MUSKETEER HISTORY

[Salty Dog]

The entire company of Musketeers were young daredevils who were extraordinarily gifted soldiers, and could normally handle what several regular soldiers couldn't. By the time Louis XIII was king, Monsieur de Treville indeed was their captain. Yet he did not hold the title of captain, but captain-lieutenant, for the king himself held the title of captain-commandant. Despite this, however, everyone called Treville their captain.

According to the 1991 Disney movie "The Three Musketeers," the Musketeers were disbanded in 1625. Even though it is true that the Musketeers were disbanded, it was at a later time, not until many years later, in 1642, after Richelieu and the king had already died, and when Mazarin and the Queen were ruling France for little Louis XIV. The reason they were disbanded was because of Cardinal Marazin's (Richelieu's protege, and possible husband to the widowed Queen Anne) hatred for Monsieur de Treville. Yet, ironically, even though Mazarin fired Treville from this appointment, he turned around and asked Treville for a favor; that is, to give him his two best Musketeers for his personal services. Treville gave Mazarin d'Artagnan, and a certain Besmeaux (future governor of the Bastille, even as Dumas has shown us).

Treville's choice shows us how brilliant of a swashbuckler d'Artagnan really was in real life. And just as soon as Treville gave Mazarin these two brilliants, he retired from court life forever, and became a governor of a small French town.

[Salty Dog]

But what of our Three Musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis? Were they too real people in life? Happily, they were; unhappily, we have very little detail on the real three men.

Gatien de Courtilz, in his famous, yet rare, Memoirs of Monsieur d'Artagnan, gives the world the first glimpse at these men for the first time since their death. Courtilz would have us believe that they were all brothers - but this is not true, even though two of them were related, and related also to Treville.

Athos was, in real life, Armand de Sillegue d'Athos d'Auteville. He was born around 1615, joined the Musketeers at the age of twenty-five in the late 1630's or early 1640's, and died in Paris from a duel in 1643. His name was found listed amongst the fallen duellists in a monastery where such acts were recorded. He could really have been a nobleman, just like Dumas' Athos was. But unlike Dumas made him, he was really a Gascon like D'Artagnan. He was also a cousin to M. de Treville, captain of the musketeers from 1634-1642. Dumas claimed, in the preface to The Three Musketeers, that his story was nothing more than the memoirs of the Comte de la Fere, who (this mysterious comte) becomes Athos in the course of the story. These memoirs, presumably, were the same memoirs Athos is seen working on during the course of The Vicomte de Bragelonne.

[Salty Dog]

ramis's real name was Henri d'Aramitz. Like his fictional counterpart, he was a churchman, a Bernais (from Gascony): like D'Artagnan, he was a Gascon. He joined the musketeers in 1640, married in 1654, had four children, and died around 1674. He was a nephew to M. de Treville, captain of the musketeers. He was never, so far as history can tell, involved with the Jesuits. A German named Nickel was Vicar-General from 1652-1664 and from 1664-1681 an Italian named Jean-Paul Oliva headed the order.

Porthos was really Isaac de Portau, born in Pau, Gascony, according to history. The real Porthos has no family relations with any of his friends. Though he did come from a town close to one that d'Artagnan came from. They two, more than likely, really were excellent friends in real life. They were both Guards at the same time, and both entered into the Musketeers almost at the same time. Athos and Aramis were already Musketeers at the time that d'Artagnan and Porthos were Guards.

[Salty Dog]

When Mazarin could see that Treville was indeed out of the way, he re-installed the Musketeers, making two companies of them - the Black Musketeers (so called after the black horses they rode) and the Gray Musketeers (also because of the colour horses they rode.) The second company, the gray's, was banded together from Mazarin's own personal Foot Musketeers (no doubt coming down from Richelieu's guards). In the first company (first and foremost, for they were more celebrated than the second company), Mazarin gave the old post of Treville (of Captain-Lieutenant) to his nephew, the Duke of Nevers, Mancinni.

