Charles de Batz de Castelmore d'Artagnan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles de Batz de Castelmore d'Artagnan
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Illustration from Courtilz de Sandras' novel Les mémoires de M. d'Artagnan.
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| Born | c. 1611 Lupiac, Kingdom of France |
| Died | 25 June 1673 (aged 61–62) Maastricht, Dutch Republic |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of France |
| Service/ |
French Army |
| Years of service | 1632–1673 |
| Rank | Capitaine |
| Unit | Gardes Françaises |
| Commands held | Musketeers of the Guard Governor of Lille |
| Battles/wars | Fronde Franco-Dutch War |
Charles de Batz de Castelmore (born around 1611 – died June 25, 1673) was a real French soldier. He was known as d'Artagnan and later as Count d'Artagnan. He served King Louis XIV as a captain of the Musketeers of the Guard. He died in battle during the Siege of Maastricht in 1673.
A book about his life by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras inspired the famous "d'Artagnan Romances" by Alexandre Dumas. The most famous of these books is The Three Musketeers (1844). The d'Artagnan from Dumas's stories and movies is much more famous today than the real person.
Contents
Early Life of D'Artagnan
D'Artagnan was born at the Château de Castelmore in a place called Lupiac in southwestern France. His family had recently become nobles.
In the 1630s, Charles de Batz moved to Paris. He started using his mother's family name, d'Artagnan. He managed to join the Musketeers in 1632. This was likely with help from his uncle or a family friend, Monsieur de Tréville.
D'Artagnan joined the guards in the mid-1630s. His regiment fought in many battles and sieges between 1640 and 1642. It's very likely he was part of some of these fights. While serving as a Musketeer, d'Artagnan became a trusted helper for Cardinal Mazarin. Mazarin was a very powerful minister in France. In 1646, the Musketeers company was closed down, but d'Artagnan continued to work for Mazarin.
D'Artagnan's Military Career
After 1643, d'Artagnan became a secret agent for Cardinal Mazarin. He was very loyal during a time of civil unrest in France called the Fronde. Because of his faithful service, King Louis XIV trusted him with many important and secret missions. He even followed Mazarin when the minister had to leave France for a short time in 1651.
In 1652, d'Artagnan was promoted to lieutenant in the French Guards. He fought in battles and sieges, becoming a captain in 1655. In 1658, he got an even bigger promotion. He became a second lieutenant in the Musketeers, which had been started up again. Being a Musketeer was much more important than being in the French Guards.
Arresting Nicolas Fouquet
D'Artagnan became famous for arresting Nicolas Fouquet. Fouquet was in charge of the king's money and wanted to become the king's main advisor. Fouquet also loved building grand homes. He hired the best builders for his amazing Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte.
On August 17, 1661, Fouquet held a huge party to celebrate his new home. The king felt that Fouquet's party was too grand. He suspected Fouquet was stealing from the royal treasury. Three weeks later, King Louis XIV ordered d'Artagnan to arrest Fouquet. To make sure Fouquet couldn't escape by bribing anyone, d'Artagnan guarded him for four years. Fouquet was eventually sentenced to life in prison.
Later Service and Death
In 1667, d'Artagnan was promoted again. He became the captain-lieutenant of the Musketeers. This meant he was the real leader of the Musketeers, as the king was only the official captain. His uniform was easy to spot, with striking burgundy, white, and black colors.
D'Artagnan was also made governor of Lille, a city France had won in battle. But he wasn't a very popular governor and wanted to return to fighting. He got his wish when King Louis XIV went to war with the Dutch Republic. D'Artagnan was called back to service. He was killed in battle on June 25, 1673. A musket ball hit him in the throat during the Siege of Maastricht.
Some historians believe he was buried in a church in Wolder, a part of Maastricht. However, other experts say there is no proof of this.
Family Life
On March 5, 1659, d'Artagnan married Anne-Charlotte Boyer de Chanlecy. She was a widow and came from a noble family. The couple soon separated. D'Artagnan continued his military career, while his wife lived on her own lands until she died in 1683.
They had two sons, both of whom became soldiers:
- Louis de Batz de Castelmore (the elder), born in 1660. He took the title of count d’Artagnan and died in 1709.
- Louis de Batz de Castelmore (the younger), born in 1661. He also became a count and a high-ranking military officer. He had two sons.
One of his descendants, Maurice Cahn, was allowed to change his name to "Bats" in 1969. This was to honor his famous ancestor, d'Artagnan.
D'Artagnan in Fiction
The real d'Artagnan's life was used as the basis for a novel by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras. Later, Alexandre Dumas used Sandras's novel as his main source for his "d'Artagnan Romances." These books include The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne. They tell the story of d'Artagnan from his early days to his death.
Dumas knew that Sandras's book was mostly made up. But in his own book, he pretended to believe the stories were real. This made his novel more exciting.
Dumas's Character
In Dumas's books, d'Artagnan starts as a hot-headed young man. He tries to fight the Comte de Rochefort and the three Musketeers: Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. But he quickly becomes friends with them. Together, they have many adventures and often go against Cardinal Richelieu, the king's chief minister. In the end, Richelieu is impressed by d'Artagnan and makes him a lieutenant of the Musketeers. This starts his long military career.
D'Artagnan becomes a leader among the Musketeers. His skills and intelligence impress them greatly. But because he is young, they also see him as someone to protect. Athos, especially, sees him almost like a son. In the books, d'Artagnan's death at the Siege of Maastricht is very sad. He is killed just as he is reading the news of his promotion to the highest military rank.
Some experts think that parts of d'Artagnan's character come from Dumas's own father, General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas. For example, the scene where d'Artagnan challenges the three Musketeers to duels might be based on a real event from General Dumas's youth.
D'Artagnan in Other Stories
D'Artagnan is a very popular character and appears in many other books, plays, and games:
- In the play Cyrano de Bergerac (1897), d'Artagnan congratulates Cyrano on his sword fighting.
- In the novel Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson, a character tells a story about d'Artagnan's death.
- The musician Citizen Cope has a song called "d'Artagnan's Theme."
- In the game Pokémon Black and White, a Pokémon named Keldeo is inspired by d'Artagnan.
- In the video game Metro: Last Light, a character calls the hero "D'Artagnan."
- Xavier University's sports teams are called the Musketeers, and their mascot is named D'Artagnan.
- In the Netflix show Stranger Things, a creature is named d'Artagnan by one of the characters.
- In the TV show Star Trek: The Original Series, a character is called "d'Artagnan" after using a fencing sword.
D'Artagnan in Movies and TV Shows
Many actors have played d'Artagnan on screen:
- Douglas Fairbanks in The Three Musketeers (1921)
- Gene Kelly in The Three Musketeers (1948)
- Michael York in The Three Musketeers (1973) and its sequels.
- Mikhail Boyarsky in d'Artagnan and Three Musketeers (1978) and its sequels.
- Chris O'Donnell in The Three Musketeers (1993)
- Gabriel Byrne in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
- Logan Lerman in The Three Musketeers (2011)
- Luke Pasqualino in The Musketeers (TV series) (2014–2016)
- François Civil in The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan (2023) and The Three Musketeers: Milady (2024).
See also
In Spanish: Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan para niños
