ib_newport


 * IB History Internal Assessment HL
 * To what extent is the novel “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas historically accurate and a useful source for historians? ||
 * **Abigail Kate Newport** ||
 * **[Pick the date]** ||
 * **[Pick the date]** ||

Contents Plan of the Investigation. 1 Summary of Evidence. 1 Characters. 1 Queen Anne. 1 Cardinal Richelieu. 1 D’Artagnan. 2 Musketeers. 2 Events. 2 Marriage of Anne of Austria to King Louis XIII of France. 2 Murder of the Duke. 2 Evaluation of Sources. 2 Analysis. 3 Conclusion. 3 List of Sources. 4 Primary Source. 4 Articles. 4 Books. 4 Website. 5



Plan of the Investigation NAME the characters you will investigate and the events you will assess for accuracy. The sources you list are FAR too superficial – in particular using “Sparknotes” as one of your two stated sources is AWFUL – this is just a revision/cribsheet for students, not a proper academic source/article by a very long way!!! This study will seek to answer the question ‘To what extent is the novel “The Three Musketeers” historically accurate and a useful source for historians?’. I chose this question because I am interested in historical fiction and this novel is a historical mile mark of the genre. This topic is important because this novel is the first of its kind, a fast-paced historically based novel that focuses more on the story than on the fact. This novel is useful to modern day historians as it gives a singular view of 19thand 20th century France. I have researched two main aspects of the book for historical accuracy, characters and events. I will use books, //The Three Musketeers, The Memoirs of D’Artagnon// websites, and articles. Summary of Evidence The History channel website needs to be properly referenced. You need to reference many more sources. You only use 2 or 3 here: QUOTING and then REFERENCING is very important.

Queen Anne
Queen Anne of Austria, according to Dumas, is a goddess of beauty and innocence. He describes Anne of Austria as the most beautiful woman ever to exist. (Dumas 189) He also makes Anne appear to be a victim of forced loneliness. “…Donna Estafania— the only one of her Spanish women who had not been driven from her by the jealousy of the king or by the persecutions of Richelieu.” (Dumas 189), although he gave her the faith and support of the people “Let whoever likes talk of the king and the cardinal, and how he likes; but the queen is sacred, and if anyone speaks of her, let it be respectfully.” (Dumas 41) Dumas accurately transcribes the rumors that Queen Anne is having an affair with the Duke of Buckingham, though fleshed out of course. Anne was Spanish by birth and during the French and Spanish in 1635 she finds herself between her husband and her brother (The Biography Channel website) as Dumas shows.

Cardinal Richelieu
Richelieu is a very powerful church leader that is portrayed by Dumas a having a grudge against Anne of Austria for refusing his advances. Dumas supplies him with soldiers and spies to find him information for blackmail of the Queen. He is portrayed as power hungry and corrupt in this novel. Actual historical fact does not closely associate Richelieu with Anne, though Richelieu did accuse Anne of treason and question her loyalty to France several times (The Biography Channel website). The real Richelieu was power hungry, but was a skilled statesman who due to unpopularity had to constantly watch his back while in the royal court. He did not have the trust of the King, which may account for the devious manner that the Richelieu from the novel uses with the King.

D’Artagnan
Dumas write D’Artagnan as a “knight in shining armor” that hails from Gascony and began as a poor nobleman. This character was based on the real life, Charles de Batz-Castelmore, of Gascony. He took the name Sieur of Artagnan and had a distinguished career under Mazarin and Louis XIV, rather than his fictional counterpart’s career under Richelieu and Louis XIII.

Musketeers
The three musketeers for which the book is named are Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. They are based on Armand de Sillegue, Isaac de Portau, and Henry d’Aramitz, real Musketeers that were associated with Sieur of Artagnan and M. Treville characters of the novel.

