Portrait of a Man BOURDON, Sйbastien
In 2004, builders renovating a house in the Dutch city of Maastricht made a sensational find. In the garden near the wall of the building, they found the remains of seven people. Police initially believed the burial was recent, but experts say these people lived around the 17th century. This is confirmed by several coins from that era found nearby.
Historians recalled that on June 25, 1673, battles took place in these parts - the French king Louis XIV sent a guard of musketeers to capture Maastricht. Its leader was none other than Lieutenant-Commander Charles de Baz de Castelmore, Count D "Artagnan. During one of the many assaults of Maastricht D" Artagnan was killed - a bullet from a musket hit him in the head, his body was removed from under enemy fire only from the fifth time, and four daredevils who tried to do this were killed. From the memoirs of that time, it is known that in the presence of two cousins of the deceased, Pierre and Joseph de Montesquieu d'Artagnan, the body of the captain of the Musketeers was buried at the foot of the walls of Maastricht. Alexander Dumas is a historical character.
Portrait of d'Artagnan from the frontispiece of "Memoirs ..." Kurtil
All researchers of Dumas' creativity agree that out of more than a dozen people who bore the surname D "Artagnan, it was de Castelmore who was the prototype of the famous character. It was to him, a desperate brave man, that the King of France gave" special "assignments.
Around 1640 (and not at the end of the 1620s, as with Dumas), the young man signed up for the royal service in the guard under the name of his mother - de Montesquieu. Then it was customary to have a military nickname, and he came up with the pseudonym d'Artagnan - after the name of the lands that belonged to his mother. He became a musketeer only in 1644. Then d'Artagnan got into the retinue of Cardinal Mazarin.
His most famous act is the arrest in 1664 of Superintendent Nicolas Fouquet, described in the Viscount de Bragelon. After he excelled in the Fouquet affair, d'Artagnan became the king's confidant. Louis XIV was very saddened by the death of such a servant and said that he was "almost the only person who managed to make people love themselves without doing anything for them that would oblige them to do this," and according to d'Aigny, the king wrote to the queen : "Madame, I have lost d'Artagnan, whom I trusted to the highest degree and who was suitable for any service." Marshal d'Estrade, who served under D'Artagnan for many years, later said: "The best French are hard to find." This can be said about literary hero Dumas. However, the novelist has largely deviated from the historical truth. He moved D "Artagnan several decades ago, during the reign of Louis XIII.
And our hero was born in 1611 at the Castle of Castelmore in the Lower Pyrenees province in the south of France. Bertrand de Baz is the father of the future musketeer, although he was a nobleman, in fact, he never differed in wealth. His house has never been the abode of luxury and bears little resemblance to those grandiose castles of the Loire Valley.
The estate "Chateau d" Arricau-Bordes ", nothing remarkable - neither in terms of size nor comfort, was estimated by realtors at 5.3 million dollars.
Such a high price for the current economic situation is due to the fact that the estate belonged to the family of Charles de Batz, who bore the surname d'Artagnan on the maternal side.
The estate is currently owned by British financier Robert Shetler-Jones. The land plot has an area of 14 hectares, on which there are forests, vineyards and steppe landscapes. Also on the territory of "Chateau d" Arricau-Bordes "has its own wine production, which delivers to the table of the owners of the estate up to 4.5 thousand bottles of wine per year.
Painting by Alfred Friedlander Royal Musketeers under Louis XIII
I must say that at first the Musketeers were not at all an elite. The company in its formation consisted of 100 rank-and-file musketeers, 1 captain, 2 lieutenants and 4 cornettes. Until 1629, the company was subordinate to the lieutenant commander of the light cavalry, then gained independence. Its first commander was Captain de Montale. From October 3, 1634, the king himself was considered the captain of the company, and its actual commander bore the rank of lieutenant-captain; this position was occupied by M. de Treville (Jean-Armand de Peyret, seigneur, from 1643 Comte de Troaville, otherwise de Treville).
