For 34 years, he was shut away in the French prison of Pignerol by Louis XIV, forever locked behind prison walls and, as the story goes, a heavy iron mask that kept his face hidden. It remains to be one of history’s most enduring riddles. Some 300 years after his death, the identity of this tragic figure remains a mystery, even as the world’s leading historians have examined every aspect of his unbelievable tale.

It was because of Alexander Dumas’ well-liked and lasting novel, The Man in the Iron Mask that popularized the notion of a mysterious man imprisoned behind a mask of iron. However, researchers have determined that the mask that covered this man’s face was actually made of velvet rather than iron. Other questions still remain to be discovered though. Questions such as why did Louis XIV, who presided over the most lavish court in Europe, condemn the unknown prisoner to this living death? Was he the king’s illegitimate son, or even his twin brother? We still do not know for sure and it’s hard to decide what to believe when dealing with such a tale. But we do have some facts. For instance:

It was during the reign of Louis XIV of France, the Sun King, who ruled from 1643 to 1715. It was the era of the "divine right of kings," meaning the king’s power was absolute and unquestioned. Louis XIV is attributed to the quote: "L’état, c’est moi!" ("I am the state!") At the other end of society were prisoners, many jailed by the king, who could have been imprisoned for any reason that struck his fancy. Political intrigue? They went to prison. Inappropriate remarks? Guess what! – prison. Louis XIV condemned folks for good and bad reasons, but none were questioned.

Research finds that the first record of a masked prisoner is from a notebook kept by Lieutenant Etienne du Junca, an official of the Bastille from October 1690 until his death in September 1706. His notebooks are "the most important and reliable source of information we have about the management and conduct of the Bastille under Louis XIV," according to noted historian Theodore M.R. Von Keler.

The entry for Thursday, September 18, 1698, records the 3:00 PM arrival of a new governor of the Bastille, Bénigne d’Auvergne de Saint-Mars. Du Junca writes that Saint-Mars "brought with him, in a litter, a longtime prisoner, whom he had in custody in Pignerol, and whom he kept always masked, and whose name has not been given to me, nor recorded." Saint-Mars had been at Pignerol from 1665 to 1681, so the Man in the Mask had been imprisoned for at least 18 years prior to his arrival at Bastille, and perhaps as long as 33 years.

Du Junca’s later comments indicate that the prisoner was well treated, and had no complaints. He was permitted to attend Mass on Sundays and holidays, but had to keep his face covered by a "black velvet mask." Du Junca’s report is the only mention of a mask. Five years later, on November 19, 1703, Du Junca records the death and burial of the "unknown prisoner, who has worn a black velvet mask since his arrival here in 1698." Saint-Mars had the name "Marchialy" inscribed in the parish register.

Many movie and theater renditions of the tale have been performed throughout the ages, from Leonardo Dicaprio playing the masked man in Hollywood, to the story being preformed at the Adlephi theatre in London. One such example of this is exhibited in the September Geppi Entertainment’s Morphy Auction’s Fall Sale! There is a Man in the Iron Mask paper litho poster in excellent condition, dated to 1900. It is framed under glass and only has a few short minor edge tears and marks with a minor touchup at the bottom center. It is very clean and bright otherwise! Check it out at www.morphyauctions.com.