MUSKETEERS Exhibition www.musee-armee.fr - - from 2 April to 14 July 2014 Open everyday - from 10 a.m. to 18 p.m. Hôtel des Invalides, Closed on 1st May 129 rue de Grenelle, 6 boulevard des Invalides (disabled access) Paris 7 THE MIRACLE CHILD, INTRODUCTION 1 CREATOR OF A WORK OF ART Thanks to The Three Musketeers and to the On Thursday, 14th March 1844, the readers of Alexandre Dumas’ heroes become extraor- the Siècle found a new serial, signed Alexandre dinarily well-known everywhere through the Dumas, on the first page of their newspaper. illustrated book, advertising, the toys industry The author of The Three Musketeers, who above and, above all, the cinema, we think we know all saw himself as a playwright, only hesitantly everything about the musketeers, whose blue took up writing the serial novel; a type whose tabards, fighting spirit or exploits have acquired publication style entailed strict cut-off points a worldwide reputation. Nevertheless, these and lots of action every day. When preparing fighters left very few material traces that the his popularised history work Louis XIV and his novelist’s work and the legend he built up Century (Louis XIV et son siècle), Dumas became around them have paradoxically concealed familiar with the news columns of the time, such from us. as those of La Rochefoucauld or Loménie de This exhibition is dedicated to the «real» Brienne, who contributes the plot about the musketeers, to those young men who took part ferrets, but also the Mr d’Artagnan’s Memoirs both in the pomp of the court and the extre- (Memoires of Mr d’Artagnan) by Gatien Courtilz mely violent wars of the 17th century, but our de Sandras, of doubtful authenticity, who gave study of Dumas’ work with a historian’s eye will him the character of d’Artagnan, those of his not stop at the figures of d’Artagnan and his three musketeer companions and the figure companions-at-arms: even if he intentionally of Milady. The exclusive literary collabora- changed the chronology, romanticised the tion between Alexandre Dumas and Auguste episodes chosen as a plot and setting for these Maquet took off from The Three Musketeers. On narratives, the novelist, more than any other, the basis of the «bunch of plans» composed understood and reproduced the spirit of the 17th together, Auguste Maquet put together an century, allowing us to enter Richelieu’s study, initial version of the plot, with a draft of the dia- the strongholds of the siege of La Rochelle, logues, which Dumas rewrote before delivering Fouquet’s residences or the cell of the Man in it to the newspaper. the Iron Mask. It is he who will guide your visit through history and fiction, the first, as you will discover, will Illu. Intro: Capture of Ghent, from 5 to 12 March 1678, by Joseph not produce any less surprises than the second. Parrocel – © Paris – Musée de l’Armée, Pascal Segrette Portrait of Alexandre Dumas by Nadar – © BnF THE REAL 2MUSKETEERS 3 LOUIS XIII In 1622, Louis XIII, at that time at war against Alexandre Dumas was cruel with Louis XIII, the Protestants, detached the 50 soldiers portraying him as a colourless monarch, armed with carbines from the companies of his a rather ridiculous puppet in the hands of guard’s light-horse cavalry to form an inde- Cardinal de Richelieu. The novelist concealed pendent unit. These soldiers were armed with the difficulties that the young monarch, who a musket, a heavy weapon that could only be was only 23 years of age in 1625 when The used on foot, but they were still cavalry who Three Musketeers began, was compelled to moved around on horseback. Called the king’s overcome in order to impose his authority on a musketeers, they were given the famous blue rebellious aristocracy and even on his mother, tabard decorated with the cross and fleur de Marie de Médicis, whose troops he defeated Lys, the symbol showing that they belonged to at Ponts-de-Cé five years previously. From the monarch’s Household. Furthermore, the his childhood, Louis XIII’s enthusiasm for all king remained their captain; the company was things military, the extraordinary collection of commanded by a captain-lieutenant chosen firearms and the harquebuse masterpieces in for his loyalty. He recruited very young men his armoury, inherited by the musée de l’Armée, from among his family or those of friends (often are an illustration of his genuinely «warrior king» they were only 15 or 16 years’ old) who had the character, who spent more time in bivouacs and privilege of starting their military career in this camps than in his palaces. prestigious corps. The character of the musketeer mounted foot- soldiers made very varied missions a possibility: escorting the royal retinue, policing operations and maintaining order but, above all, they were in the first line of the royal troops when