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The Man in the Iron Mask (French: L'Homme au Masque de Fer; died 19 November 1703) was an unidentified prisoner of state during the reign of Louis XIV of France (1643–1715).

Warranted for arrest on 19 July 1669 under the name of "Eustache Dauger", he was apprehended near Calais on 28 July, incarcerated on 24 August, and held for 34 years in the custody of Bénigne Dauvergne de Saint-Mars in four successive French prisons, including the Bastille. Among the oldest theories is one proposed by French philosopher and writer Voltaire, who claimed in his Questions sur l'Encyclopédie (1771) that the prisoner was an older, illegitimate brother of Louis XIV. These documents show that the prisoner was labelled "only a valet" and that he was jailed for "what he was employed to do" before his arrest, and for "what he knew." Legend has it that no one ever saw his face, as it was hidden by a mask of black velvet cloth, later misreported by Voltaire as an iron mask. The earliest surviving records of the masked prisoner are from 19 July 1669, when Louis XIV's minister, the Marquis de Louvois, sent a letter to Bénigne Dauvergne de Saint-Mars, governor of the prison of Pignerol (which at the time was part of France). In his letter, Louvois informed Saint-Mars that a prisoner named "Eustache Dauger" was due to arrive in the next month or so. Dauger was arrested on 28 July by Captain Alexandre de Vauroy, garrison commander of Dunkerque, and a small escort of three soldiers, who took him to Pignerol, where he arrived on 24 August.

Giacomo Casanova, in his autobiographical work Histoire de ma vie, states that his French teacher and rival of Voltaire as a playwright, Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, who had known Louis XIV and who was Royal Censor under Louis XV, received from the Sun King the confidence that no Man in the Iron Mask had ever existed and that it was a legend.

According to Madry's theory, the man in the iron mask was a younger brother of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, and that this "second son" of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria was born in October or November 1643.

George Agar-Ellis reached the conclusion that Mattioli was the Man in the Iron Mask when he reviewed documents extracted from French archives in the 1820s.

In his letter to Saint-Mars announcing the imminent arrival of the prisoner who would become the Man in the Iron Mask, Louvois gave his name as "Eustache Dauger".

In addition to the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, several other archives host historical documents that were consulted by historians researching the enigma of the Man in the Iron Mask: the Archives of the Foreign Ministry (Archives des Affaires étrangères),

In addition to being the subject of scholarly research carried out by historians, the Man in the Iron Mask inspired literary works of fiction, many of which elaborate on the legend of the prisoner being a twin brother of Louis XIV, such as Alexandre Dumas's popular novel, Le Vicomte de Bragelonne (1850).

The Man in the Iron Mask : an historical play in five acts.

Soundtrack of the film The Man in the Iron Mask. "The Man in the Iron Mask" (Song), in The Secret of Association.

Several films have been made around the mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask, including: The Man in the Iron Mask is eventually revealed to be the real Jay Garrick of his universe, and a doppelganger of Henry Allen, father of Barry Allen/The Flash. In "What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?", the eighth episode of the second season (2023) of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series What If...?, the Man in the Iron Mask is a variant of Bruce Banner, who is freed by Captain Peggy Carter, breaking the iron mask after transforming into the Hulk.

Quick Facts

• In his letter to Saint-Mars announcing the imminent arrival of the prisoner who would become the Man in the Iron Mask, Louvois gave his name as "Eustache Dauger".
• According to Madry's theory, the man in the iron mask was a younger brother of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, and that this "second son" of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria was born in October or November 1643.
• Soundtrack of the film The Man in the Iron Mask.
• Among the oldest theories is one proposed by French philosopher and writer Voltaire, who claimed in his Questions sur l'Encyclopédie (1771) that the prisoner was an older, illegitimate brother of Louis XIV.
• Several films have been made around the mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask, including:

Source material: Wikipedia - "Man in the Iron Mask". Adapted and summarized for DiscoverScroll. Original contributors are credited through the linked Wikipedia article. Read original on Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes were made from the original.