"The Three Musketeers": A Historical View

Essay by utunesHigh School, 10th gradeA+, September 2006

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In the novel "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas, King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu are in authority in France, each struggling to gain absolute power. As a result conflicts emerge that will lead to the progress of France. France was constantly in external conflicts with England and in internal conflicts with the Huguenots that provoked war against the Catholics and even the King, but never against the Cardinal (Dumas, 1). Queen Anne's romance to the Duke of Buckingham, who at the time was an enemy of France, was not unknown to the Cardinal, like nothing else that escaped him from knowing it. The story's protagonist, D'Artagnan faces the most dangerous spy of the Cardinal, Lady de Winter. This lady is the one entrusted with the task of assassinating the Duke of Buckingham. This novel is regarded as fictional and the events may not be as accurate as the actual ones.

On the contrary there is much historicity behind it. There really lived a King Louis XIII, a Cardinal Richelieu, an Anne of Austria, and George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. Most events that occur throughout the story happened in reality. The siege of La Rochelle being the one of the major political and religious conflict in the book was a great event of the reign of Louis XIII. The Cardinal may have had the greatest influence in cause and resolution of this war against the Protestants. The results were in favor of the Cardinal as might have been expected. He is presented as an antagonist to the Queen, mainly in her romantic affair with the Duke of Buckingham. However the result does not turn in the favor of the Cardinal this time, not as it had been expected.

In the absolute monarchy of France two parties ruled the...