Jean-Armand du Peyret, Comte de Treville
De Treville was a Gascon, with the result that a large part of the company soon consisted of the commander's fellow countrymen. A distinctive sign of the musketeers was a short azure cloak "a la Cossack" with silver braids and white crosses sewn onto it in front, behind and on the side blades; the cross, made of velvet, had golden royal lilies at the ends and scarlet shamrocks at the crosshairs. Musketeers relied on a gray horse (more precisely, white or gray in apples), which is why they received the nickname "gray musketeers". The equipment of the musketeer, in addition to a horse and a musket with a bipod, consisted of a sword, a broadsword (for equestrian combat), a pair of pistols, a dagger (a dagger for the left hand) and a buffalo skin sling with cartridges (natrusk) attached to it, a powder flask, a sack for bullets and wicks ; The "Musketeers of the King's House of War" were counted among the "guards outside the Louvre," that is, the external guard of the king; they were supposed to accompany the king in his exits and walks, riding on horseback two by two in front of the other guards; they also accompanied the king in the campaigns in which he took part.
Ernest Meissonier. A Game of Piquet. 1845
The "real" Athos in 1628 (the time of the action of "The Three Musketeers") was not even thirteen years old; Porthos was 11 years old, and Aramis was less than ten. But Dumas wanted to confront his heroes with Buckingham, and he changed the course of time.
Athos
His real name is Armand de Sillegue d'Atos d'Auteville. (1615-1643). Armand de Sillleg also served in the musketeer company. He was a poor Gascon nobleman who was the second cousin of Armand-Jean de Treville. Young Sillleg arrived in Paris in about 1638. In the musketeer company, however, he did not enter immediately, about three years later, in 1641. He did not wear the famous cloak for long. In 1643 Athos was killed in a duel near the market of Pré-au-Claire.
The estate with the castle de la Fer belonged to Queen Anne of Austria and played a rather important strategic role in France during the Religious Wars. The troops of Henry III recaptured this fortress from the Protestants several times. However, the genus de la Fer itself ceased to exist by the beginning of the 17th century. Among the holders of the Order of the Holy Spirit, established in 1580, one can find the surname de la Fer, but this worthy nobleman died almost thirty years before the birth of Athos.
Porthos
Isaac de Portau was born in 1617 into the family of a wealthy landowner. Porthos' grandfather, an inveterate Huguenot, was a cook at the court of Henry of Navarre during his stay in Bearn, according to other sources of information about him, Porthos grandfather was an ordinary arquebus, But the Musketeer's father was a notary and a successful landowner. Porthos is one of the few Musketeers who did not come from Gascony, but from the nearby Béarn. Isaac entered the musketeer company at about the same time as Armand de Sallegue. Who knows, perhaps Athos and Porthos were indeed close friends. However, under the leadership of Treville, Isaac also did not serve for long. The company itself was disbanded in 1646. Nevertheless, Porthos remained for some time in Paris. He retired in 1650, and went back to Bearn. There he was promoted to chief of the arsenal of the fortress of Navarran.
Isaac de Porto lived a long and, apparently, a happy life in his native Bearn. He died in 1712 at the age of 95. Preserved information that the prototype of Porthos left behind seven children. According to other sources, he was not married and died alone.
Aramis
Aramis, or rather Henri d'Aramitz (Henri d "Aramitz), was born in 1620. He belonged to the old Béarn family, which became famous during religious wars XVI century Aramis, like Athos, was a relative of de Treville (his cousin)! In 1641 he joined the Musketeer company, but ten years later he already lived in his native land with his wife, the former Mademoiselle de Bearn-Bonass, from whom he had three sons. He died in 1672, according to other sources in 1674. According to unconfirmed reports, he was a secular abbot for some time.
Gacienne de Sandre de Courtile, author of "Memoirs of M. d'Artagnan, Lieutenant Commander of the First Company of the Royal Musketeers," these were not three friends, but three brothers whom d "Artagnan meets at M. de Treville's house." names alien to our hearing struck us, and it immediately occurred to us that these were just pseudonyms under which d "Artagnan hid names, perhaps famous, unless the bearers of these nicknames chose them themselves on the day when, on a whim, out of frustration or out of poverty, they put on a simple musketeer's cloak ", - writes Dumas in the author's preface to" The Three Musketeers "
Watching the black musketeers in the Sablon Valley. Painting by Robert Paul Ponce Antoine, 1729
What did the heroes of Dumas get from them? Names only. But Dumas came, picked up names on the street - and created mythology out of nothing. Anticipating, let us note, not only and not so much adventure literature as comics (and especially Japanese "manga"), in which the properties of the heroes acquire the features of modern myth. I want to play the heroes of Dumas, despite the cruelty of Athos, the naivety of Porthos and the cunning of Aramis. They can, because they are gods, not people.
