"The secret is your prisoner, and once you leak it out, you become its prisoner." An old proverb from England explains the subtle connections between those secret pasts and lives. Those ancient legends are mysterious and tortuous, intriguing and at the same time fully mobilize everyone's curiosity. When a person is deeply immersed in the exploration of the mystery, it is as if he becomes another prisoner of this secret.
In the end, people will be exposed to countless fragmented mysterious stories in their lifetime, because they are strange enough and fully mobilize people's enthusiasm for finding the truth. However, the mysterious colors shrouded in these fogs always disappear when they are about to be touched, leaving everyone with unlimited reverie.
Once upon a time, there was an absurd legend of the "Man in the Iron Mask" in France, which has a history of hundreds of years and is even talked about. What is even more puzzling is that the world still seems to know nothing about it except that the protagonist of the story is not the real name. This man was the most famous prisoner of the French Middle Ages, "Eustace Doug".
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the beginning of the legend of the "Man in the Iron Mask"</h1>
The prisoner is better known as the "Man in the Iron Mask" than the false name recorded in French history. It may sound absurd enough, but Doug himself did wear a cold, thick iron mask all the time he entered the historical horizon and never took it off.
In the French Royal Palace in 1711, when the King of France was Louis XIV and Elizabeth Charlotte was also the king's sister-in-law, she inadvertently attached a curious description to her aunt's family letter: "He has always been obscured by a mask, and is constantly under the surveillance of musketeers, and if he lifts the mask, he will be killed immediately." This is the precise definition of the prisoner Doug, and as the text spread widely, the prisoner experience of the enigmatic Doug also surfaced.
The earliest recorded time in history goes back to decades earlier. One evening in the summer of 1669, Bernigne, the warden of the Pinero fortress, received a rare letter from the Marquis de Lou foval, then Minister of Justice. The warden solemnly opened the letter, and only one thing was covered in scrawled handwriting.
A prisoner named Eustasia Doug is coming to you. The warden could not help but be suspicious of the identity of the prisoner. After all, the prisoners in the prisons under jurisdiction have a lot to offer. Once a corrupt chancellor of the exchequer, a princely nobleman who made a mistake, or some other secretive criminal, Doug's identity has now cast a new shadow.
Doug's presence was not an easy task compared to the prison. In addition to conveying such instructions on behalf of others, the Minister of Justice also assigned special tasks to the warden. Doug's cell must be equipped with a special multi-door device, which also prevents anyone outside the cell from hearing Doug's words.
As the warden, he had to personally deliver life supplies to this unfamiliar prisoner. In this way, it seems that Doug's identity has gradually become clear. Unexpectedly, the directives issued at the same time also contained terrible details: If Doug mentioned anything about his identity to the warden, he would be executed immediately.
Soon Doug was also escorted to the Pinero Fortress as a prisoner, and those who had seen him were left with only a deep impression of the heavy iron mask on his face. Even in the sunlight, his identity is still shrouded in layers of shadows, and the airtight mask makes it difficult to show any trace of identity. But his bizarre and mysterious experience has only just begun.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the mysteries of prison</h1>
Doug's successful entry into the pisello fortress's imprisonment did not reassure anyone concerned about the mysterious "Man in the Iron Mask". One of the pieces of evidence is that Bernigné, as warden, was required to report all of Doug's day-to-day situations to the Minister of Justice in a separate letter. This also greatly increased the curiosity in the warden's heart, although he described Doug as a good prisoner who behaved normally and did not have any abnormal movements.
But it seems that he also perceives that under the steel mask, there may be a mysterious mystery hidden. Doug's past in prison is inseparable from another prisoner named Fukai. No one has access to the truth about Doug's identity, but as long as there is still a voice under the steel, someone will eventually understand the beginning and end of the story.
The Pinello Fortress is a very special prison, and many prisoners not only do not receive strict restrictions and the threat of harsh environment, but can even have servants as a symbol of wealth and a gift of life. Fouquet was one such prisoner who originally had a servant named Larivier living with him in prison. However, the servant's physical condition became inadmissible to such work during Doug's detention.
The warden then made a proposal to replace Doug with a servant of Fouquet, and in 1675, with the permission of the Minister of Justice. This relationship lasted until 1680. By chance, the warden made an urgent response. When he inadvertently inspected the cell under the opportunity of Fouquet's death, the warden discovered that there was a secret passage between Fouquet and the Marquis of Lozan.
This is not a big deal, but the mystery of Doug's identity as a servant may therefore be exposed. The Warden quickly reported the news to the Minister of Justice. The next day, the Marquis of Lozan received only one message that Fouquet and his servant Doug had left the prison. In fact, the warden had already transferred him.
Such a transfer is not uncommon in the life of the Iron Mask, and Bernigne, as the caretaker of his mysterious identity, began a long-running transfer with Doug after 1681. During May 1687, traces of the appearance of the Man in the Iron Mask were left on the french island of Saint-Margaret. The once peaceful hamlet was raucous because of a prisoner in an icy iron mask. But before they knew the truth, Doug disappeared from their sight forever.
Doug then moved from prison to prison, and even in 1689, when Bernigé was transferred to the well-known Bastille, Doug became the focus of the prison. This intimidating and mysterious "Man in the Iron Mask" eventually died under strict care. Even so, everything in his life was ruthlessly erased, and everything related to it was destroyed, as if he had never appeared.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > mystery behind the mystery</h1>
The legend of the Man in the Iron Mask was first used to arouse the strong curiosity of the crowd because he wore such a mask. Because of his sudden death, this story is even more confusing. Later generations never stopped speculating about his identity, and explanations of the seemingly truth kept circulating in the world.
He may have been the brother of the king of the time, or some other astonishing identity; no one knows. As long as the truth behind the mystery is not confirmed, it can always lead to endless reverie. The legend of the Iron Mask is long over, but it still continues quietly in another way.
Text/Yu Xin