The Man Behind the Iron Mask (47 page)

1610

Henri IV assassinated. Marie de' Médicis becomes Regent.

1614

Birth of Guise.

1615

Marriage of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. Birth of Fouquet.

1616

Birth of Beaufort.

1617

Louis XIII assumes power.

1619

Birth of Colbert.

1622

Birth of Molière and of Roux.

1624

Cardinal de Richelieu becomes Prime Minister.

1625

Death of James I. Charles I succeeds and marries Henrietta of France. Buckingham woos Anne of Austria.

1626

The Chalais Conspiracy. Birth of Saint-Mars, of Richard Cromwell and of Marguerite de Carteret.

1627

Founding of the Company of the Holy Sacrament. Birth of Mademoiselle.

1628

Buckingham assassinated.

1630

Day of the Dupes. François de Cavoye nominated Captain of the Cardinal's Guard. Birth of Charles II.

1631

Founding of
La Gazette.

1632

Birth of Lauzun.

1633

Birth of James II.

1635

Outbreak of war between France and Spain. Birth of Brienne.

1636

Spanish invasion of France.

1637

Anne of Austria under house-arrest at Louvre. Birth of Eustache de Cavoye.

1638

Birth of Louis XIV and of Armand de Cavoye.

1639

French occupation of Alsace. François de Cavoye granted monopoly on sedan-chairs. Birth of Louis de Cavoye.

1640

Birth of Monsieur and of Matthioli.

1641

Death of François de Cavoye. Birth of Louvois.

1642

Death of Cardinal de Richelieu. Mazarin becomes Prime Minister. Outbreak of English Civil War. French occupation of Roussillon. Death of Joseph Béjart. Possible birth-date of Armande Béjart.

1643

Death of Louis XIII. Anne of Austria becomes Regent. Beaufort imprisoned at Vincennes. Molière forms acting company with Madeleine Béjart. Birth of Pontchartrain.

1644

Gondinet appointed physician to Anne of Austria. Birth of Madame, Henrietta of England. Date of birth given by James de La Cloche.

1645

Battle of Naseby. Molière and company leave Paris. Possible birth-date of Armande Béjart.

1646

Charles II visits Jersey for two months.

1648

Beaufort escapes from Vincennes. Outbreak of French Civil War. Birth of Corbé.

1649

Execution of Charles I. Birth of Monmouth. Charles II visits Jersey for five months.

1650

Saint-Mars becomes a musketeer. Birth of William III.

1651

Mazarin banished. Birth of Chamillart.

1652

Mazarin returns. Beaufort kills brother-in-law. End of French Civil War. Beaufort banished. Birth of Madame, Princess Palatine.

1653

Mazarin re-established as Prime Minister. Fouquet becomes Superintendent of Finance. Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector.

1654

Louis XIV crowned.

1656

Marriage of Jean La Cloche and Marguerite de Carteret.

1657

Comtesse de Soissons becomes Louis XIV's mistress. Birth of Avedik.

1658

Death of Oliver Cromwell. Richard Cromwell succeeds. Moliére and company return to Paris. Besmaux appointed governor of the Bastille.

1659

The Roissy debauch. Richard Cromwell abdicates. Treaty of Pyrenees ends war between France and Spain.

1660

Restoration of crown to Charles II. Richard Cromwell leaves England. Marriage of Louis XIV to Maria-Teresa. Nabo given as wedding present.

1661

Death of Mazarin. Marriage of Monsieur and Henrietta of England. Louise de La Vallière becomes Louis XIV's mistress. Party at Vaux-le-Vicomte. Fouquet is arrested. Colbert becomes Controller of Finance. Death of Auget. Lully succeeds as Director of the King's Music. Birth of Dauphin.

1662

Louvois joins Le Tellier as Minister of War. Maria-Teresa realizes that Louise de La Vallière is Louis XIV's mistress. Marriage of Molière and Armande Béjart. Bellings' mission to Rome.

1663

Fouquet transferred to Bastille. Lionne replaces Brienne as Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Beaufort succeeds father as Grand Admiral. Louise de La Vallière bears first child to Louis XIV. Montfleury attacks Molière. Marriage of the Montespans. Founding of
La Gazette d'Amsterdam
.

1664

Molière's first
Tartuffe
is banned. Maria-Teresa gives birth to a black daughter. Madame de Cavoye makes her will. Fouquet sentenced and transferred to Pignerol. Death of Guise.

1665

Great Plague of London. Saint-Germain brawl. Death of Madame de Cavoye. Eustache de Cavoye disinherited and cashiered. Lauzun spends four months in the Bastille. Molière's
Dom Juan
is banned.

1666

Death of Anne of Austria. Marquise de Brinvilliers poisons her father. Fight between Lauzun and Cavoye.

1667

French invasion of the Spanish Netherlands. Work begins on Versailles. Athénais de Montespan becomes Louis XIV's mistress. Colbert accused of embezzlement. La Reynie becomes Lieutenant of Police. Molière's second
Tartuffe
is banned. Death of Armand de Cavoye. Birth of Vermandois and of Barbezieux.

1668

Feb
: French occupation of Franche Comté.

Mar
: Le Sage and Mariette arrested.

Apr
: James de La Cloche joins Jesuits in Rome. Sweden joins England and Holland against France in Triple Alliance.

May
: Roux in London betrayed by Morland. Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle: France cedes Franche Comté, but keeps gains in Flanders.

