The Vicomte de Bragelonne
Encyclopedia
The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later is a novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is the third and last of the d'Artagnan Romances
, following The Three Musketeers
and Twenty Years After
. It appeared first in serial form between 1847 and 1850. In the English translations the 268 chapters of this large volume are usually subdivided into three, but sometimes four or even five individual books. In three-volume English editions, the three volumes are titled "The Vicomte de Bragelonne", "Louise de la Vallière", and "The Man in the Iron Mask." Each of these volumes is roughly the length of the original The Three Musketeers
. In four-volume editions, the names of the volumes are kept, except that "Louise de la Vallière" and "The Man in the Iron Mask" are pushed down from second and third to third and fourth, with "Ten Years Later" becoming the second volume. There are usually no volume-specific names in five-volume editions. French academic Jean-Yves Tadié
has argued that the beginning of King Louis XIV's personal rule is the novel's real subject.
and the rest of the original musketeers who find adventure, perform fantastic feats, and grow older. Due to the novel's length it is frequently broken into several parts. The action takes place between 1660 and 1667 and has as its thematic background the transformation of Louis XIV
from a weak boy king dominated by his ministers and mother to the Sun King in absolute control of the French state.
in his efforts to retake the throne of England, so d'Artagnan resolves to aid the exiled king himself, unaware at first that Athos
is also attempting to do the same thing. D'Artagnan hatches an audacious plan to kidnap General Monk
, who is perceived as the biggest obstacle to Charles regaining the throne, and Athos attempts to recover a substantial treasure that Charles I
made known to him just prior to his execution, that was to be used to aid his son in recovering the throne. Athos manages to recover the treasure, which is within territory controlled by General Monk, and shortly after, d'Artagnan succeeds in kidnapping the General, bringing him before Charles II, who disdains to keep him captive and orders d'Artagnan to return him to his army. It turns out that General Monk secretly has Royalist
sympathies, and was looking to assess Charles' worthiness to be restored, and the king's decision to let him go removed all doubts in his mind. With the General's support and the funds which Athos recovered, King Charles II was restored to the throne. Unlike in previous episodes where d'Artagnan and his friends had aided monarchs, Charles II rewarded d'Artagnan richly for his efforts. Athos, in an attempt to further strengthen the ties between England and France, uses his newly-earned favor with Charles to negotiate the marriage of the king's sister Henrietta Anne Stuart to the brother of Louis XIV, Monsieur Philippe
.
Just as d'Artagnan and Athos return to France, Cardinal Mazarin has finally died, leaving Louis to assume power, entreating him never to take another Prime Minister, but leaving him Jean-Baptiste Colbert
as his adviser. Colbert has an intense hatred for the king's Superintendent of Finances, Nicolas Fouquet
, and tries to bring about his fall. He manages to have two of Fouquet's loyal friends executed (with d'Artagnan and Raoul de Bragelonne unwittingly foiling a plot to rescue them), and brings to the king's attention that Fouquet is fortifying his castle at Belle-Isle, and might be using it as a base for a military operation against the king. Louis, concerned by these developments, persuades d'Artagnan to reenter his service, and gives him the mission of investigating Belle-Isle, promising him a substantial salary and promotion to Captain of the King's Musketeers on his return. He is told to request a quarter of his promised salary from Fouquet, to cover his expenses for the mission, with the expectation that Fouquet would refuse, however much to d'Artagnan's surprise he receives the entire promised amount, not just the quarter that was ordered. D'Artagnan is clever enough to recognize that in so doing Fouquet is quite openly bribing him, but he contrives to keep the money and even present a receipt for it so it represents legitimate pay that the treasury owes him anyway, refusing to return the remainder as Colbert insists that he must. He becomes suspicious of both Fouquet, portrayed as likeable but corrupt, and Colbert, whom he sees as an envious, unscrupulous social climber despite his honesty.
