D'Artagnan Romances
Encyclopedia
The d'Artagnan Romances are a set of three novels by Alexandre Dumas
telling the story of the musketeer
d'Artagnan from his humble beginnings in Gascony
to his death as a marshal of France
in the Siege of Maastricht
in 1673.
Dumas based the life and character of d'Artagnan on the 17th-century captain of musketeers Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan, and Dumas's portrayal was indebted to the semi-fictionalized memoirs of d'Artagnan written 27 years after the hero's death by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras
(published in 1700).
The three novels are:
Two further sequels to the d'Artagnan books, the novels The Son of Porthos and D'Artagnan Kingmaker, were published respectively in 1883 and 1900. D'Artagnan does not appear in the first novel, which, although written by Paul Mahalin, was published under the pen name "Alexandre Dumas" and is still sold as such. The second novel was supposedly based on one of Dumas's plays. Dumas himself died in 1870.
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
telling the story of the musketeer
Musketeer
A musketeer was an early modern type of infantry soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern armies, particularly in Europe. They sometimes could fight on horseback, like a dragoon or a cavalryman...
d'Artagnan from his humble beginnings in Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
to his death as a marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
in the Siege of Maastricht
Siege of Maastricht
The Siege of Maastricht was one of the key elements in King Louis XIV's plans to attack the Netherlands, in order to revenge the humiliating conditions enforced on him by the Triple Alliance when he tried to fully conquer the Spanish Netherlands...
in 1673.
Dumas based the life and character of d'Artagnan on the 17th-century captain of musketeers Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan, and Dumas's portrayal was indebted to the semi-fictionalized memoirs of d'Artagnan written 27 years after the hero's death by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras
Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras
Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras was a French novelist, journalist, pamphleteer and memorialist.His abundant output includes short stories, gallant letters, tales of historical love affairs , historical and political works, biographies and semi-fictional "memoirs" Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras (1644,...
(published in 1700).
The three novels are:
- The Three MusketeersThe Three MusketeersThe Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
, set in 1625; first published in serial form in the magazine Le Siècle between March and July 1844. Dumas claimed it was based on manuscripts he had discovered in the Bibliothèque Nationale. - Twenty Years AfterTwenty Years AfterTwenty Years After is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, père, first serialized from January to August, 1845. A book of the D'Artagnan Romances, it is a sequel to The Three Musketeers and precedes The Vicomte de Bragelonne .The novel follows events in France during La Fronde, during the childhood reign...
, set in 1648; serialized from January to August, 1845. - The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later, set between 1660 and 1673; serialized from October 1847 to January 1850. This vast novel has been split into three, four, or five volumes at various points.
- In the three-volume edition, the novels are titled The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Louise de la Vallière and The Man in the Iron Mask.
- In the four-volume edition, the novels are titled The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Ten Years Later, Louise de la Vallière and The Man in the Iron Mask.
- The five-volume edition generally does not give titles to the smaller portions.
Two further sequels to the d'Artagnan books, the novels The Son of Porthos and D'Artagnan Kingmaker, were published respectively in 1883 and 1900. D'Artagnan does not appear in the first novel, which, although written by Paul Mahalin, was published under the pen name "Alexandre Dumas" and is still sold as such. The second novel was supposedly based on one of Dumas's plays. Dumas himself died in 1870.
See also
Currency in Dumas' Musketeer novelsCurrency in Dumas' Musketeer novels
This article provides a brief guide to the monetary terms used in Alexandre Dumas' popular romances of the adventures of the Chevalier d'Artagnan, which include a number of obsolete units and denominations...