The Mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask
During the reign of King Louis XIV of France, a mysterious man was incarcerated in several prisons throughout France and Italy. With scant historical information, the legend of the Man in the Iron Mask would be questioned over the centuries to come.
In July 1669, the Marquis de Louvois sent a letter to Bénigne Dauvergne de Saint-Mars, the governor of Pignerol prison, located in Piedmont at the foot of the Alps. The letter stated that a prisoner named Eustache Dauger would be arriving in the coming months to be imprisoned at the facility, under Saint-Mars’ appointment.
In the time leading up to the Dauger’s arrival, Saint-Mars was instructed to build a cell with many doors, to ensure the prisoner could never escape and that the cell was sound-proof.
When Dauger arrived, Saint-Mars was ordered to only visit the cell once a day with food and water, and see to any other requests from the prisoner. However, Louvois also said that the man was “only a valet” and shouldn’t require much, during his incarceration at the prison.
Saint-Mars was also given an order by Louvois to kill the man if he ever spoke of anything of importance to Saint-Mars or…
