Etienne Du Junca

On 11 October 1690, Etienne Du Junca entered the Bastille.

An officer of the guards under M. de Duras, Du Junca had worked his way through the ranks before being selected for service at the Bastille. He took up the post of lieutenant du roi, the second highest rank after the governor. Here, he deputised for Besmaux, the aged governor, who was now too old to carry out his full duties.

Upon taking up his post, Du Junca began a register in which he recorded prisoners who entered the Bastille. In a second register, begun the same day, he recorded those were released or who died in prison. In due course, he would note details of the entry, and the death and burial of the man who was to become the Man in the Iron Mask.