Jul
: Louis de Cavoye imprisoned in Conciergerie.

Aug
: Roux visits Switzerland. Montespan in Paris makes protest against his wife's adultery.

Sep
: Montespan arrested and banished. Le Sage sentenced to the galleys, Mariette to Saint-Lazare.

Oct
: La Cloche leaves Rome.

Dec
: Mariette escapes from Saint-Lazare. Roux returns to London and meets Veyras. Colbert, back in favour, falls ill after taking medicine. La Cloche returns to Rome.

Month unknown
: Eustache de Cavoye locked up in Saint-Lazare.

1669

Feb
: La Cloche marries. Pregnani arrives in London. Molière's third
Tartuffe
is authorized.

Mar
: Secret birth of Athénais de Montespan's first child by Louis XIV. La Cloche imprisoned in Naples. Pregnani visits Newmarket.

May
: Roux kidnapped in Switzerland.

Jun
: Beaufort disappears at Candy. Roux interrogated and executed in Paris. Croissy suggests extraditing Veyras and Martin. La Cloche is released.

Jul
: La Cloche dies in Naples. Pregnani returns to France. Lauzun insults Athénais de Montespan and defies Louis XIV. Warrant issued for arrest of Danger.

Aug
: Danger imprisoned at Pignerol.

Sep
: Death of Henrietta of France.

Dec
: Discovery of plot for Fouquet's escape.

1670

Publication of
Elomire
. Secret Treaty of Dover. Death of Madame, Henrietta of England. Louvois visits Pignerol and changes garrison. Madame Dufresnoy becomes mistress of Louvois. Marquise de Brinvilliers poisons her two brothers. Mademoiselle proposes marriage to Lauzun.

1671

Death of Lionne. Pomponne succeeds as Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Marriage of Monsieur and Princess Palatine. Kéroualle killed in action. Lauzun imprisoned at Pignerol.

1672

French invasion of Holland. Louis de Cavoye released from prison. Discovery of plot for Lauzun's escape. Oldendorf under surveillance in Brussels. Death of Madeleine Béjart.

1673

Death of Molière and d'Artagnan. Capture of Oldendorf. James publicly recognized to be Catholic. Le Sage released from galleys. Saint-Mars acquires letters of nobility. Marquise de Brinvilliers tried
in absentia
and sentenced to death.

1674

French reconquer Franche Comté. Royal apartments at Versailles are completed. Athénais de Montespan granted legal separation. Louise de La Vallière takes the veil. Madame Dufresnoy becomes Lady of the Queen's Bed. Brienne locked up in Saint-Lazare. Dominican monk transferred to Pignerol. Execution of Rohan. Birth of Regent.

1675

Vivonne becomes marshal.

1676

Dubreuil imprisoned at Pignerol. Armande Béjart traduced for incest. Execution of Marquise de Brinvilliers. Birth of Lagrange-Chancel.

1677

Armande Béjart remarries. Matthioli in Verona contacted by French.

1678

The Popish plot. Court moves to Versailles. Eustache de Cavoye writes to his sister. Matthioli in Paris signs agreement for sale of Casale.

1679

Peace of Nijmegen: France keeps Franche Comté and gains in Spanish Netherlands. Pomponne dismissed; Croissy succeeds as Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Le Sage rearrested. Chambre Ardente set up to investigate poisonings. Fouquet's wife and daughter allowed to live with him. Matthioli and servant kidnapped and imprisoned at Pignerol. Eustache de Cavoye writes petition to Louis XIV. Monmouth banished to Holland. Marie-Angélique de Fontages becomes mistress of Louis XIV. Death of Gondinet.

1680

Chambre Ardente widens investigation to include sorcery. Comtesse de Soissons escapes to Holland to avoid arrest. Exclusion Bill passed by Commons. Richard Cromwell returns to England. Fouquet dies. Danger and La Rivière become secret prisoners. Marriage of Dauphin. Death of Morelhie.

1681

Lauzun released from Pignerol. Casale bought and occupied by French. Saint-Mars moves to Exiles with two prisoners. Death of Marie-Angélique de Fontanges.

1682

Versailles becomes seat of government. Louis XIV suppresses Chambre Ardente. Monmouth returns to England. Report of Matthioli's imprisonment at Pignerol published in Cologne. Story of Beaufort's imprisonment in Constantinople told in Paris.

1683

Rye House plot. Monmouth expelled to Holland. Death of Colbert: Seigneley and Le Peletier succeed him in office. Death of Vermandois and of Maria-Teresa.

1684

Morganatic marriage of Louis XIV and Françoise de Maintenon.

1685

Death of Charles II. Succession of James II. Rebellion and execution of Monmouth. Revocation of Edict of Nantes. Death of Le Tellier.

1686

Esoteric paintings made in Monastery of Cimiez. League of Augsberg against France.

1687

Saint-Mars moves to Sainte-Marguerite Island with one prisoner, wearing a mask of steel. Story published in Leyden that prisoner of Saint-Mars is Matthioli.

1688

The Glorious Revolution: William III and Mary II accede to the throne; James II escapes to France. Outbreak of war between France and Austria. Destruction of Palatinate. Armande Béjart libelled for incest.

1689

Le Peletier retires: Pontchartrain succeeds as Controller of Finance. First Protestant minister imprisoned on Sainte-Marguerite.