And here's something else interesting: as a result of this invention, this pseudo-historical manipulation, a very real historical France of the beginning of the 17th century comes to life with its events, people, customs, colors, even cuisine: a France that we would never know and love so much , being forced to read some archival documents and "Memoirs of Messire d'Artagnan" Curtil.
Monument to d "Artagnan in Paris
On a visit to the fairy tale
The beloved book of childhood comes to life and one can even hear the ringing of spurs D "Artagnan on the pavement
"... So, d" Artagnan entered Paris on foot, carrying his bundle under his arm, and wandered the streets until he managed to rent a room suitable for his meager means. This room was a kind of attic and was located on the street of the Gravediggers, near Luxembourg. "
Mogilshikov Street (now Servandoni Street)
Memorial plaque on the corner house of Bak Street and the embankment
“At this place stood the house in which the captain of the royal
Musketeers Mr. d "Artagnan"
Bak street, 1. Lieutenant-Commander d'Artagnan once lived here
In this photo, the plaque is visible in the lower right corner. And even more to the right, a few steps from the dwelling d "Artagnana, in houses 13-17 on Bak street, the barracks of the musketeers were located, where most of them received housing at the expense of the treasury. .). Alas, the barracks have not survived to this day, and the current houses No. 13, 15 and 17 do not differ in anything special except for their historical location.
"... Having made a deposit, d" Artagnan immediately moved to his room and spent the rest of the day doing work: he sewed his jacket and trousers with galloon, which his mother spattered from the almost completely new jacket of Mr. d "Artagnan the father and gave it to her son on the sly. he went to the quay of the Iron Scrap and let him attach a new blade to his sword. "
Iron Scrap Embankment (now Tannery)
"... After that he reached the Louvre and at the first musketeer he met inquired where the house of M. de Treville is. It turned out that this house is located on the street of Old Golubotny, that is, very close to the place where d'Artagnan settled, - a circumstance , interpreted by him as an omen of success. "
Rue de Vieux Dovecote
"... In addition to the morning reception at the king and the cardinal, more than two hundred such" morning receptions "took place in Paris, which enjoyed special attention. Among them, the morning reception at de Treville attracted the largest number of visitors. he was like a camp already from 6 am in the summer and from 8 in the winter.Fifty or sixty Musketeers, apparently taking turns from time to time so that their number always remained impressive, were constantly pacing the yard, armed to the teeth and ready for anything. "
De Treville could very well have had a house like this.
Monastery of the Carmelites Deschaux
Courtyard of the Desho Monastery, the site of the failed duel between Artagnan and Athos
Its name comes from the word "deshossos" - stripped of shoes, since the nuns took off their shoes at the entrance. From the "barren wastelands" only the monastery courtyard has survived, where, in fact, the duel was supposed to take place, which marked the beginning of the friendship of the four Musketeers. It is quite possible that the paving stones in the courtyard are still "the same", four centuries ago
"The young woman and her companion noticed that they were being watched, and quickened their pace. D" Artagnan almost ran ahead of them and then, turning back, collided with them at the moment when they passed the statue of the Samaritan woman, illuminated by a lantern that threw light all over this part of the bridge. "
Samaritan Tower with the Samaritan Woman. Fragment of a painting from the Carnavale Museum
New Bridge and Samaritan Department Store
“Athos lived on rue Ferou, a stone's throw from Luxembourg. He occupied two small rooms, neatly decorated, which were rented to him by the mistress of the house, not yet old and still very beautiful, who in vain turned her tender glances at him.
Rue Feroux towards Saint-Sulpice. Athos lived in one of the local courtyards.