At Belle-Isle, d'Artagnan finds out that it is indeed being fortified, and finds that the engineer in charge of the fortifications is none other than Porthos
, and the blueprints show the mark of Aramis
' handwriting, whom d'Artagnan later finds out has become the Bishop of Vannes, a diocese near Belle-Isle within the domains of Fouquet. Despite the involvement of his friends, d'Artagnan keeps to his mission, and attempts to hide the true reason for his presence. Aramis, however, is not deceived, and realizes that d'Artagnan is on a mission from the king to investigate their doings, and sends Porthos back to Paris with all speed to warn Fouquet, entreating him to cede Belle-Isle to the king as a gift (an empty gift, he thinks, as the fortress will still be manned by Fouquet's men), while tricking d'Artagnan into searching for Porthos around Vannes. Porthos manages to warn Fouquet in time, and he cedes Belle-Isle to the king, allaying all suspicions and humiliating Colbert, just minutes before d'Artagnan arrives with the news that the island is indeed being fortified. Although d'Artagnan's mission has apparently been preempted, Louis XIV keeps his promises and finally makes him Captain of the King's Musketeers.
Meanwhile, the Princess Henrietta has arrived in France for her wedding with Monsieur Philippe, and the young and beautiful princess has thrown the French Court into discord. She arrives escorted by the second Duke of Buckingham
(son of the first Duke of Buckingham
) who is madly in love with the princess. They are met by an embassy consisting of Raoul de Bragelonne, Guiche de Gramont
, and the Comte de Wardes (son of the Comte de Wardes who was a dangerous enemy of d'Artagnan in The Three Musketeers). Violence nearly erupts in the streets of Le Havre
due to the Duke's jealousy, prevented only by Raoul's timely and tactful intervention. After the marriage, Monsieur Philippe becomes horribly jealous of Buckingham, and has him exiled.
, is devoted in large part to romantic events at the court of Louis XIV. After the wedding of the Princess and Monsieur, Raoul de Bragelonne finds out that his childhood sweetheart, Louise de la Vallière, has been given an appointment as a maid of honor to the Princess, and in fear that her reputation and virtue might be tarnished by affairs at court, seeks to marry her immediately. His father, Athos, the Comte de la Fère, initially disapproves of the match, but reluctantly agrees, out of love for his son, to seek the king's permission. The king, however, refuses to sanction the marriage, saying that Louise is not sufficiently wealthy or beautiful to be worthy of a noble of de Bragelonne's stature, desiring them to wait until Louise has earned her fortune and Raoul grows in prestige.
Meanwhile, the struggle for power continues between Fouquet and Colbert. Louis, at Colbert's urging, attempts to impoverish Fouquet by asking him for a large sum of money to pay for a grand fête at Fontainbleau. Without his two friends to raise it for him, he becomes sorely pressed, and his position becomes so bad that his new mistress is obliged to sell all her jewels to raise the money. Meanwhile, Aramis has made the acquaintance of the governor of the Bastille
M. de Baisemeaux, and learns from him the location of a mysterious prisoner, who bears a remarkable resemblance to Louis XIV. Aramis uses this secret to persuade the dying general of the Jesuits
(disguised as a Franciscan monk), to name him the new general of the Society.
After Buckingham finally leaves France (brought back to England seriously wounded in a duel with de Wardes), the next to succumb to Henrietta's charms is Raoul's friend the Comte de Guiche, and Monsieur obtains his exile as well, although he later manages to effect a reconciliation. However, the King's eye is next to fall on on Madame Henrietta, and this time Monsieur's jealousy has no recourse. Anne of Austria
intervenes, and suggests that the king and his sister-in-law choose a young lady of the court to act as a smokescreen for their flirtation. Unfortunately, for this they select Louise de la Vallière. During the fête at Fontainbleau, the king unwittingly overhears Louise confess her love for him while chatting with her friends at the royal oak, and promptly forgets his affection for Henrietta. That same night at the same royal oak, Henrietta hears de Guiche, recently returned from his exile, confess his love for her to Raoul. The two pursue their own love affair. Aware of Louise's attachment, the king sends Raoul as a diplomatic envoy to England where he is to remain indefinitely. The love affair between Louis and Louise begins to grow, and soon becomes occasion for scandal, but before it becomes widely known Aramis perceives it, and he advises Fouquet to make advances to the young lady so as to have some influence over her, sending her a letter. This however, backfires as the servant whom Fouquet commands to send the letter happens to be an agent of Colbert, and the letter never reaches its intended destination.
