a
From 1310 to 1832, public executions were held in
this square, where in 1792 the guillotine replaced the gallows.
Today the square is called La Place de l’Hôtel de Ville.
b
In The Three Musketeers, the Duchesse de
Chevreuse, then Aramis’s lover, used this pseudonym when
communicating with him by letter.
c
Anne of Austria (1601-1666), a descendant of the
Habsburgs of Austria and Spain, became queen of France upon her
marriage to Louis XIII (1601-1643). After the King’s death, their
son ascended to the throne, and Anne became the regent and
queen-mother. In their youth, she and the Duchesse de Chevreuse
were great friends.
d
Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), later Saint Ignatius
of Loyola, was founder and first general of the Society of Jesus
(the Jesuits). Aramis, known as the Abbé d’Herblay and already the
bishop of Vannes, became the general of the Jesuits shortly before
the story begins here.
e
In seventeenth-century France, French princes and
lords frequently reminded Cardinal Mazarin of his humble Italian
ancestry by using this Italian version of his name.
f
Armand-Jean du Plessis, duc and cardinal de
Richelieu (1585-1642), was chief minister to Louis XIII (1601-1643)
and appears as a character in The Three Musketeers.
g
In The Three Musketeers, the Queen gives
her jewels to the Duke of Buckingham as a token of her affection.
In order to avoid angering Louis XIII, and thus save the Queen from
disgrace, d’Artagnan and his friends retrieve the jewels.
h
Though a favorite of Louis XIII, Henri Coiffier de
Ruzé, marquis de Cinq-Mars ( 1620-1642) , was executed for plotting
the assassination of Cardinal Richelieu with the King’s brother,
Gaston, duc d’Orléans (1608-1660), and other nobles.
i
Honorific title given to the younger brother of
the king; his wife, the king’s sister-in-law, is referred to as
Madame. Louis XIV’s real-life brother was Philippe I de France, duc
d‘Orléans (1640-1701); his wife was Henriette d’Angleterre
(1644-1670) .
j
Anne of Austria (1601-1666), the queen-mother,
speaks pure Castilian Spanish because she is the daughter of King
Philip III of Spain.
k
Honorific title of the prince who is the heir
apparent to the French crown.
l
Louis Charles d‘Albert, duc de Luynes (1620-1690)
is the Duchesse de Chevreuse’s son. She married the first duc de
Luynes, then after his death married Claude de Lorraine, duc de
Chevreuse. In her interview with Aramis, the Duchesse is attempting
to increase the value of the estate she will leave her son,
Louis-Charles.
m
Anne-Constance Aure de Montalais and Louise were
childhood friends whose families were attached to the household of
the King’s uncle, Gaston d’Orléans. Montalais helped Louise become
a lady-in-waiting to Madame.
n
Armand de Gramont, comte de Guiche (1638-1673), is
a friend and comrade-in-arms of Raoul de Bragelonne. He becomes
smitten by the verve and beauty of Henriette d’Angleterre.
o
Charles II ( 1630-1685) , king of England and
Henriette’s brother, had recently been restored to his throne. He
keeps Raoul in England at Louis XIV’s behest.
p
Amadis, hero of the 1508 romance Amadis de
Gaula, by Spanish novelist Rodriguez de Montalvo, is a courtly
knight who by virtue and constancy wins the woman he loves.
q
Like his master Porthos, who is now a baron,
Mouston has moved up in the world. Once a mere valet, he has become
head of Porthos’s household and changed his name from Mousqueton
(which means blunderbuss) to the finer-sounding Mouston.
r
Les Frères Minimes (the Minim Friars), a religious
order founded by Saint Francis of Paola (1416-1507); it grew
rapidly during the sixteenth century in France and Italy and began
occupying this site in Vincennes in 1585.
s
Comte de Saint-Aignan acts as Louis’s Mercury, or
messenger god, carrying letters between the King and Louise de La
Vallière.
t
Styx, which means “hateful,” is one of the rivers
of the underworld in Greek mythology; crossing it symbolizes dying
and falling into Hades (hell).
u
Patron saint of France; the basilica built on the
site of his tomb is the traditional burial site for French kings
and their relatives, including Catherine de Médicis. The basilica
is located in Saint Denis, a town on the outskirts of Paris.
