Among the Prominent Families Engaged in Poisoning, Who Was the Most Notorious?
Catherine Deshayes, "La Voisin ", 17th-century impress of her portrait held by a winged devil.
The Affair of the Poisons (French: 50'affaire des poisons) was a major murder scandal in France during the reign of King Louis Fourteen. Between 1677 and 1682, a number of prominent members of the aristocracy were implicated and sentenced on charges of poisoning and witchcraft. The scandal reached into the inner circumvolve of the king. It led to the execution of 36 people.[1]
Context and origin [edit]
The case began in 1675 later the trial of Madame de Brinvilliers, who was accused of having conspired with her lover, army helm Godin de Sainte-Croix, to poison her father Antonine Dreux d'Aubray in 1666 and two of her brothers, Antoine d'Aubray and François d'Aubray, in 1670, in social club to inherit their estates. In that location were as well rumours that she had poisoned poor people during her visits to hospitals.
After being accused, she fled just was arrested in Liège. Madame de Brinvilliers was tortured and confessed, was sentenced to expiry, and on 17 July was tortured with the water cure (forced to drink 16 pints of h2o) and then beheaded, and her body burned at the pale. Her alleged accomplice Sainte-Croix did non face charges because he had died of natural causes in 1672.
The sensational trial drew attending to other mysterious deaths, starting rumours. Prominent people, including Louis XIV, became alarmed that they might exist poisoned.
Implications and investigation [edit]
The thing proper opened in Feb 1677 afterward the arrest of Magdelaine de La Grange on charges of forgery and murder. La Grange appealed to François Michel Le Tellier, Marquis of Louvois, claiming that she had data near other crimes of high importance. Louvois reported to the king, who told Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie, who, amid other things, was the chief of the Paris police, to root out the poisoners. La Reynie sought to calm the male monarch. The subsequent investigation of potential poisoners led to accusations of witchcraft, murder and more.
Regime rounded up a number of fortune tellers and alchemists who were suspected of selling not only divinations, séances and aphrodisiacs, but as well "inheritance powders" (a euphemism for poison). Some of them confessed nether torture and gave authorities lists of their clients, who had allegedly bought poison to get rid of their spouses or rivals in the royal court.
The virtually famous case was that of the midwife Catherine Deshayes Monvoisin or La Voisin, who was arrested in 1679 later on she was incriminated by the poisoner Marie Bosse. La Voisin implicated several important courtiers. These included Olympia Mancini, the Countess of Soissons, her sis, the Duchess of Bouillon, François Henri de Montmorency, Knuckles of Luxembourg and, near importantly, the rex's mistress, Madame de Montespan.
Questioned while intoxicated,[ii] La Voisin claimed that Montespan had bought aphrodisiacs and performed blackness masses with her in gild to gain and go along the king'southward favour over rival lovers. She had worked with a priest named Étienne Guibourg. There was no evidence beyond her confessions, only bad reputations followed these people afterwards. Eleanor Herman, in her book Sex with Kings, claims that the police, given reports of "babies' bones", uncovered the remains of 2,500 infants in La Voisin's garden.[3] However, Anne Somerset disputes this in her book The Matter of the Poisons and states there is no mention of the garden being searched for human remains.[4]
Also involved in the scandal was Eustache Dauger de Cavoye, the eldest living scion of a prominent noble family. Cavoye was disinherited by his family when, in an act of debauchery, he chose to celebrate Skilful Fri with a blackness mass. Upon his disinheritance, he opened a lucrative trade in "inheritance powders" and aphrodisiacs. He mysteriously disappeared after the sharp ending of Louis's official investigation in 1678. Because of this and his name, he was once suspected of being the Human being in the Iron Mask. However, this theory has fallen out of favour because information technology is now known that he was imprisoned past his family in 1679 in the Prison Saint-Lazare.
The stop of the trial [edit]
La Voisin was sentenced to death for witchcraft and poisoning, and burned at the pale on 22 February 1680. Align Montmorency-Bouteville was briefly jailed in 1680, but was later released and became a captain of the guard. Minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert helped to hush things upwards.
De La Reynie re-established the special court, the Chambre Ardente ("burning courtroom"), to judge cases of poisoning and witchcraft. It investigated a number of cases, including many connected to nobles and courtiers in the king'south court. Over the years, the courtroom sentenced 34 people to decease for poisoning or witchcraft. Two died under torture and several courtiers were exiled. The court was abolished in 1682, considering the king could non gamble the publicity of such scandal. To this, Constabulary Chief Reynie said "the enormity of their crimes proved their safeguard."[1]
Aftermath [edit]
Perhaps the most important event of the scandal and subsequent persecutions was the expulsion from French republic of the Countess of Soissons. Her son remained in France, only to find that his mother'southward high-profile disgrace prevented him from realising his personal ambitions, as he was effectively barred from pursuing a military career. He would eventually leave French republic, nurturing a profound grudge against Louis Fourteen, and enter the service of France'southward sworn enemies, the Habsburgs. Prince Eugene of Savoy, or Prinz Eugen, would, in time, come up to exist known as one of the greatest generals of the age and ane of the factors behind the failure of Louis'southward bid for hegemony in Europe.
