Château d’if

Waves crashed against the shore, and he could feel the ocean salt spray upon his cheeks.  Edmond Dantès was being unjustly held in this life-wrenching prison for reasons unknown to him.  He was born into wealth, and now here he stewed; even the love of his life thought he was dead.  After spending 10 years of planning his escape, he made a legendary run for his life that no man had ever attempted.  He had carved a tunnel through the wall of the prison leading to the outside world--in search of his one true love.

Although The Count of Monte Cristo is a fictional story, and Edmond Dantès was never a real prisoner at the island prison Château d’if, that is the story that has made the prison famous. In 1515 the island was vacant before the French King Francois decided to build the Château on the island of If, to improve Marseille's defenses.  There was a special visitor that year that brought this idea to the king; the visitor was an Indian rhinoceros. The rhino was a gift, given from King Emmanuel I of Portugal to Pope Leo X, an exotic creature completely unknown on the European mainland.  The ship carrying the rhino was on its way to Rome when it unfortunately became shipwrecked on the island of If. Upon hearing of this the French King Francois I was unable to resist curiosity.  He having never seen a rhino came down from Paris to Marseille to see this creature for himself. (Openshaw)  While on the Island, King Francois’ eyes were opened to the idea of how central the island was for the incoming ports and how it could be used as a wall of safety from any unwanted visitors from the sea. 

After a few weeks the ship was repaired and resumed its journey to Rome, but the ship was caught in a sudden storm and was wrecked off the Genoa coast in Italy.  The rhino being chained to the deck of the ship was unable to swim and escape drowning.  Its carcass was fished out of the sea and sent back to Lisbon.  The Pope later received a stuffed rhino, however the tale of the rhino doesn’t end there.  During the rhino’s visit to the island of If a German painter and printmaker, Albrecht Durer, happened to sketch the rhino.  He then proceeded to make a woodcut of the animal from his drawings. (Kurup) The wooden statue of the rhino was inaccurate in some respects having carved the animal out of wood.  He designed it with hard plates that covered its body like sheets of armor, with a gorget at the throat, a solid-looking breastplate, and rivets along the seams; he also placed a small twisted horn on its back, and gave it scaly legs and saw-like rear quarters.  The rhino is now known as Dürer's Rhinoceros. (“Wikipedia”) 

In 1524, a few years after the rhino’s visit, the building of the new military fortress began under the instruction of Francois I, King of France. (jaseroque) The fortress is located on the island of If, which is the smallest island in the Frioul Archipelago situated in the Mediterranean Sea about a mile off shore in the bay of Marseille in southeastern France. The Château is a square, three-story building 28 meters long on each side, flanked by three towers with large cannons. The remainder of the island, which only measures 30,000 square meters, is heavily fortified; cannons on all sides set on the island's cliffs. It was built as a defense for the attacks from the sea, but it being built in a hurry made the foundation and structure of the fortress unlikely to withstand any real attacks.  Luckily the fortress never saw any military action.  The one time that it came to a genuine test of strength was in July 1531, when the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V made preparations to attack Marseille. However, he abandoned the invasion plan, perhaps feeling challenged by the presence of the castle on If. ("Wikipedia 2") 

In the mid-16th century the Château became a prison.  Being escape proof because of its isolated position and dangerous offshore currents, France quickly started occupying the prison cells with prisoners.  As was common in those times, the prisoners were placed in different cells according to their class and wealth.  The poorest occupants were literally placed in the lowest level of the prison, being confined to a windowless dungeon.  They were forced to live in dirty overcrowded conditions with many prisoners chained to the wall, others were beaten, or forced to work, most of them starving to death. ("Crime Museum")  The wealthier prisoners were placed in upper cells, private, with a fireplace, and a window.  Comfortable but they were expected to pay for their own incarceration.  There is a certain one of the towers that contains the chilling "oubliette," which comes from the verb "oublier" meaning to forget... the prisoners were walled up in this room and forgotten.  Presumably they slowly starved to death. (jaseroque)  In the novel The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantès makes a spectacular escape from the island, yet in reality, not one prisoner ever actually escaped.  