The rumors about Louise and the king put Raoul's friends in a difficult position, and soon de Guiche finds himself obliged to defend Raoul's honor in a duel after malicious insinuations made by de Wardes. De Wardes manages to prevail in spite of not yet having completely recovered from injuries received in his previous duel with Buckingham, and de Guiche is seriously wounded. This incident is the last straw for Madame Henrietta, and further inflamed by jealousy against Louise for having surpassed her in the affections of the king, resolves to dismiss the young maid of honor from her service. The king manages to talk Madame out of this course of action, but she nevertheless resolves to prevent the king from seeing Louise as much as she can. Nonetheless, the king still manages to outwit her, and frustrated in her attempts, as a final stroke she writes to her brother King Charles II, asking him to send Raoul back to France. Raoul, on his return, catches Louise in the arms of the king, and is devastated and heartbroken.
Athos falls out with Louis over his clandestine affair with Louise - though Louise does not truly love Raoul - and resigns from his service and public life. Louis petulantly orders Athos's imprisonment, but is talked out of it by D'Artagnan, and Athos is freed before spending a single night in prison.
was Philippe, a twin brother to Louis XIV. Aramis plots a coup d’état to replace Louis with Philippe, whom he would obviously have some influence over (and hoping that Philippe in turn will assist in Aramis's own ambitions, to be a Cardinal and perhaps even Pope). Aramis entangles the trusting strongman Porthos
in his scheme, although Porthos knows nothing beyond that he is taking orders from Aramis. Through subterfuge, he manages to switch the release orders for an innocuous prisoner for that of Philippe, and having gotten him out of the Bastille begins training him on how to act once he has exchanged places with the king.
A few days later, Fouquet, France's Superintendent of Finance, throws a lavish party for Louis at his chateau in Vaux, Colbert becomes jealous. After showing evidence proving Fouquet had financed the extravagant estate by embezzling money from the state coffers, as well as the incriminating letter he tried to send to Mlle. de La Vallière, Colbert manages to turn the king against Fouquet for good, and he orders d'Artagnan to arrest the Superintendent that night, even though he is a guest in the Superintendent's home.
Just when all seems lost for Fouquet, Aramis places the second half of his audacious plan into action. He kidnaps Louis XIV, imprisoning him in the Bastille in Philippe's place, leaning on his authority as general of the Jesuits to convince Baisemeaux (himself associated with the Society), to obey without asking further questions, and replaces the king with Philippe. Aramis reveals to Fouquet that he has replaced the king with his twin, expecting an ally, but to his amazement, Fouquet is angered by the plot and goes to rescue Louis from the Bastille (much to the confusion of Baisemeaux). He gives Aramis and Porthos time to escape to Belle Isle, giving them sanctuary there from the king's vengeance. Louis returns, exposes Philippe, and regains the throne with d'Artagnan's help, ending Philippe's brief reign. Louis banishes Philippe, ordering that "he will cover his face with an iron visor, which the prisoner cannot raise without peril of his life." D'Artagnan is tasked with conducting Philippe to prison.
Meanwhile, Athos and Raoul meet at La Fére the fleeing Aramis and Porthos, who hint at the affair they were involved in and its disastrous end before being given horses to continue on their way to Belle Isle. They are soon followed by the Duc de Beaufort, on his way to Algiers
for an expedition
against the Barbary corsairs
. Raoul, devastated by the king's love affair with Louise, volunteers to join the Duc in his expedition, and is named his aide-de-camp. Athos accompanies him to the port of Toulon
where the Duc's expedition is to begin, and on the way they encounter the Man in the Iron Mask just as d'Artagnan is bringing him to the prison at Sainte-Marguerite
, who throws to them a silver dish on which he inscribed the words: "I am the brother of the king of France—a prisoner to-day—a madman to-morrow. French gentlemen and Christians, pray to God for the soul and the reason of the son of your old rulers." Nothing comes of this however, as Raoul is off to war in Africa, and Athos is retired from politics. At Toulon, father and son are parted forever.
Despite Fouquet's rescue, Louis ultimately orders d'Artagnan to arrest Fouquet after a meeting at Nantes - from which Fouquet escapes, but d'Artagnan overtakes him and arrests him. Subsequently, Louis gives d'Artagnan the order to arrest and execute Porthos and Aramis. D'Artagnan feigns carrying out the king's orders while secretly giving his friends Aramis and Porthos every chance to escape from their hideaway on Belle Isle - despite knowing they are plainly guilty, he would rather see them flee to exile where they might live long enough to receive a pardon. However, Colbert anticipates d'Artagnan's motives and outmaneuvers him with orders circumventing his efforts. The last straw is the order that any prisoners are to be shot immediately, not taken for trial, even if they surrender: upon learning this, d'Artagnan resigns. But even his resignation (and subsequent temporary arrest) fails to throw the King's army into confusion, since a replacement leader was already appointed: the newly-fortified Belle-Isle has not enough defenders, and must fall, without more than cursory resistance as even Aramis advises the populace that resistance is futile.
