The+Man+in+the+Iron+Mask

This entire time, all 34 years of imprisonment, he wears a black velvet cloth (and according to some stories, an iron) mask that hides his identity from the public and from other prisoners. An anonymous print. []
 * Welceme to 1669, France**. A man is imprisoned by King Louis XIV in the Fortress of Pignerol. For the rest of his life, he is shuttled back and forth to various prisons under conditions of high secrecy: his cell is shut off by multiple doors, he is allowed to be provided food and whatever else he may need - but his jailer is instructed to tell the prisoner that if he dares speak of anything save for these immediate needs, he will be killed.

Where did he come from? What was his crime? Why could he not be seen by others? He was supposedly named Eustache Dauger, but his real identity remains a mystery.

Hundreds of theories, legends, stories, and solutions have sprung from the shadows surrounding his imprisonment.

He led failed Protestant rebellion against his uncle, the Catholic King James II and was subsequently executed in 1685. Contemporary rumours claim that the execution was faked and that another man was executed in the Duke's place. Supposedly Louis XIV allowed the Duke to become the masked prisoner as a favour to James II so that the latter would not have been forced to kill his own nephew.
 * The Duke of Monmouth:**

Was he an illegitimate half-brother of the King, and therefore a dangerous contender to the throne? This theory was popularized by Alexander Dumas in //The Thee Musketeers,// wherein the Man in the Iron Mask was actually the King's twin.
 * The brother:**

Was he actually a servant to the Roux de Marsilly, a French Huguenot and conspirator against Louis XIV? After his master's execution he may have been captured and locked away because he might have known too much about his master's affairs.
 * The valet:**

In 1998, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, and John Malkovich starred in a movie that delved into the (ficitonalised) story behind the mysterious prisoner. It was eponymously called

The Man in the Iron Mask! media type="youtube" key="eRal_feCStc" height="315" width="560" align="center"

(Duh.)

Back to home