Ferou street, view towards Luxembourg
"Porthos occupied a large and seemingly luxurious apartment on the street of Old Dovecote. Every time, passing with one of his friends past his windows, at one of which Mousqueton always stood in ceremonial livery, Porthos raised his head and, pointing upwards, said: "This is my abode." But it was never possible to find him at home, he never invited anyone to go upstairs with him, and no one could get an idea of what real riches lie behind this luxurious appearance. "
House for Porthos
When he reached the end of the lane, D "Artagnan turned left. The house where Aramis lived was located between Cassette Street and Servandoni Street.
Vaugirard, 25 - address of Aramis
not far from this house, at the intersection of Rue Vaugirard and Rennes, there is a hotel named after Aramis
Louvre nowadays
Model of the Bastille at the Carnavale Museum
Bastille ... Here it is, the fear of contemporaries, which the revolution of 1789 turned into a heap of stones. They then paved the Concorde Square: trample, trample on the hated remains ..
In the place where the Bastille stood
"The Red Duke"
The statue of Richelieu occupies an honorable place among 136 statues of French statesmen that adorn the Hotel de Ville
Monument to Alexander Dumas-father at the Malserbes metro
A. Maurois (Three Dumas) writes about the graphic artist, Gustave Doré, the author of the monument: “Gustave Doré was inspired by the dream of Dumas the father, once told to his son:“ I dreamed that I was standing on the top of a rocky mountain, and each stone reminds one of my books. " On top of a huge granite block - exactly the same as he saw in his dream, a bronze Dumas sits, smiling. At his feet was a group: a student, a worker, a young girl, forever frozen with books in their hands.
A monument was erected on Place Malesherbes, where the writer's last apartment was located, and now you can see it right from the exit of the metro station of the same name (M ° Malesherbes is the French name for those who want to find a station on the Paris metro plan).
"It's true, like fiction, and incredible, like life itself"
(Gascon proverb)
D'Artagnan in books, films and monuments
From the light pen of the classic of French literature Alexander Dumas D'Artagnan for three centuries remains one of the most famous heroes of books and films (all of them were shot in different countries no less than 35), a favorite character and role model for hundreds of millions of people around the world, primarily, of course, schoolchildren. But in fact, Dumas was not his first literary "father".
The very first three-volume "Memoirs of Mr. d'Artagnan" were published back in 1700 and in them, of course, the truth was also intricately intertwined with frank fantasy. Despite the name - "memoirs" - the musketeer himself could not write them due to illiteracy, the writer was the French writer Gacien de Courtille de Sandra. It was this book that fell into the hands of Dumas, who further "improved" the history of D'Artagnan already in his cycle of books about the Musketeers of the 17th century.
To make his books more vivid, Dumas included in the heroized biographies of d'Artagnan and his friends a number of semi-legendary plots of the 17th century that already existed, which in reality were not connected with him (the episode with the pendants of Anna of Austria, an attempt to save Charles I, the legend of the Iron Mask - allegedly brother of Louis XIV, etc.). Before his death, Dumas d'Artagnan receives the baton of Marshal of France, but in reality he only rose to the rank of "Field Marshal" (analogue of Major General). Since 1709, the Marshal was another d'Artagnan, a cousin of the prototype of our beloved hero on the mother's side.
In addition to Dumas, French poet Edmond Rostand, contemporary Russian writer Alexander Bushkov and other authors wrote their works about d'Artagnan. The musketeer, who actually died on the battlefields in 1673, continues to live a "virtual" life. Such glory to everyone!
His name was Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan (fr. Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, comte d "Artagnan). Born in 1613, near the castle of Castelmore, Gascony, France, died heroically on June 25, 1673, Maastricht, Netherlands World famous Gascon nobleman who made a brilliant career under Louis XIV in the company of the royal musketeers.
The prototype of the protagonist of the famous "Three Musketeers" was born in Gascony, in the family of the nobleman Bertrand de Butz Castelmoro. The boy was named Charles. Old Castelmoro had only one wealth - five sons, distinguished by courage and intelligence. Each of them went to Paris in due time to become the royal musketeer. In order to make their names sound more noble, at the court the young Castelmores were presented with the surname D'Artagnan - the name of one of the estates in Gascony. But the young Gascons had no rights to this surname.