Trying to escape from Belle Isle, Porthos becomes the first of the four musketeers to die, when he is crushed by boulders as a sudden loss of strength in his legs prevents his escape. Porthos' father and grandfather died as a result of a similar loss of strength. As a result of Porthos's efforts, though, Aramis and a few friends slaughter over a hundred of their pursuers and are able to escape to sea. Even then they are nearly captured, but once again Aramis's Jesuit connections allow him to make an escape, when the captain of the ship that captures Aramis also turns out to be a Jesuit: and the ship is last seen heading for Spain.
In the meantime, Athos has returned to his estates, and sinks into a deep depression, rapidly becoming old and feeble. Just before news arrives that Raoul has been killed in a rash action at Gigelli
, Athos succumbs to his grief and dies of a broken heart. Meanwhile, the arrested d'Artagnan has a long conversation with King Louis, as a result of which he is freed and reinstated, with some compromise on both sides. He learns of Porthos's death and Aramis's escape, and also learns to better understand Colbert's ambitions for France, having previously only seen him as a power-seeking social climber. Colbert has replaced Fouquet as minister of finance now: and the author, for the sake of historical accuracy perhaps, mentions in a dialogue Colbert's future achievements - building granaries, edifices, cities, and ports; creating a marine and equipping navies; constructing libraries and academies; and making France the wealthiest country of the period. All of these being things that Fouquet would not have even attempted, preferring to spend on show and splendour, and spend for many years ahead of the actual revenue. While d'Artagnan (and, one suspects, Dumas as well) found Fouquet a far more likeable character to be around, one gets the impression that in the end both were glad it was Colbert to whom the task of reorganising France's finances fell.
Aramis finds his way to Spain and turns up as the Spanish ambassador to France, working to ensure the neutrality of Spain in France's campaign against the United Provinces in 1667 (about 5 years after the deaths of Porthos and Athos). Louise de la Vallière has by this time found herself superseded in the king's affections by Madame de Montespan
, and passes the remainder of her days in abject misery. In the final chapter, Louis has become a wise and powerful king, and Colbert assists him in masterminding France's return to power via the military campaign against the United Provinces, with d'Artagnan in charge of the attack. During the war, d'Artagnan, almost 60 by then, is killed moments after reading the letter declaring him Marshal of France
, his lifelong ambition, uttering the final words, "Athos, Porthos, au revoir! Aramis, adieu for ever!"
D'Artagnan Romances
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....
, following The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The 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...
and Twenty Years After
Twenty Years After
Twenty 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...
. It appeared first in serial form between 1847 and 1850. In the English translations the 268 chapters of this large volume are usually subdivided into three, but sometimes four or even five individual books. In three-volume English editions, the three volumes are titled "The Vicomte de Bragelonne", "Louise de la Vallière", and "The Man in the Iron Mask." Each of these volumes is roughly the length of the original The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The 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...
. In four-volume editions, the names of the volumes are kept, except that "Louise de la Vallière" and "The Man in the Iron Mask" are pushed down from second and third to third and fourth, with "Ten Years Later" becoming the second volume. There are usually no volume-specific names in five-volume editions. French academic Jean-Yves Tadié
Jean-Yves Tadié
Jean-Yves Tadié is a French writer, specializing in Marcel Proust. His 800-page biography of Proust was well-received, asserted by Edmund White in his own book on Proust to be the best work of its kind...
has argued that the beginning of King Louis XIV's personal rule is the novel's real subject.
Plot
Though there are many digressions, the heroes of the novel remain d'ArtagnanD'Artagnan
Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard and died at the Siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War. A fictionalized account of his life by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras formed the basis for the d'Artagnan Romances of...
and the rest of the original musketeers who find adventure, perform fantastic feats, and grow older. Due to the novel's length it is frequently broken into several parts. The action takes place between 1660 and 1667 and has as its thematic background the transformation of Louis XIV
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...
from a weak boy king dominated by his ministers and mother to the Sun King in absolute control of the French state.