Mancinni cared little for the post, or the Musketeers, and would leave all the duties of leadership to his lieutenant - d'Artagnan, of course - who was their true captain nonetheless. In 1667, Mancinni, realizing what was best, stepped aside for d'Artagnan, and gave the post of captain-lieutenant to him.

[corsair91]

The Real Three Musketeers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd8npE_Z-_s

SandRhoman History

In the “The Three Musketeers” Alexandre Dumas and his co-author Auguste Maquet take the reader to 17th century France to witness the adventures of the four brothers in arms. However, the romantic tales and adventures of the swashbuckler of Dumas’ novel shatter into pieces stand in stark when contrasted to the harsh and brutal reality of the Musketeers of the King’s Guard. This video is part of the history collaboration project France and sets out on the tracks of the real musketeers. It explains how modern historiography characterizes both, the corresponding historical characters, and the Musketeers of the Guard as a military unit.


SandRhoman History
https://www.youtube.com/@SandRhomanHistory


Alexandre Dumas Novels
http://www.hookedonpirates.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=114849#114849


Official Dumas Society Website (English translation)
http://www.dumaspere.com/pages/english/sommaire.html

[Roland]

I've been watching the BBC series, The Musketeers, which is airing on my local PBS station:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2733252/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Musketeers

A French adaptation of Dumas' story will be released this year in two parts. Part 1 is The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12672536/

Part 2 will come out shortly before Christmas:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12672620/

[corsair91]

D'Artagnan


Charles de Batz de Castelmore d'Artagnan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Batz_de_Castelmore_d%27Artagnan

Aso known as d'Artagnan and later Count d'Artagnan (c. 1611 – 25 June 1673), was a French Musketeer who served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard.
He died at the siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War.

A fictionalised account of his life by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras
formed the basis for the d'Artagnan Romances of Alexandre Dumas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatien_de_Courtilz_de_Sandras

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Dumas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_d%27Artagnan_Romances
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Musketeers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_Years_After
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vicomte_de_Bragelonne


Charles de Batz went to Paris in the 1630s, using the surname of his mother Françoise de Montesquiou d'Artagnan.

D'Artagnan found a way to enter into the Musketeers in 1632 through the support of his uncle, Henri de Montesquiou d'Artagnan or perhaps thanks to the influence of Henri's friend, Monsieur de Tréville

While in the Musketeers, d'Artagnan sought the protection of the influential Cardinal Mazarin, France's principal minister from 1643.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_Richelieu
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_Mazarin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musketeers_of_the_Guard


In 1646, the Musketeers company was dissolved, but d'Artagnan continued to serve his protector Mazarin.
D'Artagnan had a career in espionage for Cardinal Mazarin

In 1658, he became a second lieutenant in the newly reformed Musketeers.

D'Artagnan was famous for his connection with the arrest of Nicolas Fouquet. d'Artagnan was assigned to guard him for four years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Fouquet
Fouquet was Louis XIV's finance commissioner and aspired to take the place of Mazarin as the king's advisor.

In 1667, d'Artagnan was promoted to captain-lieutenant of the Musketeers, the effective commander as the nominal captain was the king.

d'Artagnan was killed in battle on 25 June 1673, when a musket ball tore into his throat at the siege of Maastricht.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Maastricht_(1673)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Dutch_War
primarily fought at sea


The Real D’Artagnan
https://historytheinterestingbits.com/2016/12/30/the-real-dartagnan/

Sharon Bennett Connolly


https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/D%27Artagnan

[corsair91]

Monsieur de Tréville


Jean-Armand du Peyrer, Comte de Troisville (1598 – 8 May 1672)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comte_de_Troisville

fictionalized under the name Monsieur de Tréville in Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel The Three Musketeers.

"Captain" of the Musketeers of the Guard.

