In France in 1669, a man was arrested. He was held in jail for 34 years and died in 1703. Today, no one knows for sure who this man was or why he was imprisoned. His face was always hidden behind a mask. It is thought that the man was the brother of King Louis the XIV of France, and that he was locked away as to not challenge his brother's throne. Leonardo DiCaprio starred in a movie about this in 1998 called, "The Man in the Iron Mask."
Today, I went to the island of Sainte-Marguerite to visit where this man was kept. Ile Sainte-Marguerite is a 15 minute boat ride from the city of Cannes, France.
Fort Royal was built here and used as a fortress (to protect from invaders), and as a prison. This is where the man in the iron mask was imprisoned for many years. Today, I got to walk around the fort and even see the cell where he was kept!
It was a very interesting lesson in French history. It was amazing to see the fort and prison cells still there from so long ago...and also a little creepy! If you would like to learn more about the man in the iron mask, check out these websites--
http://historicmysteries.com/man-in-the-iron-mask/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_in_the_Iron_Mask
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