Part One: The Vicomte of Bragelonne (Chapters 1-93)
After 35 years of loyal service, d'Artagnan resigns in disgust after seeing how Cardinal Mazarin remains the true power behind the monarchy, even after Louis supposedly reached his majority. He is particularly disgusted at how the king allowed himself to be persuaded by Mazarin not to send aid to Charles IICharles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
in his efforts to retake the throne of England, so d'Artagnan resolves to aid the exiled king himself, unaware at first that Athos
Athos (fictional character)
Olivier d'Athos de la Fère, Comte de la Fère is a fictional character, a Musketeer of the Guard in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père....
is also attempting to do the same thing. D'Artagnan hatches an audacious plan to kidnap General Monk
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the restoration of Charles II.-Early life and career:...
, who is perceived as the biggest obstacle to Charles regaining the throne, and Athos attempts to recover a substantial treasure that Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
made known to him just prior to his execution, that was to be used to aid his son in recovering the throne. Athos manages to recover the treasure, which is within territory controlled by General Monk, and shortly after, d'Artagnan succeeds in kidnapping the General, bringing him before Charles II, who disdains to keep him captive and orders d'Artagnan to return him to his army. It turns out that General Monk secretly has Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
sympathies, and was looking to assess Charles' worthiness to be restored, and the king's decision to let him go removed all doubts in his mind. With the General's support and the funds which Athos recovered, King Charles II was restored to the throne. Unlike in previous episodes where d'Artagnan and his friends had aided monarchs, Charles II rewarded d'Artagnan richly for his efforts. Athos, in an attempt to further strengthen the ties between England and France, uses his newly-earned favor with Charles to negotiate the marriage of the king's sister Henrietta Anne Stuart to the brother of Louis XIV, Monsieur Philippe
Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Philippe of France was the youngest son of Louis XIII of France and his queen consort Anne of Austria. His older brother was the famous Louis XIV, le roi soleil. Styled Duke of Anjou from birth, Philippe became Duke of Orléans upon the death of his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans...
.
Just as d'Artagnan and Athos return to France, Cardinal Mazarin has finally died, leaving Louis to assume power, entreating him never to take another Prime Minister, but leaving him Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing...
as his adviser. Colbert has an intense hatred for the king's Superintendent of Finances, Nicolas Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux was the Superintendent of Finances in France from 1653 until 1661 under King Louis XIV...
, and tries to bring about his fall. He manages to have two of Fouquet's loyal friends executed (with d'Artagnan and Raoul de Bragelonne unwittingly foiling a plot to rescue them), and brings to the king's attention that Fouquet is fortifying his castle at Belle-Isle, and might be using it as a base for a military operation against the king. Louis, concerned by these developments, persuades d'Artagnan to reenter his service, and gives him the mission of investigating Belle-Isle, promising him a substantial salary and promotion to Captain of the King's Musketeers on his return. He is told to request a quarter of his promised salary from Fouquet, to cover his expenses for the mission, with the expectation that Fouquet would refuse, however much to d'Artagnan's surprise he receives the entire promised amount, not just the quarter that was ordered. D'Artagnan is clever enough to recognize that in so doing Fouquet is quite openly bribing him, but he contrives to keep the money and even present a receipt for it so it represents legitimate pay that the treasury owes him anyway, refusing to return the remainder as Colbert insists that he must. He becomes suspicious of both Fouquet, portrayed as likeable but corrupt, and Colbert, whom he sees as an envious, unscrupulous social climber despite his honesty.
At Belle-Isle, d'Artagnan finds out that it is indeed being fortified, and finds that the engineer in charge of the fortifications is none other than Porthos
Porthos
Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers Athos and Aramis are friends of the novel's protagonist, d'Artagnan...
, and the blueprints show the mark of Aramis
Aramis
C. René d'Aramis de Vannes is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père...
' handwriting, whom d'Artagnan later finds out has become the Bishop of Vannes, a diocese near Belle-Isle within the domains of Fouquet. Despite the involvement of his friends, d'Artagnan keeps to his mission, and attempts to hide the true reason for his presence. Aramis, however, is not deceived, and realizes that d'Artagnan is on a mission from the king to investigate their doings, and sends Porthos back to Paris with all speed to warn Fouquet, entreating him to cede Belle-Isle to the king as a gift (an empty gift, he thinks, as the fortress will still be manned by Fouquet's men), while tricking d'Artagnan into searching for Porthos around Vannes. Porthos manages to warn Fouquet in time, and he cedes Belle-Isle to the king, allaying all suspicions and humiliating Colbert, just minutes before d'Artagnan arrives with the news that the island is indeed being fortified. Although d'Artagnan's mission has apparently been preempted, Louis XIV keeps his promises and finally makes him Captain of the King's Musketeers.
