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Skeleton of Three Musketeers hero d’Artagnan may have been found
Archaeologists believe remains found in Maastricht, Netherlands, may be of soldier who inspired novel character
TL;DR
- A skeleton was found under a collapsed floor during repairs at the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Maastricht, Netherlands.
- Archaeologists, led by Wim Dijkman, suspect the remains could belong to the real-life d'Artagnan, whose exploits inspired Alexandre Dumas' novel 'The Three Musketeers'.
- The real d'Artagnan was a spy and musketeer for King Louis XIV who died in Maastricht in 1673.
- Evidence supporting the identification includes burial in consecrated ground under the altar, a period French coin, and a musket ball found at chest level, consistent with historical records.
- The skeleton has been moved for analysis, with DNA testing being conducted in Munich to compare with samples from d'Artagnan's paternal descendants.
- D'Artagnan gained posthumous fame after Dumas' novel was published in 1844, itself inspired by earlier accounts of the musketeer.