RMC – Iron Mask: The Sun King’s Secret Prisoner (2021)
English | Documentary | Size: 1.22 GB
The Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned for 34 years!
Who was ‘The Man in the Iron Mask’? It is undoubtedly the oldest French state secret. A secret so well kept that it remains an unsolved enigma of history to this day. 350 years after the events, the Man in the Iron Mask continues to be the subject of the wildest speculations. Who was he? Why would anyone want to hide his identity at all costs? What was his secret?
Louvois, minister of Louis XIV, sends him in July 1669 to the Prison of Pignerol, a small French locality in Northern Italy. The masked man joins two infamous courtiers: Nicolas Fouquet and the Comte de Lauzun. But what crime could this subject of Louis XIV have committed to remain alive yet imprisoned until 1703? To this day, our questions outnumber our answers.
Twin brother to the Sun King? Cromwell’s son? The queen’s lover? Eustache Danger? No less than 50 suggestions exist concerning the identity of the prisoner hidden behind this notorious mask. Thanks to recent discoveries in the national archives, we intend to reopen the most famous investigation in French history. The very one to which Napoleon, as well as Pagnol, Voltaire, Dumas, and Hugo, were never able to obtain answers. Thanks to recently unearthed archives and the work of historians, the filmmakers of this original documentary take you to the heart of power and reveal a state secret orchestrated by one of France’s greatest kings, the Sun King.
During his reign, a man, his face covered by a steel mask, was imprisoned for life in the royal prisons. He is one of the most famous prisoners in the world, and his story is captivating. Experts agree on one name: Eustache Daugers. But who is this man really? A mere valet? A half-brother of Louis XIV? And what if this man’s identity called into question the monarchy, the history of a king, and his legitimacy to rule? The history of France and Europe may never be the same.
In the style of a police investigation, we’ll gather different leads that we will scrutinize to explain the best-kept secret in the history of France. Like a detective story, our protagonists (historians, researchers, anthropologists, etc.) will lead us down various paths, which we will examine in order to offer an explanation for the best-kept mystery in French history.
In this episode of Secrets d’Histoire, take part in an extraordinary investigation. Follow Stéphane Bern from Pignerol to the Île Sainte-Marguerite and through the terrifying Bastille prison. The mysteries of the Man in the Iron Mask will be unveiled to you.
A Film Written & Directed by Antoine Dreyfus and Jean-Christophe de Revière ; Produced by 13 Productions with the RMC Story, Histoire TV, RTBF and CNC
Narrator: Ken Starcevic
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