Meanwhile, the Princess Henrietta has arrived in France for her wedding with Monsieur Philippe, and the young and beautiful princess has thrown the French Court into discord. She arrives escorted by the second Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, 20th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, KG, PC, FRS was an English statesman and poet.- Upbringing and education :...
(son of the first Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG was the favourite, claimed by some to be the lover, of King James I of England. Despite a very patchy political and military record, he remained at the height of royal favour for the first two years of the reign of Charles I, until he was assassinated...
) who is madly in love with the princess. They are met by an embassy consisting of Raoul de Bragelonne, Guiche de Gramont
Armand de Gramont, comte de Guiche
Armand de Gramont, Comte de Guiche was a French nobleman, adventurer, and one of the greatest playboys of the 17th century....
, and the Comte de Wardes (son of the Comte de Wardes who was a dangerous enemy of d'Artagnan in The Three Musketeers). Violence nearly erupts in the streets of Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
due to the Duke's jealousy, prevented only by Raoul's timely and tactful intervention. After the marriage, Monsieur Philippe becomes horribly jealous of Buckingham, and has him exiled.
Part Two: Louise de la Vallière (Chapters 94-180)
The second part of the novel, Louise de la VallièreLouise de La Vallière
Louise de La Vallière was a mistress of Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. She later became the Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of Vaujours in her own right...
, is devoted in large part to romantic events at the court of Louis XIV. After the wedding of the Princess and Monsieur, Raoul de Bragelonne finds out that his childhood sweetheart, Louise de la Vallière, has been given an appointment as a maid of honor to the Princess, and in fear that her reputation and virtue might be tarnished by affairs at court, seeks to marry her immediately. His father, Athos, the Comte de la Fère, initially disapproves of the match, but reluctantly agrees, out of love for his son, to seek the king's permission. The king, however, refuses to sanction the marriage, saying that Louise is not sufficiently wealthy or beautiful to be worthy of a noble of de Bragelonne's stature, desiring them to wait until Louise has earned her fortune and Raoul grows in prestige.
Meanwhile, the struggle for power continues between Fouquet and Colbert. Louis, at Colbert's urging, attempts to impoverish Fouquet by asking him for a large sum of money to pay for a grand fête at Fontainbleau. Without his two friends to raise it for him, he becomes sorely pressed, and his position becomes so bad that his new mistress is obliged to sell all her jewels to raise the money. Meanwhile, Aramis has made the acquaintance of the governor of the Bastille
Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. The Bastille was built in response to the English threat to the city of...
M. de Baisemeaux, and learns from him the location of a mysterious prisoner, who bears a remarkable resemblance to Louis XIV. Aramis uses this secret to persuade the dying general of the Jesuits
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
(disguised as a Franciscan monk), to name him the new general of the Society.
After Buckingham finally leaves France (brought back to England seriously wounded in a duel with de Wardes), the next to succumb to Henrietta's charms is Raoul's friend the Comte de Guiche, and Monsieur obtains his exile as well, although he later manages to effect a reconciliation. However, the King's eye is next to fall on on Madame Henrietta, and this time Monsieur's jealousy has no recourse. Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria was Queen consort of France and Navarre, regent for her son, Louis XIV of France, and a Spanish Infanta by birth...
intervenes, and suggests that the king and his sister-in-law choose a young lady of the court to act as a smokescreen for their flirtation. Unfortunately, for this they select Louise de la Vallière. During the fête at Fontainbleau, the king unwittingly overhears Louise confess her love for him while chatting with her friends at the royal oak, and promptly forgets his affection for Henrietta. That same night at the same royal oak, Henrietta hears de Guiche, recently returned from his exile, confess his love for her to Raoul. The two pursue their own love affair. Aware of Louise's attachment, the king sends Raoul as a diplomatic envoy to England where he is to remain indefinitely. The love affair between Louis and Louise begins to grow, and soon becomes occasion for scandal, but before it becomes widely known Aramis perceives it, and he advises Fouquet to make advances to the young lady so as to have some influence over her, sending her a letter. This however, backfires as the servant whom Fouquet commands to send the letter happens to be an agent of Colbert, and the letter never reaches its intended destination.
