The Face Behind the Mask

King Louis XIV of France imprisoned his most hated enemy in more than one way. He not only imprisoned him in the traditional sense, but also behind an iron mask, the removal of which would mean certain death. The mask prevented anyone from knowing the identity of the prisoner. Although the prisoner's only hope was to try and escape or to get a message to the outside world of his imprisonment, the prisoner died and was buried still clad in the iron mask. Historians can only speculate on the identity of this man based on men who went missing at the time and their own salacious stories in relation to Louis.