So, has the case of “The Man in the Iron Mask” been solved at last? The 1998 film suggested that, in accordance with Voltaire’s theory (via Dumas), he was Louis XIV‘s unknown elder twin, imprisoned since birth – in the same way that James II had a twin, Alexander, who died after a few hours. The drama Versailles preferred the prisoner of Pignerol to be Louis XIII, although he had expired in front of several witnesses.
Harry Thompson concluded that the prisoner was simply a valet named Eustache Dauger de Cavoye and the mask, more probably of velvet, didn’t hide his identity but created an air of mystery to make his jailer (Saint-Mars) look important. Here, Josephine Wilkinson explains that he was simply Eustache, arrested near Dunkirk and possibly connected to Charles II, who was secretly negotiating with the Sun King, their siblings being married to each other.
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