Milady de Winter, often referred to as simply Milady, is a fictional character in the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père. She acts as a spy for Cardinal Richelieu and is one of the chief antagonists of the story. A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... DArtagnan and the Musketeers The Three Musketeers (Les Trois Mousquetaires) is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. ... Alexandre Dumas, père, born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (July 24, 1802 – December 5, 1870), is best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him the most widely read French author in the world. ... Spy and secret agent redirect here; for alternate use, see Spy (disambiguation) and Secret agent (disambiguation). ... Cardinal Richelieu was the French chief minister from 1624 until his death. ...

A woman with a checkered past, seemingly filled with nothing beyond the seduction and willful destruction of men who will provide her with the least bit of monetary support, Milady is remorseless and unrepentant for her countless misdeeds. Late in the novel, after the reader is already presented with numerous examples of her villany, she is revealed to be the wife of Athos, one of the musketeers in the title of the novel. Encountering her after she had already been the downfall for many individuals, he witnessed a brand on her shoulder while they were out amid the woods one day. Identifying her as a thief of Church vessels, Athos (then, the Comte de le la Fere) hangs her on the spot without lethal results (When Athos first recounts the story earlier in the novel the reader is horrified at his summary execution without even a discussion, but by the time his wifes identity is revealed the reader only feels regret that she was not killed by the rope). Athos is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père. ... A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth-bore long gun. ...

After being expelled by Athos she eventually winds up in the employ of the Cardinal Richelieu; working as his spy, assassin, and messenger. On mission from the Cardinal, and to save her own life when her current husband discovered her past actions, she seduces John Felton, persuading him to kill the Duke of Buckingham. Returning to France, she murders d'Artagnan's lover, Constance, when the two happen upon one another. For her multiple murders, and for the other deaths she has caused, Milady is judged by the musketeers, the brother of her husband Lord de Winter, and by the executioner of Lille; the group having proceeded to track and hunt Milady after the death of Constance. The executioner of Lille, who placed the brand upon her shoulder years ago, beheads her in one of the last scenes of the novel. She uses or is referred to by the following names throughout the novel: John Felton (died November, 1628) was an English Puritan who stabbed George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham to death in Portsmouth, because he believed that he harmed too many people. ... George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham by Rubens George Villiers (August 28, 1592 – August 23, 1628) was the 1st Duke of Buckingham of the second creation (1623) of that title and a favourite of King James I of England and then of Charles I. He was born in Brooksby, Leicestershire... Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte dArtagnan (c. ... City motto: – City proper (commune) Région Nord-Pas de Calais Département Nord (59) Mayor Martine Aubry (PS) (since 2001) Area 39. ...

• Charlotte Backson
• Anne de Breuil
• Comtesse de la Fere
• Milady de Winter, Baroness of Sheffield
• Milady Clarik

In the sequel, Twenty Years After, Milady's son Mordaunt reprises her role as one of the chief antagonists. Twenty Years After (Vingt ans après) is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. ...

Film and television

Actresses who have played Milady on screen include:

• Lana Turner, in The Three Musketeers (1948)
• Faye Dunaway, in The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974)
• Rebecca De Mornay, in The Three Musketeers (1993)