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Have the Remains of Famed Musketeer d'Artagnan Been Found?

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  March 27, 2026 9:00 AM

"The Three Musketeers," another seminal work by French author Alexandre Dumas that inspired dozens of film adaptations, is the stuff of pop culture and historical legend. Now it seems the remains of d'Artagnan, the French soldier who originally inspired Dumas' story, have been found in the Dutch city of Maastricht, where d'Artagnan died in 1673 at the age of 61 or 62.

Born Charles de Batz de Castelmore in 1611, he served King Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard. He died on June 25, 1673 at the siege of Maastricht during the Franco-Dutch War.

Here's more:

The skeleton was found in Maastricht, in the nave of a modern church whose origins date back to at least the 13th century, during repairs related to a partial floor collapse in February, reported L1 Nieuws, a media outlet in the province of Limburg.

Charles de Batz de Castelmore, known as d'Artagnan, the famous musketeer of Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV, spent his life in the service of the French crown.

The Gascon nobleman inspired Alexandre Dumas's hero in "The Three Musketeers" in the 19th century, a character now known worldwide thanks to the novel and numerous film adaptations.

D'Artagnan was killed during the siege of Maastricht in 1673, and there is a statue honoring the musketeer in the city. His final resting place has remained a mystery ever since.

This is a significant historical find, if the remains are confirmed to belong to Castelmore.

That would be the ideal outcome of this accidental discovery.

It was rumored that Castelmore was buried at the church, but there had been no evidence of this until now.

This is reminiscent of the time they found the remains of Richard III under a parking lot.

While Castelmore's life in and of itself was full of service to the French Crown, most people know the highly fictionalized version of the books and film. He's been portrayed by dozens of actors, including Orrin Johnson (1916), Gene Kelly (1948), Jim Backus (1964), Michael York (1973), Chris O'Donnell (1993), and Francois Civil (2023).