D'Artagnan's Skeleton Found in Maastricht Church

0:00On March 25th, archaeologists in the Netherlands have uncovered a skeleton under the floor of St. Peter and Paul Church in Maastricht that could belong to the real-life musketeer, Dartanian. This Charles de Bats de Castamore served as a top aid to France's sun king Louis XIV and died during the siege of the city in 1673, more than 350 years ago. His story later inspired Alexander Dumas' famous tales of the three musketeers. The remains turned up when church workers noticed broken tiles and started digging, first finding a wall, and then calling in experts. The skeleton lay right beneath the spot where an altar once stood 200 years back, in an area linked to the French Army's camp during that summer siege. Local Deacon Hosse Valky feels 99% sure it's Dartanian, pointing to clues like burial on sacred ground and items found nearby. The archaeologist on site, Wim Dijkman, stays more reserved as a scientist but shares high hopes after researching the grave for 28 years.

1:03Key evidence includes a muskete bullet believed to be the one that killed him in the throat, plus a coin from 1660 tied to the bishop who served Louis XIV. Samples from the bones are now under DNA analysis in Germany, with others headed to diventer to check age, origin, sex, and more. If Tess confirmed the identity, it would rewrite a slice of history for this daring captain of the king's guards, finally giving the legendary figure A, proper resting place after centuries of rumors. That's the story for today. Global news today, driven by AI.