Charles de Butz, the most younger son Castelmore, appeared in Paris in 1640. On the way to the capital, he went through many adventures - he was beaten several times, managed to sit in prison, in addition, all his money and belongings disappeared, including a letter of recommendation to the commander of the musketeer company, Mr. de Treville. Charles traveled to Paris on foot. In the city, he hoped to meet his older brothers, but it turned out that one of them had died, and the rest were in the war in Italy.
In one of the taverns, Charles met a young man named Isaac Porto (in The Three Musketeers he became Porthos). Charles introduced himself to him under the name D'Artagnan and told about his misadventures. Porto served in the company of the guards and also dreamed of becoming a royal musketeer. For this, he made acquaintances with the right people... So, his friends were de Treville's close relatives - the musketeers Anri Aramitz and Armand de Sillec d'Atos d'Autheville, who later went down in literary history as Aramis and Athos.
On the same day, Charles met both of these gentlemen, and unlike the book's twists and turns, the young people immediately, without any duels or squabbles, agreed to take part in the fate of the poor Gascon. The next day, Aramitz and d'Atos introduced young Charles to Monsieur de Treville. He would gladly take D'Artanyan into his company, because his brothers have very well established themselves in the service of the king. But the musketeers had to buy weapons, uniforms and a horse at their own expense, and Charles did not even have money for food. Therefore, de Treville sent him to the same company of Guards where Isaac Porto served.
If the beginning of Charles' life in Paris coincides with the adventures of the fictional D'Artagnan, then subsequent events looked very little like a fascinating novel. Becoming a Guardsman, Charles found himself not in the midst of royal intrigue, but at the forefront. He participated in many battles, besieged fortresses, visited many countries - and his loyal friend Porto was always nearby.
In 1643, Louis XIII died, and a new recruitment was made to the Musketeer Company. D'Artagnan was unlucky this time too, and Isaac Porto tried on a new uniform. It soon became clear that Cardinal Mazarin had not let Charles go to serve the king. D'Artanyan has shown himself to be a very clever and reliable person during his three years of service to the cardinal. And so Mazarin decided to bring him closer to him.
Many of the assignments that the young man carried out are still shrouded in mystery, only a few of them are known. Thus, Aramits and D'Artanyan secretly traveled to England with letters from the cardinal to the exiled royal family.
Shortly after this assignment, an assassination attempt was organized on Charles - seven hired assassins attacked him on a deserted street. D'Artanyan took the fight, killed one of the mercenaries, but bled to death himself. Fortunately, several Musketeers were passing by and rushed to defend Charles. Soon all the killers were dead, but D'Artagnan's close friend, Armand de Sillec d'Atos d'Ateville, was killed in this battle.
Arrival of d'Artagnan. Alex de andreis
Military service Charles continued, he participated in all the battles that fell to the lot of the French army. Among his colleagues, he turned into a legend - from the bloodiest battles he always came out completely unscathed, although he bravely threw himself into the thick of things.
Meanwhile, fate presented D'Artanyan with a gift - on November 1, 1644, he became the royal musketeer. But Cardinal Mazarin did not at all forget about his devoted servant. D'Artagnan remained the cardinal's courier and carried out his secret assignments. In addition, Charles reported to the cardinal about the attitude towards the cardinal among the people and in the army. That is why D'Artagnan did not suffer from Mazarin's decision to dissolve the royal musketeers, which he made in 1647. Charles remained in the service of the cardinal.
But soon the cardinal himself had to flee from France together with Anne of Austria and Louis XIV - the Fronde began in Paris. The carriage with the fugitives was accompanied by Charles D'Artagnan.
All the time the cardinal was in exile, Charles was his eyes and ears - he rode all over the country, collecting information for his master, secretly made his way to Paris. When the Fronde ended, the cardinal still had to leave France - The Royal Family decided to get rid of him. And Charles again followed him into exile.
