In 1667 d’Artagnan was ennobled as the Count of d’Artagnan. His social rise provoked jealousy and accusations of usurpation, as the title technically belonged to his cousin Joseph de Montesquiou. Nevertheless, the monarchy turned a blind eye to this irregularity, allowing d’Artagnan to secure his place in high society.
He led a lavish lifestyle befitting his rank. Starting in October 1668 he rented an elegant house between the Louvre and the Musketeers’ barracks, at the corner of the Rue du Bac and the Quai de la Grenouillière. Though demolished in 1881, a detailed notarial inventory has preserved its description.
Behind a large carriage entrance, the courtyard—decorated with Dutch porcelain vases—could accommodate two richly adorned coaches. On the ground floor were the kitchen and pantry, where his maid Fiacrine Pinon lived. D’Artagnan, frequently away, rarely dined there.
On the first floor, an antechamber opened onto a luxurious bedroom with a view over the Seine. Furnished with a high walnut canopy bed and wall tapestries, the room also featured a wardrobe. From the window, one could see the Louvre, the Pont Rouge and the Pont Neuf.
The second floor mirrored the first: an antechamber, a richly decorated bedroom with Flemish tapestries, fine wooden furniture and a grand bed draped in brocatelle. A nearby boudoir, adorned with tapestries and engravings, held a portrait of Cardinal Mazarin— a memento from d’Artagnan’s early career.
The third floor was less refined, with a large room, attic and garret. A wine cellar—empty at the time of the inventory—must once have held fine wines, managed by his personal sommelier.
The home’s elegance extended to d’Artagnan’s wardrobe: rich fabrics, brocade, velvet and refined accessories that reflected both his status and his impeccable style. The house’s panoramic view of the Seine was a rare luxury in a city where most homes were dark and unsanitary.
Yet d’Artagnan was not a man of domestic life. Above all he was a soldier—rarely home, always on duty for the King. His rise to power reflects the ambition and determination of a young Gascon cadet who climbed to the highest echelons of the monarchy.