v
Alas! Poor soul! (Latin)
w
Old units of French currency whose value varied in
different eras.
x
These rhyming pairs (in English, “vegetable ...
posthumous” and “rut ... light”) combine common and elegant words;
in the seventeenth century this would be seen as both comic and
unacceptable for serious poetry.
y
This is a partial list of D’Artagnan’s exploits as
a Musketeer, including his unusual kidnapping of General Monk (see
endnote 12) and his devoted service to Anne of Austria (see
footnote on p. 11).
z
In 1641 Fouquet purchased this property located 55
kilometers from Paris (about thirty minutes by train today); by
1661 he had transformed it into the most beautiful castle of the
period.
aa
Thomas, Cardinal Wolsey (c.1475-1530), minister to
the English king Henry VIII, constructed Hampton Court, a beautiful
Tudor palace, but wisely gave it to the King.
ab
Joseph-Marie Terray (1715-1788), an abbé who
served as finance minister under Louis XV, attempted to stem the
tide of deficit spending.
ac
Concino Concini, maréchal d‘Ancre (d. 1617), was a
powerful figure at court but was detested by the nobility and the
people. He exercised considerable influence over Marie de Médicis,
mother of Louis XIII. The King, in concert with Charles d’Albert,
duc de Luynes, had him murdered.
ad
Conflicting legends portray Minos as the cruel
ruler of ancient Crete who fed Athenian youths to the Minotaur (a
monster that was part human, part bull) or as a gentle ruler who
provided legislation that inspired Lycurgus, the legendary
law-giver of Sparta.
ae
Enguerrand de Marigny (1260-1315), the finance
minister for Philip IV of France (1268-1314), grew rich in his
post. When Louis X (1289-1316) took the throne, Marigny was
hanged.
af
Jean-Francois-Pierre de Gondi, cardinal de Retz
(1613-1679), and Pierre Broussel (c.1575-1654), a leader of the
Parlement de Paris, were both imprisoned for their active
participation in the Fronde (see endnote 4).
ag
Philippe, Louis XIV’s twin brother, here regards
his family with compassion. Note that Dumas gives the King’s
brother the same first name as Louis XIV’s real younger
brother.
ah
Coin first issued under France’s Capetian kings;
its commercial value was almost nil, rather like today’s American
penny.
ai
Younger son of a monarch in either Spain or
Portugal; on his mother’s side, the Man in the Iron Mask is also a
royal prince of Spain, though he’s not heir to that throne.
aj
Another name for the prince de Condé, the King’s
cousin; the historic person referred to here is Louis II de Bourbon
(1621-1686), fourth prince of Condé, also known as the Duc
d‘Enghien. He participated in the Fronde des Princes after having
put down the Fronde parlementaire. Raoul de Bragelonne served in
his armies. There may be some confusion in these passages as
François de Vendôme, duc de Beaufort (1616-1669), is himself a
prince descended from Gabrielle d’Estrées (1573-1599), mistress of
Henri IV (1553-1610).
ak
Lady-in-waiting to Madame, like Louise de la
Vallière and Mademoiselle de Montalais.
al
About 76.5 feet; the toise is a measure of length
(6.39 feet) used before France adopted the metric system.
am
Jean d’Estrées (1624-1707), maréchal de France and
a cousin of François de Vendôme, duc de Beaufort (1616-1669), was
vice-admiral of the flotilla of ships sent to North Africa.
an
In French, voler la pie, which
literally means “to hook (or to lift) the magpie”; in other words,
the hunt involved falcons or other trained birds of prey. In the
seventeenth century, this and other types of hunting were the
exclusive purview of the aristocracy. Dumas himself was an avid
hunter.
ao
That is, King Charles II of England (1630-1685);
see footnote on p. 105.
ap
Frères germains, in legal terms, means
descended from the same parents. King Louis XIV is reminding Madame
of their close family ties, as both are grand-children of Henri IV
(1553-1610).
aq
The confederation of Protestant provinces,
formed on January 23, 1579, organized themselves under the Union of
Utrecht in direct response to the threat from the Catholic
provinces of what is today Belgium. Thus the Netherlands was formed
during the religious wars pitting Protestants against
Catholics.
ar
Large warships that carry 78 cannons.
as
Friesland, a province in northern Holland that
includes several West Frisian Islands on the North Sea.