[corsair91]

Athos

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athos_(character)

The fictional Athos is named after the historical musketeer Armand, Seigneur de Sillègue, d'Athos, et d'Autevielle ("Lord of Sillègue, Athos, and Autevielle"), better known as Armand d'Athos



Armand d'Athos (1615–1644)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armand_d%27Athos

Athos was the first cousin once removed to the Comte de Troisville
(Monsieur de Tréville) and first cousin of Isaac de Porthau (Porthos)
and Henri d'Aramitz (Aramis)



https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Athos

[corsair91]

Porthos

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porthos

The fictional Porthos is very loosely based on the historical musketeer Isaac de Porthau.


Isaac de Porthau

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_de_Porthau


https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Porthos

[corsair91]

Aramis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramis

René d'Herblay, alias Aramis, is a fictional character

The fictional Aramis is loosely based on the historical musketeer Henri d'Aramitz.


Henri d'Aramitz
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_d%27Aramitz

Henri, Seigneur d'Aramitz ("Lord of Aramits"; c. 1620–1655 or 1674) was a Gascon abbé (abbott), and black musketeer (rode a Black Horse) of the Maison du Roi (royal household of the King) in 17th century France.
He was the nephew of the Comte de Troisville, captain of the Musketeers of the Guard.
Aramitz served as the inspiration for Alexandre Dumas's character "Aramis" in the d'Artagnan Romances.


Henri d'Aramitz's uncle, the Comte de Troisville, called him to Paris along with his cousins Armand d'Athos and Isaac de Porthau based on their reputation for swordsmanship.
Aramitz had the chance to meet the Comte d'Artagnan.

In May 1640 Aramitz joined the Musketeers of the Guard.



https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Aramis

[corsair91]

Comte de Rochefort

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comte_de_Rochefort

secondary fictional character in Alexandre Dumas' d'Artagnan Romances.
The other main agent (in addition to Milady de Winter) of Cardinal Richelieu.

The Comte de Rochefort was the subject of an earlier novel, Mémoires de M.L.C.D.R. (Memoirs of Monsieur Le Comte de Rochefort) written in 1678 by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras.

Courtilz de Sandras also wrote Mémoires de M. d'Artagnan (1700).

Dumas combined the two, replacing an aristocrat named Rosnay from the d'Artagnan story with the Comte de Rochefort.

[corsair91]

Milady_de_Winter

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milady_de_Winter

fictional character in the novel The Three Musketeers (1844) by Alexandre Dumas, père (father), set in 1625 France. She is a spy for Cardinal Richelieu

She is a classic example of a femme fatale.

Milady is later is revealed to be the wife of Athos, originally the Comte de la Fère


The character of Milady previously appeared in the Mémoires de M. d'Artagnan (1700), a historical novel by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras, which Dumas discovered during his research for his history of Louis XIV

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatien_de_Courtilz_de_Sandras

Courtilz de Sandras is best known today for his semi-fictionalized memoirs of the famous musketeer d'Artagnan which were published in 1700 (27 years after the death of d'Artagnan) and which served as the model for Alexandre Dumas, père's portrayal of d'Artagnan

[corsair91]

Memoirs of Monsieur d'Artagnan.
Now for the first time translated into English
by Courtilz de Sandras, Gatien, 1644-1712

https://archive.org/details/pt3memoirsofmons00couruoft

or

Memoirs of Monsieur d'Artagnan : Captain Lieutenant of the 1st Company of the King's Musketeers
by Courtilz de Sandras, Gatien, 1644-1712

https://archive.org/details/memoirsofmonsieu02cour

or

Memoirs of Monsieur d'Artagnan
by Courtilz de Sandras, Gatien, 1644-1712

https://archive.org/details/memoirsofmonsieu1950cour



These are most likely scanned Books
archive dot org does give the option to generate an Epub
conversion

Any embedded images will give the conversion process fits,
sourcing also the PDF & plain text files also recommended

[corsair91]

The memoirs of the Count de Rochefort

containing an account of what past most memorable, under the ministry of Cardinal Richelieu and Cardinal Mazarin, with many particular passages of the reign of Louis the present French king.
Made English from the French
by Courtilz de Sandras, Gatien

https://archive.org/details/gpl_1738409