Archaeologists in the Netherlands have discovered a skeleton that may belong to Charles de Batz-Castelmore, the 17th-century Gascon nobleman better known as d'Artagnan, who inspired Alexandre Dumas's novel The Three Musketeers. The remains were found during repair work at the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Maastricht, where the real-life musketeer died during the siege of 1673.
Deacon Jos Valke, who alerted retired archaeologist Wim Dijkman to the find, noted several clues pointing to the skeleton's identity. The body was buried under the altar in consecrated ground, accompanied by a French coin from the period, and a musket ball was found at chest level, matching historical accounts of d'Artagnan's death. Dijkman, who has spent 28 years searching for the musketeer's grave, described the discovery as 'incredibly exciting'.
The skeleton has been removed to an archaeological institute in Deventer for analysis. A DNA sample taken on 13 March is being tested in a Munich laboratory against samples from descendants of d'Artagnan's father to confirm the identification. Dijkman emphasised the need for caution, stating that multiple domestic and international analyses are underway to ensure certainty.
The real d'Artagnan was a spy and musketeer for King Louis XIV, who achieved posthumous fame after Dumas published his novel in 1844. The character has since been portrayed in numerous films and television series, and even inspired the animated series Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds.