Marriage of Anne of Austria to King Louis XIII of France
Dumas’s portrayal of the French Royal family can be summed up in this quote, “It is well known how violent the king’s prejudices were against the queen, and how carefully these prejudices were kept up by the cardinal…” (Dumas 227) In reality, Anne of Austria and King Louis XIII of France were married via an arranged proxy wedding. The relationship was without love and trust;, the relationship between the two was very rocky. Another aspect of this marriage that Dumas points out is the desire for an heir. Anne’s first three children were stillborn so the comment, “‘What is he waiting for?’ asked another. ‘Only till the queen has given an heir to the crown of France.” (Dumas 40) is historically accurate and in true Dumas fashion fits smoothly into the story and tone of the novel.

Murder of the Duke
This is one of a few historical events included in the piece, and true to Dumas’s style it flows with the story. The account given in the novel is highly fictionalized compared with the actual account of the incident. The eyewitness account describes John Felton a lieutenant as stabbing the Duke as he was leaving a parlor. The Duke was killed with one blow, after uttering one more word “Villain!” and attempting to return the blow. (The Murder of Buckingham) In Dumas’s version the Duke is stabbed once by John Felton while the two are in his office. The Duke does not attempt to retaliate and is able to receive and respond to a message from Anne as well as make a last present to her before his death. Evaluation of Sources This section correctly identifies the need to look at two separate sources, but the structure of each needs to be looked at again. The points being made are fine, but for each sources look at VALUES then LIMITATIONS explicitly in two paragraphs, then within each look at ORIGIN and PURPOSE as appropriate. You must be very methodical in this approach. Alternatively, you can use this approach instead: “The origin of source A is…From this we can deduce that its purpose… On this basis, the source is valuable because…Nevertheless it also has some limitations in the sense that…” Don’t be superficial, have specific facts-not stock answers This section correctly identifies the need to look at two separate sources, but the structure of each needs to be looked at again. The points being made are fine, but for each sources look at VALUES then LIMITATIONS explicitly in two paragraphs, then within each look at ORIGIN and PURPOSE as appropriate. You must be very methodical in this approach. Alternatively, you can use this approach instead: “The **origin** of source A is…From this we can deduce that its **purpose**… On this basis, the source is **valuable** because…Nevertheless it also has some **limitations** in the sense that…” You MUST replace your choice of “Sparknotes” as one of your sources – it is far too trivial a source to use for an IA.”. D'Artagnan. //Memoirs of Monsieur D'Artagnan Volume I- The Cadet//. Trans. Ralph Nevill. Vol. I. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1903. III vols. online. . This source is the first volume of the Memoirs that the novel was based on. This memoir could have been published and written by anyone, in fact Dumas believed that he was plagiarizing his story when he was first writing it. This source is useful for comparing the result with what it was based on, the adventures of a Musketeer. This memoir was based on a real person, so it is more historically and realistically accurate, but as it is very old and not a well read and circulated volume it could have been embellished over the years or even mostly fabricated when written, as a book of tall tale by an old Musketeer. Analysis This section requires much more development using the guidance provided to the left. At present it is far too underdeveloped. ▪ This is the main part of the study, and should be written in the same format as an IB essay. You could follow this format 1. Different interpretations: What are the main debates between historians and commentators on your subject? In other words, what are the most obvious points of disagreement between the sources you have used in Sections B and C? (remember quotes and footnotes!) 2. Critical analysis of evidence: In the context of the debates outline above, outline the strengths and limitations of the sources you have used in Sections B and C. Accurately footnote each and every source using the Harvard Author-Date system. Phrases like "...and this witness is particularly reliable because..." and "...although we need to bear in mind that there are limitations to this source because..." are helpful here. There are different views on Dumas’s peculiar mix of history and fiction. One team of educators says, “Part of what made Dumas’s novel so popular is his use of historical events and characters. Queen Anne of Austria was real, as was her husband (Louis XIII), Cardinal Richelieu, and others. Also, a man named John Felton really did assassinate the Duke of Buckingham.” (Shmoop Editorial Team) This view sees a large amount of historical accuracy that accounts for the long-lasting nature of the novel. Another group of educators see the novel a something less historical. “The novel creates a Romance of history that is sweeping, entertaining, and grand, and takes out all the bits that might have made his public uncomfortable…Dumas was far more concerned with creating interesting fiction, and tying that into history, than in remaining blindly loyal to history.” (SparkNote Editors) The first group sees the largest positive aspect of the novel as its historical accuracy, the second value the novel for its devotion to the story, while Stan Levi sees the novel as a commentary on royal intrigue. “Dumas, a master of historical research, painted a vibrant picture of the ebb and flow of deceit and intrigue at all levels in the royal palace.” (Levi 80) While these scholars all see a certain amount of historical accuracy in this novel, they value it differently. Shmoop sees it as the reason for the novel’s continued existence and popularity, while SparkNotes sees the historical fact a by-product of writing the novel in this extensively romanticized setting, while Levi sees novel as a political cry to reveal the intrigue so prevalent the corrupt royal courts, and that may be coming back. Conclusion The conclusion cannot be completely consistent with the argument presented because the argument itself as expressed in Section D is not particularly clear. The story is a fabricated event about characters that are based on fact. Dumas has taken well known political figures of the time, such as, Cardinal Richelieu and Anne of Austria, and placed them in a plausible, though untrue set of events. While he does use wherever possible, Dumas’s first priority was to his story. He fabricated some characters to make the story possible, such as Milady, and embellished others, such as Richelieu, to give the story its atmosphere of intrigue and deception. This book is useful to historians as a window to how the French people of 1844 saw the royal family that they had overthrown less than a century before. This book is also a turning point for adventure/historical novels. This book is the first of its plentiful kind.
 * Look at military, economic, and socio-economic factors
 * Mention different sides of the argument
 * Reuse points from before, if relevant
 * Possibly use this structure: Different interpretations, then Critical analysis of evidence