it meant relieving a town under siege. Handling Harquebuses, Muskets and Pikes […], by Jacob de Gheyn Wheelock pistol with triple barrel, in wood, metal © Paris – Musée de l’Armée, Christian Moutarde an ivory © Paris – Musée de l’Armée INTRIGUES IN THE FRENCH «THE MAN IN RED», 4COURT 5 RICHELIEU A Queen of France who unwisely offers her Richelieu, so concerned about his fame, could jewels to her luxury-loving English suitor, an not foresee that a little more than 200 years all-powerful minister who in this way sees an after his death, thanks to Alexandre Dumas and excellent way of destroying her reputation in The Three Musketeers, he would become a cha- the eyes of her husband, the king, a clever spy racter in a novel with worldwide success. Dumas who succeeded in stealing two of these jewels often told about a black legend concocted in to humiliate the Queen, an adventurer who the 17th century by the opponents or the victims goes off to England and at all speed brings the of the cardinal’s politics and willingly recounted jewels back to France to avoid dishonouring his by romantic writers, who made him into a monarch. Everyone knows the main plot in The «diabolical» and «implacable» minister-prelate, Three Musketeers, wrongly believed to be the not hesitating to use any means to achieve his fruit of Alexandre Dumas’s unbridled imagi- designs. However, contrary to the cardinal- nation. In fact, the novelist never changed any vampire that the cinema was often happy to details of this episode included in the Memoirs of show, the novelist also portrayed Richelieu as François de la Rochefoucauld. What is less known a minister instilled with the well-being of the is that this romantic story hides an internatio- state, capable of generosity and forgiveness nal espionage case in which the great painter toward those adversaries whose worth he was Rubens was closely involved and whose works, capable of appreciating. Dumas, in The Vicomte collected here, and are the only evidence today. of Bragelonne, even had Anne of Austria pay the best tribute that any of his enemies could give him, when she talked about the cardinal who never said «I will do» but «I have done». Entry of the King and Richelieu into La Rochelle Portrait of Anne of Austria, by Pierre Paul Rubens after the town had surrendered, by Maurice Leloir © Musée du Louvre, Jean-Gilles Berizzi © Paris – Musée de l’Armée THE CORPS OF MUSKETEERS, FROM THE ILE DE RÉ THE GENTLEMEN’S 6 TO LA ROCHELLE 7 ACADEMY Peculiar soldiers who seem to avoid military disci- As no real officers’ school existed at the time, pline, Dumas’ musketeers showed up to fight when the companies of musketeers took in young La Rochelle was under siege. Despite its political noblemen to give them combat training and an importance, this was only one of the very many introduction to military discipline as well as all military events during the very troubled reign of the violence in combat. Learning to obey and Louis XIII. From 1621 onwards, the Protestants in to command, trained in riding, fencing, and also Poitou, Brittany and Anjou rose up against the royal dancing, sometimes letters and mathematics, authority. The Duke of Buckingham supported the young musketeers, after a few years, were their insurrection, and who landed on the Île de Ré in a position to apply to join the royal army; with his troops on 12th July 1627, but failed to take nevertheless provided that they survived the the fort of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, defended by the particularly dangerous missions entrusted to Compte de Toiras. In August 1627, the royal army, their unit in wartime. Moreover, so that this pool commanded by Richelieu and Louis XIII in person, of young officers could be spared and that the laid siege to La Rochelle, which had rallied to the army would not be short of senior officers in the English; a siege which lasted for 14 months. Des- future, the mounted grenadiers from the King’s pite the many attempts made, the English fleet did Household took over from the musketeers in not manage to provide the town with supplies or to 1676 and, like them, were in the front line during lift the blockade. On 1st November 1628 Louis XIII sieges. entered the town. A pair of damascened 5-point angled spurs. Richelieu on the La Rochelle sea wall, by Henri-Paul Motte First half of the 17th century - © la Rochelle, Musées d’Art et d’Histoire © Paris – Musée de l’Armée CAPE AND FROM THE NOVEL 8SWORD 9 TO THE THEATRE The costumes in the Louis XIII style and the Even more than the novel, it was the perfor- figures of swashbuckling gentlemen were still ming arts, nowadays the cinema, from which to be seen in French paintings particularly in Alexandre Dumas’ hero derived his worldwide the form of the «Spanish-style» whims, very fortune.