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The Four Musketeers: The True Story of D'Artagnan, Porthos, Aramis & Athos
The Three Musketeers, first published in 1844, is an abiding classic. It has been translated into many languages, repeatedly filmed, and its heroes—D’Artagnan, Porthos, Aramis, and Athos—have become literary archetypes. Yet, outside France, few people are aware that all four are based on historical figures, members of the elite Black Musketeer regiment during the 1640s. The Four Musketeers gives an account of the historical background of the real four musketeers, who came to Paris in the 1640s and thus witnessed some of the most dramatic moments of 17th-century the last years of Louis XIII and the struggle for control over him between the scandalous royal favorite, Cinq-Mars and the dying Cardinal Richelieu; and the rise to power of Cardinal Mazarin.
223 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2005
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About the author
Kari L. Maund
6 books2 followersDr Kari Maund lectures and writes on the medieval history of the Celtic countries. As Kari Sperring, she also writes fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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October 12, 2025This book examines the historical raw material from which Alexandre Dumas forged The Three Musketeers.
Charles d’Artagnan was a real, if minor, historical figure, best remembered for his long association with the de facto ruler of France, Cardinal Mazarin. His career followed approximately the same lines that Dumas assigned to him. An impoverished Gascon aristocrat, d'Artagnan sought his fortunes in Paris, enlisted in the king’s Musketeers. He participated in many exploits and intrigues before finally being killed by gunfire at the siege of Maastricht. However, the real d’Artagnan was only about ten years old in 1625, the year that The Three Musketeers begins.His career didn’t even start until the mid 1630s, after the events of the novel conclude. The many memorable adventures of the literary d’Artagnan—his duels with Cardinal Richelieu’s henchmen, his lust/hate relationship with beautiful-yet-deadly Madame de Winter, the harrowing "affair of the diamond tags," his inspired valor at the bloody siege of La Rochelle, among many others—all these derive from the fertile imagination of Alexandre Dumas.
Athos, Porthos and Aramis have a still-slenderer basis in history. Their names were appropriated from known musketeers of the period (Armand d’Athos, Issac de Porthau and Henri d’Aramitz). Like d'Artagnan, they were Gascons, and all related by blood to Monsieur Treveille, captain of the musketeers. "Athos" died young, probably in a duel. "Aramis," far from a priest, was a Protestant. Beyond that, little is known about the three musketeers for certain, including whether they so much as even knew d’Artagnan (although it’s probable they did). All four men would undoubtedly have been astonished to learn that, centuries hence, their names would be associated by untold millions throughout the world as icons of inseparable friendship and loyalty.
All this is discussed in the opening chapters. Additional chapters delve into the true history of the elite musketeer corps of France. They detail how the inspiration for d’Artagnan and friends descended through time to Dumas. They outline the long afterlife of the Musketeers through their countless reiterations in novels, cinema, comics, marketing, and games that continue to our own day.
I'm lifelong aficionado of seventeenth century French history, in no small part due to the potent spell that Dumas cast on my childhood imagination. Much of the background in The Four Musketeers was well known to me before I ever picked up this book. However, some of it was new even to me, and I’m grateful for the welcome additions to my stock of knowledge. For ease of reference I also find it useful to have all this information contained within the covers of a single volume.
My main complaint with this book is that it’s too short. Had I written it, I would have included chapters covering Louis XIII, Anne of Austria, Cardinal Richelieu, the Duke of Buckingham, Marie de Rohan, Oliver Cromwell and other important historical figures who appear in the pages of The d’Artagnan Romances. I would have compared Dumas’s literary versions with their historical counterparts in detail. I would have called attention to some of Dumas’s missed opportunities: some of the many intrigues and scandals surrounding the French royal court of the time that he might have but never exploited (perhaps not knowing about them).
And I would have lingered more on Cyrano de Bergerac. He’s mentioned in passing four times, but more attention to the most fascinating and accomplished musketeer of history would have given the book color and context. The intriguing probability that Cyrano and d’Artagnan knew each other has always fired the imaginations of Dumas’s continuers. Most understandably, they can’t seem to resist the temptation to incorporate Cyrano into the Musketeer Mythos. In my opinion, this would have been a better book had it followed suit. (For anyone interested in the historical Cyrano, Ishbel Addyman’s great biography Cyrano: The Life & Legend of Cyrano de Bergerac is indispensable.)