The list of sources is thorough and broad-ranging. However, the vast majority of these sources are not referenced at any point in the study so there is no evidence that they have actually been used. =List of Sources= Blashfield, E. W. and E. H. Blashfield. "The Paris of the Three Musketeers." //Scribner's Magizine// August 1890: 135-155. online. . //Cardinal Richelieu//. n.d. online. 12 September 2013. . Cohen, Richard. //By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions//. New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2012. Online. . D'Artagnan. //Memoirs of Monsieur D'Artagnan Volume I- The Cadet//. Trans. Ralph Nevill. Vol. I. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1903. III vols. online. . —. //Memoirs of Monsieur D'Artagnan, Volume III-The Captain//. Trans. Ralph Nevill. Vol. III. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1903. III vols. online. . —. //Memoirs of Monsieur D'Artagnan, Volume II-The Lieutenant//. Trans. Ralph Nevill. Vol. II. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1903. III vols. online. . Dumas, Alexandre. //The Three Musketeers//. Planet ebook, 1844. online. . Good, Oliver. //One for all: a history of The Three Musketeers films//. 29 September 2011. online. 19 September 2013. . Levi, Steven. //Use History Like a Tool: An Unconventional Guide to Reading the Past and Managing the Future//. Aberdeen, WA: Silver Lake Publishing, 2003. online. . Michaud. //Michaud's History of the Crusades//. Trans. W. Robson. London: George Routledge and Co.,, 1852. online. . Shmoop Editorial Team. //The Three Musketeers//. 11 November 2008. Shmoop University, Inc. . online. 2013 November 11. . SparkNote Editors. //SparkNote on the Three Musketeers//. n.d. SparkNotes LLC. n.d. online. 10 September 2013. . The Biography Channel website. //Anne of Austria//. 2013. 12 September 2013. . //The Murder of Buckingham//. n.d. online. 12 September 2013. .

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