The rumors about Louise and the king put Raoul's friends in a difficult position, and soon de Guiche finds himself obliged to defend Raoul's honor in a duel after malicious insinuations made by de Wardes. De Wardes manages to prevail in spite of not yet having completely recovered from injuries received in his previous duel with Buckingham, and de Guiche is seriously wounded. This incident is the last straw for Madame Henrietta, and further inflamed by jealousy against Louise for having surpassed her in the affections of the king, resolves to dismiss the young maid of honor from her service. The king manages to talk Madame out of this course of action, but she nevertheless resolves to prevent the king from seeing Louise as much as she can. Nonetheless, the king still manages to outwit her, and frustrated in her attempts, as a final stroke she writes to her brother King Charles II, asking him to send Raoul back to France. Raoul, on his return, catches Louise in the arms of the king, and is devastated and heartbroken.
Athos falls out with Louis over his clandestine affair with Louise - though Louise does not truly love Raoul - and resigns from his service and public life. Louis petulantly orders Athos's imprisonment, but is talked out of it by D'Artagnan, and Athos is freed before spending a single night in prison.
Part Three: The Man in the Iron Mask (Chapters 181-269)
The last section of the novel is famous, in part, for building its plot around Dumas' hypothesis that the 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...
was Philippe, a twin brother to Louis XIV. Aramis plots a coup d’état to replace Louis with Philippe, whom he would obviously have some influence over (and hoping that Philippe in turn will assist in Aramis's own ambitions, to be a Cardinal and perhaps even Pope). Aramis entangles the trusting strongman Porthos
Porthos
Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers Athos and Aramis are friends of the novel's protagonist, d'Artagnan...
in his scheme, although Porthos knows nothing beyond that he is taking orders from Aramis. Through subterfuge, he manages to switch the release orders for an innocuous prisoner for that of Philippe, and having gotten him out of the Bastille begins training him on how to act once he has exchanged places with the king.
A few days later, Fouquet, France's Superintendent of Finance, throws a lavish party for Louis at his chateau in Vaux, Colbert becomes jealous. After showing evidence proving Fouquet had financed the extravagant estate by embezzling money from the state coffers, as well as the incriminating letter he tried to send to Mlle. de La Vallière, Colbert manages to turn the king against Fouquet for good, and he orders d'Artagnan to arrest the Superintendent that night, even though he is a guest in the Superintendent's home.
Just when all seems lost for Fouquet, Aramis places the second half of his audacious plan into action. He kidnaps Louis XIV, imprisoning him in the Bastille in Philippe's place, leaning on his authority as general of the Jesuits to convince Baisemeaux (himself associated with the Society), to obey without asking further questions, and replaces the king with Philippe. Aramis reveals to Fouquet that he has replaced the king with his twin, expecting an ally, but to his amazement, Fouquet is angered by the plot and goes to rescue Louis from the Bastille (much to the confusion of Baisemeaux). He gives Aramis and Porthos time to escape to Belle Isle, giving them sanctuary there from the king's vengeance. Louis returns, exposes Philippe, and regains the throne with d'Artagnan's help, ending Philippe's brief reign. Louis banishes Philippe, ordering that "he will cover his face with an iron visor, which the prisoner cannot raise without peril of his life." D'Artagnan is tasked with conducting Philippe to prison.
Meanwhile, Athos and Raoul meet at La Fére the fleeing Aramis and Porthos, who hint at the affair they were involved in and its disastrous end before being given horses to continue on their way to Belle Isle. They are soon followed by the Duc de Beaufort, on his way to Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
for an expedition
Action of March 1665
This naval battle took place in March 1665 near Goletta, Tunisia, and was a victory for a small French force under the Duc de Beaufort over an Algerine force. All the Algerines were sunk.Ships involved:-References:...
against the Barbary corsairs
Barbary corsairs
The Barbary Corsairs, sometimes called Ottoman Corsairs or Barbary Pirates, were pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Tunis, Tripoli and Algiers. This area was known in Europe as the Barbary Coast, a term derived from the name of its Berber...
