''The Forty-Five Guardsmen'' (''Les Quarante-cinq'' in French) is a historical novel by Alexandre Dumas, written between 1847 and 1848 in collaboration with

Auguste Maquet Auguste Maquet (; 13 September 1813 – 8 January 1888) was a French author, best known as the chief collaborator of French novelist Alexandre Dumas, père, co-writing such works as ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' and ''The Three Musketeers''. ...

. Set in 1585 and 1586 during the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mi ...

, it is the third and final work in his Valois trilogy, concluding the events of '' La Reine Margot'' and ''

La Dame de Monsoreau ''La Dame de Monsoreau'' is a historical novel by Alexandre Dumas, père published in 1846. It owes its name to the counts who owned the famous château de Montsoreau. The novel is concerned with fraternal royal strife at the court of Henri III ...

'', and again featuring Chicot the Jester. It tells the story of Diane de Méridor's quest for revenge upon the Duke of Anjou – for his betrayal of Bussy d’Amboise. The novel features Forty-five guards - lesser nobility recruited by Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette, Duke of Épernon, to provide Henry III of France with trusted protection in the midst of the War of the Three Henrys. The story opens thirteen years after the

Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre (french: Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy) in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence, directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) during the French War ...

and ten years into the reign of Henry III as he tries to calm the religious and political intrigues dividing the kingdom. Dumas fictionalised the action, including Henry of Navarre's capture of

Cahors Cahors (; oc, Caors ) is a commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitanie Region. The main city of the Lot department and the historical center of the Que ...

(which actually occurred in 1580) and the attack on Antwerp (re-dated by Dumas from 1583 to 1585 or 1586) and including

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

(who had actually been assassinated in 1584) and the

Duke of Anjou The Count of Anjou was the ruler of the County of Anjou, first granted by Charles the Bald in the 9th century to Robert the Strong. Ingelger and his son, Fulk the Red, were viscounts until Fulk assumed the title of Count of Anjou. The Robertians ...

(who died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

in 1584 but who Dumas shows being encouraged to covet the crown of the Low Countries by William and fulfilling a prediction by Côme Ruggieri in ''La Reine Margot''). He also makes Count Henri du Bouchage's retreat from the world to become a

Capuchin friar The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...

a result of the coldness of Diane de Méridor, whereas historically he did so from grief for his wife's death.

External links

*
''The Forty-Five Guardsmen''
on

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References

Novels by Alexandre Dumas Novels about royalty 1848 French novels Novels set in the 16th century Novels set in Early Modern France Fiction set in the 1580s Cultural depictions of William the Silent {{1840s-novel-stub cs:Králův šašeken fr:Les Quarante-cinq hy:Քառասունհինգ it:Quarantacinque pl:Czterdziestu pięciu pt:Os Quarenta e Cinco ro:Cei patruzeci și cinci ru:Сорок пять uk:Сорок п'ять

See also

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References