The Gascon himself all this time remained as poor as in those days when he had just entered Paris. And at the same time Mazarin was ready to shower his faithful servant with gifts, jewelry and lands, but he himself lost almost everything.
Only in 1652, Louis XIV summoned Mazarin to him and the cardinal again received power and money. He gave D'Artanyan the rank of lieutenant and the position of "doorkeeper of the Tuileries" - the royal palace. It was a very profitable place, where they paid huge salaries, but there was practically nothing to do.
But D'Artanyan was not bored at all - he continued to carry out the most responsible and secret orders of Mazarin. So one day, disguised as a Jesuit priest, he went to England, where he scouted the plans of Oliver Cromwell. He completed this assignment so successfully that he soon became a "birdhouse caretaker" - another well-paid and dust-free position. D'Artanyan has done a lot of glorious deeds.
And when Louis XIV decided to restore the company of the Musketeers again, it was the brave Gascon who took the place of their commander. Charles was subordinate to 250 people, including the king himself. All 250 people had gray horses and gray suits, which is why they were called "gray musketeers". D'Artanyan himself finally became a rich man by the age of 37.
He lived in a luxurious house and received the title of count. At the same time, D'Artanyan did not at all curry favor with the cardinal and the king. Once Louis offered Charles the position of commandant of the Bastille, to which D'Artagnan replied: "I prefer to be the last soldier of France than its first jailer." But Charles was by no means the last soldier, but one of the very first - fearless and strong. And he died as a soldier - during the storming of the Dutch city of Maastricht in 1673.
D'Artagnan's life, richly sprinkled with various kinds of fantastic episodes, formed the basis of the three-volume Memoirs of Mr. d'Artagnan, published in 1700. In fact, this text (like a number of other pseudo-memoirs) was composed by the writer Gacien de Courtille de Sandra; d'Artanyan himself did not write anything and, in general, as his papers show, was illiterate.
In the 19th century, when Alexander Dumas, the father, created his cycle about the Musketeers on the basis of this book (The Three Musketeers (1844), Twenty Years Later, The Viscount de Bragelon), the fantastic nature of the "memoirs of d'Artagnan" was already good known. In order to make his books more believable, in the preface to The Three Musketeers, he added facts supposedly proving the reality of the "memoirs." Dumas included in the heroic biography of d'Artagnan a number of already existing semi-legendary plots of the 17th century, initially not connected with him (the episode with the pendants of Anna of Austria, the attempt to save Charles I, the legend of the Iron Mask - allegedly brother of Louis XIV, etc.). Also d'Artagnan Dumas, in the period between the events described in the second and third books of the trilogy, appears in the play "Youth of King Louis XIV".
Charles also had a famous cousin Pierre de Montesquiou, Comte d'Artagnan, later - Comte de Montesquiou (fr. Pierre de Montesquiou d "Artagnan, 1640 - August 12, 1725). Unlike Charles, he never became a marshal as in book of Dumas (he was a "field marshal", according to the modern rank - major general), who received this title.
A descendant of the famous French Montesquieu family, he was the fourth son of Henry I de Montesquieu, Monsieur d'Artagnan and his wife Jeanne, daughter of Jean de Gassion. He was the cousin of Charles de Baz de Castelmore, to whom he owes one of his titles - Count d'Artagnan - and who was the prototype for the hero Alexandre Dumas in the novels about the three Musketeers. Montesquieu served twenty-three years as a musketeer in the French Guards before becoming brigadier in 1688. He was then promoted to "Maréchal de camp" (Major General) in 1691 and Lieutenant General on January 3, 1696, before becoming Marshal of France on September 15, 1709, as a reward for outstanding command at the Battle of Malplac on September 11, in which he was wounded and three horses were killed under him.
Mikhail Boyarsky as D "Artanyan. Photo: boiarsky.narod.ru
On the novel by Alexandre Dumas "Three Musketeers" more than one generation has grown. While historians pointed out to the writer how many inaccuracies in the image D "Artanyana, the townsfolk followed with interest the adventures of the king's brave personal guard. So what is true and what is fiction? Who really was the Gascon, who became the prototype of the legendary image?
