Ercole Antonio Mattioli
Encyclopedia
Ercole Antonio Mattioli was an Italian politician, who was a minister of Duke Charles IV of Mantua. He was kidnapped and imprisoned by Louis XIV of France
. He has been associated with the Man in the Iron Mask.
, in what is now the province of Alessandria
. He worked as a minister of Charles IV, Duke of Mantua
, who, as Marquess of Montferrat, possessed the strategic fortress of Casale Monferrato
. Louis XIV wanted the fortress and was willing to purchase it for 100,000 crowns. Since a French occupation would be unpopular, secrecy was needed until the deal was finalised.
Mattioli successfully negotiated the trade and in gratitude, Louis XIV rewarded him lavishly. However, when the French were about to occupy the castle, Mattioli revealed the secret deal to the governments of Austria
, Savoy
, Spain
and Venice
, possibly for additional rewards. Louis XIV had to cancel the deal and withdraw though he eventually took control of Casale two years later.
In 1679, Louis XIV had his French envoy d'Estrades kidnap Mattioli and take him to France. There Mattioli was imprisoned in the fortress of Pinerolo
where he was eventually put into solitary confinement. By 1680 he was described as nearly mad. His manservant was also kidnapped and held with him.
Ercole Antonio Mattioli died in 1694 while incarcerated on the island of Sainte-Marguerite
.
, which was in fact made of black velvet cloth. Dauger was in the custody of a man named Saint-Mars
and was held in the prisons of which Saint-Mars was governor.
It has been suggested that Mattioli himself was the masked prisoner and this was a popular theory during much of the 19th-century. Since the prisoner is known to have been buried under the name "Marchioly", many believe that this is proof enough that he was the man in the mask. But letters sent by Saint-Mars indicate that he was only held at Pignerol and Sainte-Marguerite. He was never at the Bastille and can therefore be discounted.
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. He has been associated with the Man in the Iron Mask.
Biography
Mattioli was born at ValenzaValenza
Valenza is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km east of Turin and about 11 km north of Alessandria.-History:...
, in what is now the province of Alessandria
Province of Alessandria
The Province of Alessandria is an Italian province, with a population of some 430,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The provincial capital is the city of Alessandria....
. He worked as a minister of Charles IV, Duke of Mantua
Charles IV, Duke of Mantua
Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga was the only child of Duke Charles II of Mantua and Montferrat, and the last ruler of the Duchy of Mantua of the House of Gonzaga.-Biography:...
, who, as Marquess of Montferrat, possessed the strategic fortress of Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato, population 36,058, is a town and comune in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, part of the province of Alessandria. It is situated about 60 km east of Turin on the right bank of the Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montferrato hills. Beyond the river lies the...
. Louis XIV wanted the fortress and was willing to purchase it for 100,000 crowns. Since a French occupation would be unpopular, secrecy was needed until the deal was finalised.
Mattioli successfully negotiated the trade and in gratitude, Louis XIV rewarded him lavishly. However, when the French were about to occupy the castle, Mattioli revealed the secret deal to the governments of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, possibly for additional rewards. Louis XIV had to cancel the deal and withdraw though he eventually took control of Casale two years later.
In 1679, Louis XIV had his French envoy d'Estrades kidnap Mattioli and take him to France. There Mattioli was imprisoned in the fortress of Pinerolo
Pinerolo
Pinerolo is a town and comune in north-western Italy, 40 kilometres southwest of Turin on the river Chisone.-History:In the Middle Ages, the town of Pinerolo was one of the main crossroads in Italy, and was therefore one of the principal fortresses of the dukes of Savoy. Its military importance...
where he was eventually put into solitary confinement. By 1680 he was described as nearly mad. His manservant was also kidnapped and held with him.
Ercole Antonio Mattioli died in 1694 while incarcerated on the island of Sainte-Marguerite
Île Sainte-Marguerite
The Île Sainte-Marguerite is the largest of the Lérins Islands, about half a mile off shore from the French Riviera town of Cannes. The island is approximately 3km in length and 900m across....
.
Man in the Iron Mask
Another prisoner at Pignerol was Eustache Dauger, the so-called Man in the Iron MaskMan in the Iron Mask
The Man in the Iron Mask is a name given to a prisoner arrested as Eustache Dauger in 1669 or 1670, and held in a number of jails, including the Bastille and the Fortress of Pignerol . He was held in the custody of the same jailer, Bénigne Dauvergne de Saint-Mars, for a period of 34 years...
, which was in fact made of black velvet cloth. Dauger was in the custody of a man named Saint-Mars
Bénigne Dauvergne de Saint-Mars
Bénigne d'Auvergne de Saint-Mars was a French prison governor in the late 17th and early 18th century. He is best known as the apparent keeper of the Man in the Iron Mask...
and was held in the prisons of which Saint-Mars was governor.
It has been suggested that Mattioli himself was the masked prisoner and this was a popular theory during much of the 19th-century. Since the prisoner is known to have been buried under the name "Marchioly", many believe that this is proof enough that he was the man in the mask. But letters sent by Saint-Mars indicate that he was only held at Pignerol and Sainte-Marguerite. He was never at the Bastille and can therefore be discounted.