ac Concino Concini, maréchal d‘Ancre (d. 1617), was a powerful figure at court but was detested by the nobility and the people. He exercised considerable influence over Marie de Médicis, mother of Louis XIII. The King, in concert with Charles d’Albert, duc de Luynes, had him murdered.
ad Conflicting legends portray Minos as the cruel ruler of ancient Crete who fed Athenian youths to the Minotaur (a monster that was part human, part bull) or as a gentle ruler who provided legislation that inspired Lycurgus, the legendary law-giver of Sparta.
ae Enguerrand de Marigny (1260-1315), the finance minister for Philip IV of France (1268-1314), grew rich in his post. When Louis X (1289-1316) took the throne, Marigny was hanged.
af Jean-Francois-Pierre de Gondi, cardinal de Retz (1613-1679), and Pierre Broussel (c.1575-1654), a leader of the Parlement de Paris, were both imprisoned for their active participation in the Fronde (see endnote 4).
ag Philippe, Louis XIV’s twin brother, here regards his family with compassion. Note that Dumas gives the King’s brother the same first name as Louis XIV’s real younger brother.
ah Coin first issued under France’s Capetian kings; its commercial value was almost nil, rather like today’s American penny.
ai Younger son of a monarch in either Spain or Portugal; on his mother’s side, the Man in the Iron Mask is also a royal prince of Spain, though he’s not heir to that throne.
aj Another name for the prince de Condé, the King’s cousin; the historic person referred to here is Louis II de Bourbon (1621-1686), fourth prince of Condé, also known as the Duc d‘Enghien. He participated in the Fronde des Princes after having put down the Fronde parlementaire. Raoul de Bragelonne served in his armies. There may be some confusion in these passages as François de Vendôme, duc de Beaufort (1616-1669), is himself a prince descended from Gabrielle d’Estrées (1573-1599), mistress of Henri IV (1553-1610).
ak Lady-in-waiting to Madame, like Louise de la Vallière and Mademoiselle de Montalais.
al About 76.5 feet; the toise is a measure of length (6.39 feet) used before France adopted the metric system.
am Jean d’Estrées (1624-1707), maréchal de France and a cousin of François de Vendôme, duc de Beaufort (1616-1669), was vice-admiral of the flotilla of ships sent to North Africa.
an In French, voler la pie, which literally means “to hook (or to lift) the magpie”; in other words, the hunt involved falcons or other trained birds of prey. In the seventeenth century, this and other types of hunting were the exclusive purview of the aristocracy. Dumas himself was an avid hunter.
ao That is, King Charles II of England (1630-1685); see footnote on p. 105.
ap Frères germains, in legal terms, means descended from the same parents. King Louis XIV is reminding Madame of their close family ties, as both are grand-children of Henri IV (1553-1610).
aq The confederation of Protestant provinces, formed on January 23, 1579, organized themselves under the Union of Utrecht in direct response to the threat from the Catholic provinces of what is today Belgium. Thus the Netherlands was formed during the religious wars pitting Protestants against Catholics.
ar Large warships that carry 78 cannons.
as Friesland, a province in northern Holland that includes several West Frisian Islands on the North Sea.
Man in the Iron Mask (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) Page 83