquet" was found on the wall inside, and Fouquet was also a confidant of Louis XIV. At that time, because of The expansion of Fuquet's ambitions, it was extremely unfavorable to Louis XIV's pro-government, so Louis XIV put him on an iron mask and secretly imprisoned him.
2. The Man in the Iron Mask is Louis XIV's father, Louis XIII, because Louis XIV's mother is very powerful, and the news about Louis XIII's death may have been fabricated by the queen, and Louis XIII may have been secretly imprisoned long ago. Later, louis XIV could not bear to kill his father after he took over the government, but he was also afraid that his father would stand up and interfere with his administration, so he customized such an iron mask for him to spend the rest of his life in prison.
3. One of the more believed statements by later generations is that the Man in the Iron Mask was Philippe, the twin brother of Louis XIV. Although this is only speculation in Dumas's novels, Dumas's works are widely circulated, and a very vivid story about Philippe is written, in which Philippe was the loser in the struggle for the throne with Louis XIV, so Louis XIV secretly imprisoned his brother for so many years in order to stabilize his roots, and destroyed all traces of his life after his death.
The Man in the Iron Mask had been imprisoned for so many years, and he could get anything but freedom. In fact, it can be seen that Louis XIV is also a killer of the Iron Mask, and perhaps they have deep feelings between them. So which of the above speculations do you think is more credible?