Time Period

By: Mr. Malone

Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers takes place in 1625. Overall, the author accurately incorporates elements of that time period in his novel.

Popular 17th Century Parisian Fashion

The technology depicted in The Three Musketeers paralleled the historical account, but certain details were excluded from the novel. Indoor plumbing was not available in 17th Century Europe, so European cities (like Paris) were dirty. Dumas downplayed the bad smells and gritty dirt roads that would have plagued Paris at this time. Transportation was accurately represented in the novel, as the characters rode on horses and in carriages.

The novel’s depiction of popular clothing during this time period is accurate; men wore tunics and wide-brimmed hats, while women wore smock and bonnets. Dumas accurately portrayed the European economy as well. Most Europeans did not have surplus money or goods because most common citizens were subsistence farmers or artisans.

Another emphatic portion of city life in the novel is the duel. Duels were actually common among the

Three Musketeers duel against the Cardinal's Guards

aristocracy, just as portrayed in the novel, though it’s unlikely that the Musketeers would have participated in a duel with a commoner like d’Artagnan. Typically, only soldiers carried swords into public, but it’s possible that d’Artagnan would have had a sword, as he was looking to become a Musketeer.

Dumas’ depiction of European politics during this time period was fairly accurate. Spain, a former world superpower, was in the midst of a downfall because its gold and silver surplus from the New World was dwindling. France declared war on Spain ten years after the novel was set. France was beginning to see profits from its overseas colonies, while Italy (who France battled during this time period) was comprised of individual city-states (which makes the novel’s depiction of Italy less than historically accurate).