Visitors to Musketeer's Headquarters: 
THE THREE MUSKETEERS! The three most famous Musketeers, after d'Artagnan of course, served in his majesty's (King Louis XIII) elite corps - his personal bodyguards. But just what is a Musketeer? This is a question that a lot of people of today are finding out more and more often. When we think of a Musketeer, we think of a swordsman, who can out-fence anyone that they can meet. But why are they then not called a Swordsateer?
Basically, a musketeer was a foot (infantry) soldier who used a musket firearm during times of war and battle. However, there was really nothing special about these men. Every country in Europe who had an army had musketeers. Yet, in France, a certain group of Musketeers was somewhat different.
With the development of the firearm in the 1400's (directly after the invention of the canon - which inspired the invention of this firearm), came several prototypes that eventually led to the musket. The first real successful firearm was the Arquebus (smoothbore), that was invented some time either in the late 1400's, or the early to mid fifteen hundreds. This was the immediate forerunner of the musket. The Arquebus was a matchlock gun, which meant that on the trigger mechanism there was held a lighted match. The match (a thick string) was treated in a solution of saltpetre, then dried. It was then attached to the cock of the gun. The match, of course, would be lit, and it would burn down VERY slowly (because of how it had been treated). When the trigger was squeezed, the hammer-on action of the cock would ignite a bit of white priming powder that was located in a small cut-out space (where the cock would touch down to) called a priming pan. In the middle of this pan was a very small hole, which led to the chamber below (in the smooth bore). Located inside the gun was a bit of gunpowder that had been rammed inside with a ramming stick. Placed just after the gunpowder was a musket ball. So, when the match lit the primer, the primer then set off the gunpowder, which caused the musket ball to project. This entire invention was improved with the matchlock Musket.
Yet, during the time of the matchlock musket, the carbine was coming ahead in technology. And in France, in 1600 A.D., King Henri of Navarre (Gascony), who had not too long before became King Henri IV of France, decided to give himself a bodyguard. Yet, he didn't want just any soldier. He made himself a bodyguard that consisted of nothing less than elite soldiers. Arming them with Carbines, they became known as the Carabineers du Roy: which is, the King's Carbineers. A very special group of men that no ordinary soldier could match in firing or swordplay.
When King Louis XIII (Henri's son) took the throne in 1610, he re-armed these elite guards with the more advanced flintlock musket. An invention that would stand tall in the firearm world until the 1800's! These new muskets were a clever invention. Throwing out the match idea completely, these new muskets held in the clutches of the cock a piece of flint. As the trigger was squeezed, the flint would fly down onto a serrated piece of metal, causing the flint to shoot out sparks. These sparks would then ignite the priming powder in the pan, and then, of course, would ignite the gunpowder, and project the musket ball.
When handed these new muskets, the old company of Carabineers then became known as Mousquetaires du Roy: that is, the King's Musketeers. Also, according to some historians, these men then were given a tunic of sky-blue colour at this time, having the king's cross mounted upon it (see my illustration above). This tunic would be worn on top of regular civilian clothes. And according to some other historians, the mousquetaires were not given their famous tunics until many years later, when they were bodyguards of Louis XIV., in the 1660's.
The entire company of Musketeers were young daredevils who were extraordinarily gifted soldiers, and could normally handle what several regular soldiers couldn't. By the time Louis XIII was king, Monsieur de Treville indeed was their captain. Yet he did not hold the title of captain, but captain-lieutenant, for the king himself held the title of captain-commandant. Despite this, however, everyone called Treville their captain.
According to the 1991 Disney movie "The Three Musketeers," the Musketeers were disbanded in 1625. Even though it is true that the Musketeers were disbanded, it was at a later time, not until many years later, in 1642, after Richelieu and the king had already died, and when Mazarin and the Queen were ruling France for little Louis XIV. The reason they were disbanded was because of Cardinal Marazin's (Richelieu's protege, and possible husband to the widowed Queen Anne) hatred for Monsieur de Treville. Yet, ironically, even though Mazarin fired Treville from this appointment, he turned around and asked Treville for a favor; that is, to give him his two best Musketeers for his personal services. Treville gave Mazarin d'Artagnan, and a certain Besmeaux (future governor of the Bastille, even as Dumas has shown us).
Treville's choice shows us how brilliant of a swashbuckler d'Artagnan really was in real life. And just as soon as Treville gave Mazarin these two brilliants, he retired from court life forever, and became a governor of a small French town.
But what of our Three Musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis? Were they too real people in life? Happily, they were; unhappily, we have very little detail on the real three men.
Gatien de Courtilz, in his famous, yet rare, Memoirs of Monsieur d'Artagnan, gives the world the first glimpse at these men for the first time since their death. Courtilz would have us believe that they were all brothers - but this is not true, even though two of them were related, and related also to Treville.
Athos was, in real life, Armand de Sillegue d'Athos d'Auteville. He was born around 1615, joined the Musketeers at the age of twenty-five in the late 1630's or early 1640's, and died in Paris from a duel in 1643. His name was found listed amongst the fallen duellists in a monastery where such acts were recorded. He could really have been a nobleman, just like Dumas' Athos was. But unlike Dumas made him, he was really a Gascon like D'Artagnan. He was also a cousin to M. de Treville, captain of the musketeers from 1634-1642. Dumas claimed, in the preface to The Three Musketeers, that his story was nothing more than the memoirs of the Comte de la Fere, who (this mysterious comte) becomes Athos in the course of the story. These memoirs, presumably, were the same memoirs Athos is seen working on during the course of The Vicomte de Bragelonne.
Aramis's real name was Henri d'Aramitz. Like his fictional counterpart, he was a churchman, a Bernais (from Gascony): like D'Artagnan, he was a Gascon. He joined the musketeers in 1640, married in 1654, had four children, and died around 1674. He was a nephew to M. de Treville, captain of the musketeers. He was never, so far as history can tell, involved with the Jesuits. A German named Nickel was Vicar-General from 1652-1664 and from 1664-1681 an Italian named Jean-Paul Oliva headed the order.
Porthos was really Isaac de Portau, born in Pau, Gascony, according to history. The real Porthos has no family relations with any of his friends. Though he did come from a town close to one that d'Artagnan came from. They two, more than likely, really were excellent friends in real life. They were both Guards at the same time, and both entered into the Musketeers almost at the same time. Athos and Aramis were already Musketeers at the time that d'Artagnan and Porthos were Guards.
When Mazarin could see that Treville was indeed out of the way, he re-installed the Musketeers, making two companies of them - the Black Musketeers (so called after the black horses they rode) and the Gray Musketeers (also because of the colour horses they rode.) The second company, the gray's, was banded together from Mazarin's own personal Foot Musketeers (no doubt coming down from Richelieu's guards). In the first company (first and foremost, for they were more celebrated than the second company), Mazarin gave the old post of Treville (of Captain-Lieutenant) to his nephew, the Duke of Nevers, Mancinni.
Mancinni cared little for the post, or the Musketeers, and would leave all the duties of leadership to his lieutenant - d'Artagnan, of course - who was their true captain nonetheless. In 1667, Mancinni, realizing what was best, stepped aside for d'Artagnan, and gave the post of captain-lieutenant to him.
MORE TO COME SOON . . . .
