At the outbreak of the French Revolution, angry French people came to the Bastille en masse, and when the citizens arrived in the depths of the prison, they found a line of small letters on an inconspicuous wall: number 64389000, Man in the Iron Mask.
Obviously, the name "Man in the Iron Mask" is not the name of a prisoner, so who is this person with the number 64389000?
According to the book The Man Behind the Iron Mask by the writer John Nunn, the Man in the Iron Mask first appeared in history in late July 1669. Marquis de Louvois, Louis XIV's minister at the time, wrote to Saint-Mas, the warden of Pinherol, saying that they had sent a prisoner named "Eustache Dauger" to Pinherol and that he would arrive around next month.
Louis XIV instructed Saint-Mars to prepare a cell with multiple doors, one door closed to prevent eavesdropping from outsiders. He also warned Eustache Dauger that as a prisoner he had better not ask too much of the prison, and that if Eustache Dauger confided anything to the outside world, he would be killed, because he was just a "personal servant".
Historians note that the name Eustache Dauger was written differently from the handwriting used for the rest of the letter, suggesting that the letter was most likely written by a clerk dictated by Louis XIV, who later added the name, most likely Louis XIV.
The famous writer Voltaire wrote in the book The Age of Louis XIV: "A strange guest came to the island of Saint-Margaret, a well-proportioned and well-behaved young man, but wearing a tight tin helmet on his head. At any time and place, he would not take off his iron helmet, because doing so would lead to the disaster of killing himself. This young man of unknown origin attracted attention, and everyone speculated about his origin. ”
Eustache Dauger is said to have been an extremely quiet man, who never caused trouble after being imprisoned and appeared to be extremely "obedient to the will of God and the king." Thus, he seemed out of place among the inmates who were always chattering and cursing.
Later, Saint-Mars was transferred to the bastille as warden. During his transfer, he took the Man in the Iron Mask with him to the Bastille, placed him in a separate cell, and ordered the deputy warden to take care of the man himself.
Voltaire describes in his book that before the transfer, the French Minister of Defense personally visited the Iron Mask in prison and took a respectful attitude. What is even more incomprehensible is that when this person was imprisoned, he was personally accompanied by the prison director, and the two of them also had lunch together.
Apparently, throughout the Bastille, this guy in the iron mask was treated better than the others, and even the cell where he was held was specially made. So, where did he come from? And what kind of background?
The Iron Mask himself never mentioned it, and spent 34 years in prison until 1703. On November 19 of that year, he finished Mass as usual and lay in bed resting. However, a sudden illness destroyed his body, and after only one night the Iron Mask died. The next day, the prison buried him and said they were buried by a man named Marcioli.
Shortly after the death of the Man in the Iron Mask, someone came to the prison to destroy all the evidence of his existence, all the daily necessities that passed through his hands were burned, and even the original cell was whitewashed. It is said that this is to prevent the person from leaving a written message about his identity. Therefore, the only thing that can verify his identity is the mysterious number on the wall that cannot be erased.
The fate of the Man in the Iron Mask aroused great interest in his story and gave rise to many legends, and famous writers such as Voltaire and Alexandre Dumas have speculated about his identity in the book. The mainstream theories circulating at the time included the twin brother of Louis XIV, the biological father of Louis XIV, and some claimed that he was a defeated field marshal. However, the identity of this person is still inconclusive.
(Source: Wikipedia)
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