Much like Shakespeare, Dumas used actual historical events and figures to keep interest. Both authors satirized real events and set them in the past in order to avoid controversy. Also like Shakespeare, the novel was wildly popular in its day. 

The Three Musketeers has never been banned. 

The Three Musketeers was published in serials, appearing one chapter at a time in the Parisian newspaper Le Siècle from March 14, 1844 to July 1, 1844.
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There have been thirty-four movie adaptations of The Three Musketeers. So, on average, there has been a film adaptation of The Three Musketeers made, on average, every 3.5 years.

The basic tenants of the work, according to Schmoop: ​

1. Save the good people.
   From the very first pages of The Three Musketeers, D’Artagnan is on one impossible quest after another to be the savior of everyone and their mom: France, King Louis XIII, Queen Anne, the Duke of Buckingham, his friends, their servants, Constance Bonacieux. 
2. Get rid of the bad guys.
   Along the way D’Artagnan must defeat the evil Cardinal Richelieu, the even more evil Milady, and battle a seemingly infinite number of skilled adversaries. Countless duels, battles, and military onslaughts abound.
3. Get help from your group of buddies.
   Who could forget that D’Artagnan gets by with a little help from his friends? Without Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, our hero would have gotten absolutely nowhere. Oh, and he helps them every now and then too.
4. Get the girl.
   Well, this one doesn’t exactly work out... but not for lack of trying.
5. A bunch of other stuff added just to spice things up.
   Twists and turns in the plot and a constant switch from one village/city/region/country to another ensure that this epic tale grips you from beginning to end.