But these are minor gripes. This book is a worthy companion to my favorite novel and favorite historical period. I recommend it to every fan of The Three Musketeers.
Charles d’Artagnan was a real, if minor, historical figure, best remembered for his long association with the de facto ruler of France, Cardinal Mazarin. His career followed approximately the same lines that Dumas assigned to him. An impoverished Gascon aristocrat, d'Artagnan sought his fortunes in Paris, enlisted in the king’s Musketeers. He participated in many exploits and intrigues before finally being killed by gunfire at the siege of Maastricht. However, the real d’Artagnan was only about ten years old in 1625, the year that The Three Musketeers begins.His career didn’t even start until the mid 1630s, after the events of the novel conclude. The many memorable adventures of the literary d’Artagnan—his duels with Cardinal Richelieu’s henchmen, his lust/hate relationship with beautiful-yet-deadly Madame de Winter, the harrowing "affair of the diamond tags," his inspired valor at the bloody siege of La Rochelle, among many others—all these derive from the fertile imagination of Alexandre Dumas.
Athos, Porthos and Aramis have a still-slenderer basis in history. Their names were appropriated from known musketeers of the period (Armand d’Athos, Issac de Porthau and Henri d’Aramitz). Like d'Artagnan, they were Gascons, and all related by blood to Monsieur Treveille, captain of the musketeers. "Athos" died young, probably in a duel. "Aramis," far from a priest, was a Protestant. Beyond that, little is known about the three musketeers for certain, including whether they so much as even knew d’Artagnan (although it’s probable they did). All four men would undoubtedly have been astonished to learn that, centuries hence, their names would be associated by untold millions throughout the world as icons of inseparable friendship and loyalty.
All this is discussed in the opening chapters. Additional chapters delve into the true history of the elite musketeer corps of France. They detail how the inspiration for d’Artagnan and friends descended through time to Dumas. They outline the long afterlife of the Musketeers through their countless reiterations in novels, cinema, comics, marketing, and games that continue to our own day.
I'm lifelong aficionado of seventeenth century French history, in no small part due to the potent spell that Dumas cast on my childhood imagination. Much of the background in The Four Musketeers was well known to me before I ever picked up this book. However, some of it was new even to me, and I’m grateful for the welcome additions to my stock of knowledge. For ease of reference I also find it useful to have all this information contained within the covers of a single volume.
My main complaint with this book is that it’s too short. Had I written it, I would have included chapters covering Louis XIII, Anne of Austria, Cardinal Richelieu, the Duke of Buckingham, Marie de Rohan, Oliver Cromwell and other important historical figures who appear in the pages of The d’Artagnan Romances. I would have compared Dumas’s literary versions with their historical counterparts in detail. I would have called attention to some of Dumas’s missed opportunities: some of the many intrigues and scandals surrounding the French royal court of the time that he might have but never exploited (perhaps not knowing about them).
And I would have lingered more on Cyrano de Bergerac. He’s mentioned in passing four times, but more attention to the most fascinating and accomplished musketeer of history would have given the book color and context. The intriguing probability that Cyrano and d’Artagnan knew each other has always fired the imaginations of Dumas’s continuers. Most understandably, they can’t seem to resist the temptation to incorporate Cyrano into the Musketeer Mythos. In my opinion, this would have been a better book had it followed suit. (For anyone interested in the historical Cyrano, Ishbel Addyman’s great biography Cyrano: The Life & Legend of Cyrano de Bergerac is indispensable.)
But these are minor gripes. This book is a worthy companion to my favorite novel and favorite historical period. I recommend it to every fan of The Three Musketeers.
June 5, 2020
While academic in tone, The Four Musketeers is an easy and fascinating read. I think my biggest fault is that the font was tiny. The book addresses what is known about the men who inspired the famous musketeers of Dumas, D'artagnan in particular; a brief history of the musketeer units in France, including solid information on their attire and weaponry; about the fictional memoirs Dumas drew from for inspiration; how Dumas went about writing his books (including insights into his use of collaborators); published fan fiction about the heroes; and how the musketeers have been portrayed on stage and film.
