'Pierre Picaud' was a shoemaker who was living in
Paris in
1807. Picaud was engaged to marry a rich woman, but four jealous friends falsely accused him of being a
spy for
England. He was imprisoned for seven years. During his imprisonment a dying fellow prisoner bequeathed him a
treasure hidden in
Milan. When Picaud was released in
1814, he took possession of the treasure, returned under another name to Paris and spent ten years plotting his successful revenge against his former friends. His life was used as the basis of ''
The Count of Monte Cristo'' by
Alexandre Dumas, père.
References
★ www.mtholyoke.edu : The Underworld
[1]
★ www.nst.com : Blazing the Movie Trail
[2]