The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas

With this in mind, many to point to the enigmatic Eustache Dauger as the more likely culprit.

Unfortunately, Matthiole likely died in 1694-several years too early for him to be the Mask. Even more convincing is that Louis XV and Louis XVI both supposedly said the Mask was an Italian nobleman. He was a longtime prisoner, and his name is similar to “Marchioly”-the alias under which the Mask was buried. Matthiole was an Italian count who was abducted and jailed after he tried to double-cross Louis XIV during political negotiations in the late-1670s. Still, evidence indicates that only two prisoners were in custody during the same timeframe as the “Mask”: Ercole Matthiole and Eustache Dauger. Hundreds of different candidates have been proposed ranging from a member of the royal family to a disgraced French general and even the playwright Molière. The anonymous prisoner has since inspired countless stories and legends-writings by Voltaire and Alexandre Dumas helped popularized the myth that his mask was made of iron-yet most historians agree that he existed. Even stranger, no one knew what he looked like-the prisoner was never seen without a black velvet mask covering his face. No one knew his identity or why he was in jail. During the reign of King Louis XIV, an enigmatic man spent several decades confined to the Bastille and other French prisons.

The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas