The Vicomte of
Bragelonne: Ten Years Later was written by Alexendre Dumas in serial form and completed in 1850. This work
is the third and last d’
Artagnan romances and depicts the continuing adventures of the three musketeers. This work is not as well known or widely read as the first of the trilogy, “The Three Musketeers”. This serial is divided into three sections: “The Victomte de
Bragelonne”, “Louse de la Valliere” and the best known “Man in the Iron Mask”. The story takes place during the 1660’s, when Louis XIV is the king of France. Louis is a young man and essentially unable to rule the country. Instead, the country is ruled by the king’s mother, advisers and ministers.
D’Artagnan remains the hero but at the start of the story but he is no longer in the service of the king of France as the captain of the musketeers. He resigned from the musketeers and has moved on to private life in England, where he is trying to make his fortune. The first section introduces Raoul, the son of Athos, one of the original three musketeers. Raoul is also known as the Vicomte (loosely translated as nobleman) of Bragelonne. This story chronicles the adventures of the Raoul, Athos and d’Artagnan as they try to restore Charles back to the throne of England. At the end of the story, d’Artagnan rejoins the musketeers as their captain.
The second story, “Louise de la Valliere” is less of an adventure novel and more of a soap opera. It deals primarily with the social and romantic aspects of the royal family and their court. It details the circumstances around the rise to power of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who eventually ascends to a high administrative post in the government of France.
The third and best known story, “Man in the Iron Mask”, details the events surrounding an imprisoned man doomed to live the remainder of his life with his face covered by a mask. Aramis and Porthos, two of the original musketeers believe that the imprisoned man is in reality the heir to the throne of France. They attempt to free him and restore him to his rightful place. As Captain of the musketeers, D’Artagnan is forced to arrest his former comrades and friends. He does all in his power to allow them to escape, however in the escape attempt Porthos is killed and Aramis escapes. Athos, learning of his son’s death during battle, succumbs to grief and dies an old and feeble man.
Several years later after the deaths of Porthos and Athos, D’Artagnan is leading a French army in battle and was finally promoted to the Marshal of France, an honor he desired all his life. Shortly afterward, he dies from wounds received in battle.
Aramis surfaces several years later and serves with the Spanish government. He becomes the only surviving member of the original musketeers. While this story is not as widely read as the popular “Three Musketeers”, it has been depicted in several movies, television shows and cartoons. The latest version of the story in 1998 starred Leonardo DeCaprio as King Louis.
Mark Askeda