Search for the Man in the Iron Mask

This book pursues an enduring puzzle that has stumped historians for centuries and seduced novelists and filmmakers down to this day. Who was the man who wore an iron mask and was kept in prison for years during the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV? Paul Sonnino brilliantly traces his decade-long quest to solve the mystery. He takes readers into the heart of the tiny nucleus of people who knew about Cardinal Mazarin's massive wealth, corruption, and collections. This tiny group included servants who carried out orders that enable their masters to appear innocent and legitimate. Kings, queens, cardinals, ministers, valets, shady merchants, art collectors, bankers, princesses, jailors and judges all play their part-as one Eustache Dauger was masked and jailed for decades, simply because he knew too much and had some unsavory acquaintances. Using the Man in the Iron Mask as the thread, Sonnino weaves a fascinating tapestry of the world of the French court in the seventeenth century. Personalities, diplomatic intrigue, art collections, and a court trial that became an "affaire" are all tied together in this engaging and important work.