Dutch city investigates if famous musketeer lies within its borders
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Historians and archaeologists in Maastricht, Netherlands, are working to determine if the remains discovered beneath Saint Peter and Saint Paul church belong to Charles de Batz de Castelmore, known as d’Artagnan.
The famed musketeer of Louis XIV’s court died in 1673 during the siege of Maastricht, and researchers believe he may have been buried locally, consistent with the practice of burying soldiers where they fell.
Historian Odile Bordaz and archaeologist Wim Dijkman have investigated this possibility for thirty years, pointing to historical records and the location of the discovery near Louis XIV’s headquarters during the siege. Initial archaeological work was interrupted when the municipality deemed the digs illegal and placed Dijkman under arrest after he refused to return bone fragments for analysis.
New excavations are now underway led by a private company and Saxion University of Applied Sciences, with the University of Maastricht’s medical center analyzing the skeleton’s isotopic composition and ancient DNA. Preliminary findings indicate the remains are of a man between 44 and 66 years old, matching d’Artagnan’s age at death, but carbon dating proved inconclusive. However, isotopic analysis has yielded ambiguous results, suggesting either a diet rich in seafood or an origin outside of d’Artagnan’s native Gascony.
Descendants of d’Artagnan, including Aymeri de Montesquiou, have provided DNA samples for comparison. While genetic analysis could offer strong evidence, experts caution that genealogical records don’t always match biological reality and require testing across multiple family lines. If the remains are confirmed as d’Artagnan’s, discussions will begin regarding where he should be reinterred, potentially in France, or remaining in Maastricht.