April 11, 2018
The mostly true, only partly hypothetical adventures of the Three Musketeers and D'Artangnan. And a section about his first "memoirist." And then some hero-worship of Dumas that is reeeeally uncritical.
A fun read. Maybe not the most in depth. But fun.
A fun read. Maybe not the most in depth. But fun.
November 21, 2014
The titular characters in Dumas’ Three Musketeers (and its various sequels and add-ons) were not made up out of whole cloth by the master of swashbuckling adventure, but rather based on real 17th century personages that inhabited the tumultuous word of a France struggling through wars political and religious, dynastic maneuverings, changes in government and outright rebellions and insurrections. So who were they based on? And who was Dumas anyway?
The Four Musketeers: The True Story of D’Artagnan, Porthos, Aramis & Athos seeks to answer all of these questions and more. Written by Phil Nanson and Kari Maund, the latter under the psuedonym Kari Sperring has written fantasy fiction that has more than a touch of Dumas’ spirit (Living with Ghosts and The Grass King’s Concubine). Maund, as well as Nanson are also professional historians, with a solid background in medieval and renaissance history.
The book looks first at the historical D’Artangan, giving him a whole chapter for the authors to flesh out the real person, and what elements Dumas borrowed to make his fictional creation. The book follows with a chapter looking at the titular three Musketeers (surprisingly, one of them has an extremely thin biography, the invented Dumas character very much invented), a look at the role of Musketeers in 17th century France and a look at the 17th century quasi biography Memoirs de M’ d’Artagnan, the major source of Dumas information and inspiration on Charles d’Artagnan, the basis for Dumas’ hero.
Finally, the book looks at Alexandre Dumas as a writer himself. Did you know, for instance, that a fair portion of his work was written with uncredited collaborators? The book ends with (a slight out of date) look at the afterlife of TheThree Musketeers in various forms of media. The fact that although the book was written in 2005 and already is out of date is a testament to the abiding power of Dumas’ characters and stories.
The major detraction from the book might be a matter of expectations for casual readers. As the authors ARE professional historians with a style and format to match. Readers expecting something like Mark Kurlansky’s popular and populist histories are going to be put off by the painstaking, footnote infused style of the authors. As a protip, those footnotes in The Four Musketeers come fast and furious, and this is a book where the footnotes are as important as the main text in gaining understanding.
The other detraction from the book isn’t a problem within the book itself, but again a reader issue. The book presumes a fair bit of knowledge about 17th century Europe and what was going on in France and its environs (especially the Thirty Years War, and there is an excellent book recommended in the footnotes on the subject). The relative shortness of the book and its laser like focus mean that the authors cannot digress heavily to explain the socio-political situation surrounding the lives of the men who inspired Dumas’ characters.
Even with these caveats, The Four Musketeers shows solid scholarship, research and depth of knowledge of the subject. Anyone at all who wants to know more about the real people who inspired the immortal characters of Dumas would be well served by picking up this book.
The Four Musketeers: The True Story of D’Artagnan, Porthos, Aramis & Athos seeks to answer all of these questions and more. Written by Phil Nanson and Kari Maund, the latter under the psuedonym Kari Sperring has written fantasy fiction that has more than a touch of Dumas’ spirit (Living with Ghosts and The Grass King’s Concubine). Maund, as well as Nanson are also professional historians, with a solid background in medieval and renaissance history.
The book looks first at the historical D’Artangan, giving him a whole chapter for the authors to flesh out the real person, and what elements Dumas borrowed to make his fictional creation. The book follows with a chapter looking at the titular three Musketeers (surprisingly, one of them has an extremely thin biography, the invented Dumas character very much invented), a look at the role of Musketeers in 17th century France and a look at the 17th century quasi biography Memoirs de M’ d’Artagnan, the major source of Dumas information and inspiration on Charles d’Artagnan, the basis for Dumas’ hero.
Finally, the book looks at Alexandre Dumas as a writer himself. Did you know, for instance, that a fair portion of his work was written with uncredited collaborators? The book ends with (a slight out of date) look at the afterlife of TheThree Musketeers in various forms of media. The fact that although the book was written in 2005 and already is out of date is a testament to the abiding power of Dumas’ characters and stories.
