The real three musketeers: the historical Athos, Porthos and Aramis (and d’Artagnan) revealed
The musketeers, made famous by Alexandre Dumas and the many films his stories inspired, are the most well-known of the regiments of ancien regime France. Moreover, the heroes of Dumas’s stories – d’Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis – have real historical counterparts too. Historian Dr Josephine Wilkinson separates their lives from legend Josephine Wilkinson Published: April 5, 2022 at 11:50 AM The origins of the musketeers can be traced to 1600, when Henri IV formed the carabins , a unit of light cavalry armed with long guns called arquebuses, who became known for their marksmanship. In 1615, during the regency of Louis XIII, the carabins were disbursed among other light cavalry units, where their skills suited them for reconnaissance missions. But then in 1622, the same Louis, wanting his own special regiment, reformed the unit in readiness for an expedition against the Huguenots . He replaced the arquebuses with muskets, creating the King’s Musketeers. The real musketeer...