. Raoul, devastated by the king's love affair with Louise, volunteers to join the Duc in his expedition, and is named his aide-de-camp. Athos accompanies him to the port of Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
where the Duc's expedition is to begin, and on the way they encounter the Man in the Iron Mask just as d'Artagnan is bringing him to the prison at 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....
, who throws to them a silver dish on which he inscribed the words: "I am the brother of the king of France—a prisoner to-day—a madman to-morrow. French gentlemen and Christians, pray to God for the soul and the reason of the son of your old rulers." Nothing comes of this however, as Raoul is off to war in Africa, and Athos is retired from politics. At Toulon, father and son are parted forever.
Despite Fouquet's rescue, Louis ultimately orders d'Artagnan to arrest Fouquet after a meeting at Nantes - from which Fouquet escapes, but d'Artagnan overtakes him and arrests him. Subsequently, Louis gives d'Artagnan the order to arrest and execute Porthos and Aramis. D'Artagnan feigns carrying out the king's orders while secretly giving his friends Aramis and Porthos every chance to escape from their hideaway on Belle Isle - despite knowing they are plainly guilty, he would rather see them flee to exile where they might live long enough to receive a pardon. However, Colbert anticipates d'Artagnan's motives and outmaneuvers him with orders circumventing his efforts. The last straw is the order that any prisoners are to be shot immediately, not taken for trial, even if they surrender: upon learning this, d'Artagnan resigns. But even his resignation (and subsequent temporary arrest) fails to throw the King's army into confusion, since a replacement leader was already appointed: the newly-fortified Belle-Isle has not enough defenders, and must fall, without more than cursory resistance as even Aramis advises the populace that resistance is futile.
Trying to escape from Belle Isle, Porthos becomes the first of the four musketeers to die, when he is crushed by boulders as a sudden loss of strength in his legs prevents his escape. Porthos' father and grandfather died as a result of a similar loss of strength. As a result of Porthos's efforts, though, Aramis and a few friends slaughter over a hundred of their pursuers and are able to escape to sea. Even then they are nearly captured, but once again Aramis's Jesuit connections allow him to make an escape, when the captain of the ship that captures Aramis also turns out to be a Jesuit: and the ship is last seen heading for Spain.
In the meantime, Athos has returned to his estates, and sinks into a deep depression, rapidly becoming old and feeble. Just before news arrives that Raoul has been killed in a rash action at Gigelli
La Goulette
La Goulette is the port of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. The Kasbah fortress was built in 1535 by Charles I of Spain but was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1574...
, Athos succumbs to his grief and dies of a broken heart. Meanwhile, the arrested d'Artagnan has a long conversation with King Louis, as a result of which he is freed and reinstated, with some compromise on both sides. He learns of Porthos's death and Aramis's escape, and also learns to better understand Colbert's ambitions for France, having previously only seen him as a power-seeking social climber. Colbert has replaced Fouquet as minister of finance now: and the author, for the sake of historical accuracy perhaps, mentions in a dialogue Colbert's future achievements - building granaries, edifices, cities, and ports; creating a marine and equipping navies; constructing libraries and academies; and making France the wealthiest country of the period. All of these being things that Fouquet would not have even attempted, preferring to spend on show and splendour, and spend for many years ahead of the actual revenue. While d'Artagnan (and, one suspects, Dumas as well) found Fouquet a far more likeable character to be around, one gets the impression that in the end both were glad it was Colbert to whom the task of reorganising France's finances fell.
Aramis finds his way to Spain and turns up as the Spanish ambassador to France, working to ensure the neutrality of Spain in France's campaign against the United Provinces in 1667 (about 5 years after the deaths of Porthos and Athos). Louise de la Vallière has by this time found herself superseded in the king's affections by Madame de Montespan
Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan
Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, marquise of Montespan , better known as Madame de Montespan, was the most celebrated maîtresse en titre of King Louis XIV of France, by whom she had seven children....
, and passes the remainder of her days in abject misery. In the final chapter, Louis has become a wise and powerful king, and Colbert assists him in masterminding France's return to power via the military campaign against the United Provinces, with d'Artagnan in charge of the attack. During the war, d'Artagnan, almost 60 by then, is killed moments after reading the letter declaring him 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...
, his lifelong ambition, uttering the final words, "Athos, Porthos, au revoir! Aramis, adieu for ever!"
External links
- eLook Literature: The Vicomte de Bragelonne - HTML version broken down chapter by chapter.