Most prisoners suffered and died inside their cells, one actually arrived already dead.  He was one of the Château’s famous prisoners, named General Jean-Baptiste Kléber.  The General had been assassinated in Egypt and his body on returning to France was housed at the Château d’If where it stayed for eighteen years until finally being allowed to return to his birthplace in the north. (Plano) Some more of the Château’s prisoners consisted of Gaston Crémieux, one of the leaders of the Paris Commune—he was executed at the prison in 1871.  A number of political prisoners and religious dissendents also served their prison terms in Chateau d'If, including more than 3,500 French Huguenots. Huguenots were French Protestants practicing their religion in France.  ("National Huguenot Society") 

After serving its purpose as an inescapable prison the Château's use as a prison ceased at the end of the 19th century.  As of September 23, 1890 it was open to the public as a museum. Tourists come from all over the world to experience the setting of the fictional novel The Count of Monte Cristo, and to see where the famous Edmond Dantès was held unjustly for ten years.  Prior to the Château opening tо the public, the writer, Mark Twain even took the time to visit the Château in July, 1867.  During а month’s long pleasure excursion, he recounts his visit in one of his books, The Innocents Abroad.  He says а guide took his party inside a particular prison cell, which was the cell that had been occupied by the "Iron Mask." There is а sign at the Château that says “Prison dite de l'Homme au Masque de Fer” or “man in the iron mask prison” This is likely only legend since the Man in the Iron Mask was never held at the Chateau d'If. ("Wikipedia 2")  

To reach the museum one would need to ride a ferry out to the island.  Which may sound expensive, but the museum has made things very affordable.  It is a great place for the whole family to spend a day in a “drafty” environment.  The tours go from early morning till early evening. ("Castles and Palaces of the World") If you are a fan of the fictional novel The Count of Monte Cristo, you will enjoy the parts of the tour where the guides show you Edmond Dantès’ cell and the tunnel that he carved from one cell to the other in order to reach his true love.  There are writings on the wall symbolizing his long stay at the Château, though he was never there.  But if you love fiction, you will love Dantès’ cell. 

About to begin his journey for the outside world, Dantès takes one last look at his friend, with tears of terror and love in his eyes.  His friend rests his hand on Dantès’ shoulder and says his final words, “Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next.  What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome.  Do your worst, for I will do mine!  Then the fates will know you as we know you”. ― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas) 

Bibliography

·         Openshaw, Gabriel. "Openshaw360." . N.p., 06/05/09. Web. 6 Aug 2012. <http://www.openshaw360.com/marseille-and-the-chateau-dif/>.  (Openshaw)

·         Kurup, Saira. "The Pope's Indian rhinoceros." The times of India. TNN, 09/09/07. Web. 6 Aug 2012. <http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-09-09/india/27977961_1_rhino-marseille-chateau>.  (Kurup)

·          "Dürer's Rhinoceros." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.,, 06/22/12. Web. 6 Aug 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dürer's_Rhinoceros>.  ("Wikipedia")

·         jaseroque, . "Chateau d'If of Marseille: the prison of the Count of Monte Cristo." Epinions, 12 19 1999. Web. Web. 6 Aug. 2012. <http://www.epinions.com/review/trvl-Dest-Europe-France-Provence/trvl-review-70CD-3FCA27A-38567298-prod4?sb=1>.  (jaseroque)

·         Château d'If." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 07/10/12. Web. 6 Aug 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_d'If>.  ("Wikipedia 2")

·          "Château d'If." Crime Museum. National Museum of Crime & Punishment, n.d. Web. 6 Aug 2012. <http://www.crimemuseum.org/library/imprisonment/chateauDIf.html>.  ("Crime Museum")

·         Plano, Angela de. "A Place : Château d’If." LANGUEDOC & PROVENCE SUN. 2012 Languedoc & Provence Sun, n.d. Web. 6 Aug 2012. <http://www.languedocsun.com/Audio-articles/a-place-chateau-dif.html>.  (Plano)

·         "Who were the Huguenot's?." The National Huguenot Society. The National Huguenot Society, 10/06/09. Web. 6 Aug 2012. <http://www.huguenot.netnation.com/general/huguenot.htm>.  ("National Huguenot Society")

·         "Château d'If." Castles and Palaces of the World. Every Castle, n.d. Web. 6 Aug 2012. <http://www.everycastle.com/Chateau-d-If.html>.  ("Castles and Palaces of the World")

·         Dumas, Alexandre. "The Count of Monte Cristo Quotes."Good Reads. Good Reads inc. , n.d. Web. 6 Aug 2012. <http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/391568-le-comte-de-monte-cristo>.  (Dumas)