The major detraction from the book might be a matter of expectations for casual readers. As the authors ARE professional historians with a style and format to match. Readers expecting something like Mark Kurlansky’s popular and populist histories are going to be put off by the painstaking, footnote infused style of the authors. As a protip, those footnotes in The Four Musketeers come fast and furious, and this is a book where the footnotes are as important as the main text in gaining understanding.
The other detraction from the book isn’t a problem within the book itself, but again a reader issue. The book presumes a fair bit of knowledge about 17th century Europe and what was going on in France and its environs (especially the Thirty Years War, and there is an excellent book recommended in the footnotes on the subject). The relative shortness of the book and its laser like focus mean that the authors cannot digress heavily to explain the socio-political situation surrounding the lives of the men who inspired Dumas’ characters.
Even with these caveats, The Four Musketeers shows solid scholarship, research and depth of knowledge of the subject. Anyone at all who wants to know more about the real people who inspired the immortal characters of Dumas would be well served by picking up this book.
October 23, 2015
Interesting history detailing the 4 men the characters in the novel are based on. Also explores the sources the writer used to create the novel. Slow read but interesting. Recommended
May 25, 2018
Being a fan of The Three Musketeers, I was excited to find this book. And dove into it. Unfortunately, it was dull and lackluster. And what I imagined reading a boring history lecture by a professor with a monotone voice would be like. The life of D'Artagnan was interesting, but only took up a short amount of pages. Many other pages were devoted to Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and the fact that not much is actually known of the real people. Another extensive chapter was on the many spin-off books by others (most, according to the author, were not well done), and the many movies based on Dumas' books. Overall, while some small parts had interesting tidbits, it wasn't an overall enjoyable read.
July 16, 2019
A great intro the historical figures that inspired the classic characters. I learned a ton about the real D'artagnan and the history of 17th century France. Well worth a read!
April 28, 2013
The authors have gone to a great deal of trouble to find out exactly who the real Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan were, and they turn out to be nothing like the characters Dumas wrote about. Not only did they probably not even know each other (except that they were all from Gascony), but D'Artangan was the oldest and one of the real leaders of the musketeers.
Regardless, the characters are interesting, and so is the background in which they lived and fought. My only gripes are that the authors tend to write in a semi-scholarlarly fashion which isn't necessarily easy to read or follow, and that they repeat and repeat: only once do they refer back to something they've already dealt with in depth.
If you're interested in the events and times of the musketeers were part of, and/or what the musketeers were and did, this is a book you should read. Otherwise, just stick with Dumas: he's a lot more fun.
Regardless, the characters are interesting, and so is the background in which they lived and fought. My only gripes are that the authors tend to write in a semi-scholarlarly fashion which isn't necessarily easy to read or follow, and that they repeat and repeat: only once do they refer back to something they've already dealt with in depth.
If you're interested in the events and times of the musketeers were part of, and/or what the musketeers were and did, this is a book you should read. Otherwise, just stick with Dumas: he's a lot more fun.
March 20, 2017
It's a summary of what we know about the historical d'Artanian - not much - and the three musketeers - even less. Additionally, the author talks about how Dumas got the idea for his Musketeers and their legacy.
As an introductory summary into the reality behind the myth and the myth's creation, it was informative and accessible.
It got a couple of dates inverted, and at least one minor fact about Richelieu's family wrong, so I can't swear to its overall accuracy.
As an introductory summary into the reality behind the myth and the myth's creation, it was informative and accessible.
It got a couple of dates inverted, and at least one minor fact about Richelieu's family wrong, so I can't swear to its overall accuracy.
February 21, 2016
Excellent coverage of the men who became the basis of the Dumas classic. Additionally, there's a good deal of information about the origin and exploits of the real Musketeers, along with uniform and weaponry descriptions. The authors conclude with discussion of Gatien de Courtilz (whose Memoirs of D'Artagnan provided the basis for Dumas) and Alexandre Dumas and what happened after The Three Musketeers was published. A well written book.
October 15, 2015
Lively and entertaining history of the inspiration behind Dumas's Musketeers and subsequent sequels and other writer's spinoffs. I recommend reading it along with Tom Reiss' "The Black Count" to get a well-rounded picture of Dunas' best known work and the inspiration behind it.
October 16, 2008
The book is interesting in that it tells you about the real people behind Dumas' characters. The prose, however, is dull.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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