Despite the fact that many details of the story about D "Artagnan are invented, the creation of the image is based on the real life story of the Gascon, who was in the company of the royal musketeers. Charles Ogier de Baz de Castelmore was born ( full name D "Artagnana on his father's side) in 1613, Dumas moved the story 20 years ago in order to realize the idea of diamond pendants around which the entire action of the novel unfolds.
The surname D "Artagnan Charles Ogier went through his mother, Françoise de Montesquieu D" Artagnan, who came from the count's family de Montesquieu. After the death of his father, the Gascon got more than a modest fortune in three arquebusses, seven muskets and two swords. Among the bequests were also 6 pieces of bacon and 12 salted geese. In a word, the musketeer had nothing to start his journey with in Paris. It should also be remembered that Artanyan also inherited a bright red horse from his father. Father strictly ordered the horse to be protected, but the newly minted musketeer sold it for a very prosaic reason: the king's guards had only gray horses.
Book D "Artagnan, like his real prototype, had a servant, since it was simply impossible to do without an assistant in this branch of the troops. To control a musket, the length of which was often more than human height, was often simply impossible alone. The servant received a rich salary from D “Artagnana, he could easily afford it, since the lion's share of his income was his salary for the position of the Tuileries doorkeeper, and later - the caretaker of the royal poultry house. In both positions, D "Artagnan actually did practically nothing, but he received a stable salary of 2-3 thousand liras a year and lodged at the palace for free.
The finale of the career of both the book and the real D "Artagnan was brilliant: Dumas described a heroic death in battle in the rank of Marshal of France, but in reality Gascon died in the capture of Maastricht in the rank of field marshal. The news touched Louis XIV to the core, who admitted that France has lost a great warrior.
The heroes of the cult film about the adventures of the Musketeers are still popular. Continuing the theme -.
The fictional d'Artagnan immortalized the name of a real Gascon, in whose life there was no loss of his beloved Constance and the insidious Milady did not take revenge on him. Athos, Porthos and Aramis did not walk at his wedding, but the captain of the cardinal's guards was a witness. D'Artagnan married a rich widow, concluding a marriage contract with her, as befits a bourgeois.
Count Charles de Batz de Castelmore d'Artagnan (Charles de Batz-Castelmore, comte d'Artagnan) made history at least three times. First as a real Gascon nobleman, then in the memoirs of Courtil de Sandre written after his death and on his behalf, and finally, world fame was brought to him by the trilogy of Alexandre Dumas the father and its subsequent film adaptations. There is no need to retell the latter, but to remind about the real d ' Artanyan will have to briefly, because on the pages of history one can rarely find a biography of a “little man”.
The date of his birth is unknown. Some historians place this event in the period between 1611 and 1615, others refer to the years 1620-1623. When George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, took Queen Anne of Austria's diamond pendants to England, Charles de Baz - not yet d'Artagnan - fought as a teenager with his peers, not with the cardinal's guards. The young Gascon set off to conquer Paris no earlier than 1630, and two or three years later he became a musketeer. Joining the company of the Musketeers, Charles de Baz took the name of his mother.
The historian Jean-Christian Ptifis points out: “To be absolutely precise, one should not say d'Artagnan, but Artagnan, or Artaignan, or at least put some title in front of the surname : Chevalier or Monsieur d'Artagnan ”. The first document that mentions Charles d'Artagnan dates from March 10, 1633.
However, what did d'Artagnan do from that time (that is, from the moment he entered the company of the musketeers) and until 1646, we do not know anything. Thanks to the captain of the royal musketeers and his subordinates, Louis XIV received the city of Douai under his scepter in a few days, then Besançon and Dole during the War of Devolution, as well as during the Dutch war, the city of Maastricht (d'Aligny). It should be noted that Constance Bonacieux from “ The Three Musketeers ″ is not based on the real woman, but on the landlady of d'Artagnan on the rue Old Dovecote from the Memoirs of M. d'Artagnan, written by Courtil de Sandre.
