Roux de Marcilly

Paul Roux de Marcilly, sometimes spelled Marsilly[1] (born in Nîmes around 1623; died in Paris on 22 June 1669), is said to be the head and coordinator of a plot against King of France Louis XIV in 1668. In a socio-political context of persecution of Huguenots and famine, the plot was on a European scale. The conspiracy aimed at overturning Louis XIV’s government and change into republics provinces like Provence, Dauphiné, and Languedoc, with the military support of Switzerland, Spain[2] and United Netherlands.

While living in London, Roux de Marcilly was betrayed, denounced in May 1668, illegally kidnapped in Switzerland and jailed, before he was condemned to death[3] by "breaking on the wheel" in Paris on 21 June 1669,[4] after being assisted by minister Jean Daillé.[5]

In his historical essay Le Masque de Fer (The Iron Mask) released in 1965,[6] French novelist Marcel Pagnol identified the famous masked prisoner (known as “The Man in the Iron Mask”) as Louis XIV’s twin brother who was born after him, and thus legitimate heir of the crown. This twin, identified with James de la Cloche in his youth, was said to have been sentenced to life imprisonment after he conspired against his brother with Roux. Coveting his brothers’ crown, he is likely to be a major figure of the conspiracy.

  1. ^ Archives de la Bastille: 1681, 1665-1674, See sources
  2. ^ Ravaisson-Mollien, François Nicolas Napoléon; Ravaisson-Mollien, Louis Jean Félix (1874). Archives de la Bastille: documents inédits recueillis et publiés. Vol. 7: Règne de Louis XIV. A. Durand et Pedone-Lauriel. « Lettre de M. Patouillet à la Régente d'Espagne du 27 mai 1669 »
  3. ^ The sentence against Roux de Marcilly is given in a bibliographical note available in the Archives of the French National Library (reference number N° FRBNF36755131).
  4. ^ Lang, Andrew (1903). The Valet's Tragedy and Other Studies. Archived from the original on October 12, 2009.
  5. ^ (in French) correspondance of Pierre Bayle 9 January 1684.
  6. ^ Pagnol, Marcel (1965). Le Masque de fer. Paris: Éditions de Provence.