His plot, unlike Dumas, is devoid of any romanticism and the slightest hint of tragedy. What happened looks more like a vaudeville. The former infantry lieutenant, with his frequent absences, gave his half time for love affairs, but once he found her in bed with her lover. When a jealous innkeeper, armed with a pistol and a dagger, burst into the bedroom, d'Artagnan, in one shirt, jumped out the window and landed on the grilled meat merchant's apprentices, who "took advantage of the beautiful moonlight to steal their meat."
Invented Curtil and "Milady", pursuing a frisky Gascon because he once, under cover of night, dared to impersonate her lover, the Marquis de Wardes. She does not have a lily stamp on her shoulder. Dumas and his co-author Auguste Macket made her branded a prostitute, drawing this detail from other, but also fictional "Memoirs of the Comte Rochefort" by the same Courtilles.
With her future wife, Anna-Charlotte-Cristina de Chanlesy, daughter of a rural nobleman from an ancient Charolese family. On the coat of arms of her father Charles Boyer de Chanlesy, Baron de Sainte-Croix, was depicted “against a gold background, an azure column, strewn with silver drops” and inscribed the Latin motto Virtus mihi numen et ensis (“my name and essence is virtue”).
In October 1642, Anna-Charlotte, who received the most primitive education, married the noble lord Jean-Leonor de Dame, Baron de La Clayette, Clessy, Benn and Tremont, whose family, one of the oldest in Burgundy, dates back to the 11th century. Soon he was drafted into the active army and the captain of the cavalry in the regiment of Yuksell died during the siege of Arras. They did not have children in marriage. Anne-Charlotte's father had died many years before and left her numerous estates in the provinces. “In addition, she had an IOU for 60 thousand livres, according to which the principal amount of the debt was to be paid in the form of rent appointed by the Duke d'Elbeuf and 18 thousand livres received from her uncle,” writes Ptifys. - To these riches should be added the beautiful furnishings of the castle, estimated at 6 thousand livres.
The youngest offspring of the Gascon family, who did not have a penny at heart, could hardly expect such a party! " From the description of the wealth, let's move on to the appearance of the widow, who turned out to be so supportive of the musketeer. A portrait of Countess d'Artagnan has survived: “She was young, but she already bore traces of inescapable sadness on her face. Her deep-set black eyes faded from tears, and an even matte pallor filled her face. At the same time, she was beautiful, but rather the beauty of grace than the beauty of form. "
The marriage contract between d'Artagnan and Anna-Charlotte was signed on March 5, 1659. According to it, the common ownership of the spouses of all income and jointly acquired real estate was established, which left the barony of Saint-Croix in full possession of the widow of Captain Dame. The prudent Ms D'Artagnan insisted on mentioning in an addendum to the contract that the joint marital economy should not be dependent on debts made before marriage. A small number of rather significant persons came to congratulate the newlyweds. And all from the side of the bride. Even the brothers Paul and Arnault and the uncle of Henri de Montesquieu, the king's lieutenant in Bayonne, did not come to congratulate d'Artagnan. As there was no inseparable trinity of Athos, Porthos and Aramis. At a church ceremony, held a month later in the church of Saint-Andre-des-Ar, there was only one witness - the captain of the Cardinal's guard and the commandant of the Bastille. Biography of the Gascon Jean-Christian Ptifis notes that love was out of the question: “Having become a widow, Madame de Chanlesy dreamed of leaving her remote province of Bres and re-settling“ in the world ”.
As for our musketeer, who could not continue his bachelor life indefinitely, he, in addition to his wealth, acquired a prosperous position in society. " The couple had two sons. The first was born in early 1660, possibly in Paris. The second was born in July 1661 in Chalon-na-Saone. It is not known for what reason, but the children of d'Artagnan were baptized only in 1674 after his death. The couple, apparently, often quarreled. The Baron's daughters were not comfortable with the vagrant life and legendary extravagance of the Gascon.
It is likely, as Courtille wrote, that the musketeer ran after other people's skirts. The biographer reports on the musketeer's family misadventures: “In all the documents preserved in the archives of that time, Madame d'Artagnan appears as a woman with a vengeful character, prone to litigation and always insisting on her rights. It can be understood that with such a spouse, d'Artanyan did not have to struggle with himself, choosing between his professional duties and home ”.