Condemned in the Poison Affair [edit]
The Poison Affair implicated 442 suspects: 367 orders of arrests were issued, of which 218 were carried out.[1] Of the condemned, 36 were executed; five were sentenced to the galleys and 23 to exile.[1] This excludes those who died in custody by torture or suicide.[1] Additionally, many accused were never brought to trial, merely placed outside of the justice system and imprisoned for life past a lettre de cachet.[ane]
Of the people who were condemned to perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet, 6 women were imprisoned at Château de Villefranche; 18 men at Château de Salces; 12 women at Belle-Île-en-Mer; ten men at Château de Besançon; 14 women at St Andre de Salins; and five women at Fort de Bains.[1]
Professionals [edit]
This lists those people of the Toxicant Affair who were sentenced or punished without verdict for having been professionally involved in criminal activity; as poisoners or occultists or in other ways associated with the organisation of la Voisin. Their punishment is mentioned after their name and part.
| Proper noun | Part | Penalization |
|---|---|---|
| Roger, Siegneur de Bachimont | alchemist, associate of Louis de Vanens | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at St. Andre de Salins |
| Marie de Bachimont | alchemist, associate of Louis de Vanens, spouse of Roger de Bachimont | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at St. Andre de Salins. |
| Mathurin Barenton | poisoner | executed in September 1681 |
| La Belliére | fortune teller | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet |
| François Belot | associate of La Voisin | executed in June 1679 |
| Martine Bergerot | fortune teller | |
| Betrand | poisoner, associate of La Voisin | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at Château de Salces |
| Denis Poculot, Sieur de Blessis | alchemist, lover of La Voisin | condemned to the galleys |
| Marie Bosse | fortune teller, poisoner | burned at the stake 8 May 1679 |
| Marie Bouffet | abortionist, associate of Marguerite Joly | hanged in December 1681 |
| Pierre Cadelan | acquaintance of Vanens | perpetual imprisonment past lettre de cachet (d. September 1684) |
| Jeanne Chanfrain | lover of Guibourg | |
| Magdelaine Chapelain | fortune teller, associate of Filastre | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at Belle-Île-en-Mer (1658-d. June 1724); the terminal condemned to die, of those whose engagement of death is known |
| Anne Cheron (fruit seller) | provider of objects for magic rituals | executed in June 1679 |
| Jacques Cotton | officiate at the blackness masses, associate of La Voisin | executed by called-for in 1680 |
| P. Dalmas | associate of La Chaboissiere | sent to a workhouse. |
| Giles Davot | officiate at the black masses, acquaintance of La Voisin | executed in 1681 |
| Etienne Debray | acquaintance of Deschault | executed in September 1681 |
| Marguerite Delaporte | poisoner, acquaintance of La Voisin | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at Belle-Île-en-Mer |
| Jacques Deschault (shepherd) | wizard | executed in 1681 |
| Louison Desloges | associate of Marguerite Joly | hanged in Dec 1681 |
| La Dodée | poisoner | committed suicide in prison |
| Louise Duscoulcye | lover of Dalmas, poisoner | |
| Françoise Filastre | poisoner | executed in 1680 |
| Louis Galet | poisoner | perpetual imprisonment past lettre de cachet at Château de Besançon |
| Mme Guesdon | poisoner | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet (1640–d. Baronial 1717) |
| Étienne Guibourg | officiate at the black masses, acquaintance of La Voisin | perpetual imprisonment past lettre de cachet at Château de Besançon |
| Marguerite Joly | fortune teller, poisoner | executed by called-for in December 1681 |
| Latour (mason) | associate of la Voisin | perpetual imprisonment past lettre de cachet at Château de Salces |
| Catherine Lepère | abortionist | executed in June 1679 |
| Adam Lesage | magician, officiate at black masses, associate of La Voisin | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at Château de Besançon |
| Catherine Leroy | associate of La Voisin and la Chaboissiere | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at Belle-Île-en-Mer |
| Jeanne Leroux | acquaintance of la Voisin | executed in April 1680 |
| Margot (servant of la Voisin) | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at St. Andre de Salins | |
| François Mariotte (abbe) | associate of la Voisin and Lesage | died in prison in 1682 |
| Anne Meline | poisoner, associate of Marguerite Joly | hanged in December 1681 |
| François Boucher, Vitomte de Montmayor | astrologer from Luxembourg | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at Château de Salces |
| Marguerite Monvoisin | daughter of La Voisin | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at Belle-Île-en-Mer |
| Christophe Moreau (shepherd) | magician, poisoner | executed in September 1681 |
| Romani | poisoner, associate of La Voisin | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at Château de Besançon |
| La Pelletière | fortune teller, provider of children for black masses, associate of La Voisin | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at Belle-Île-en-Mer |
| Maitre Pierre | poisoner | perpetual imprisonment past lettre de cachet |
| Anne Poligny | poisoner | executed in July 1681 |
| La Poignard | participated in arranging black masses | perpetual imprisonment past lettre de cachet |
| La Poulain | associate of La Voisin | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at Belle-Île-en-Mer |
| Catherine Trianon | poisoner, associate of La Voisin | committed suicide in prison in early 1681 |
| La Salomond | poisoner | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet |
| Denise Sandosme | poisoner | executed by hanging in July 1681 |
| Louis de Vanens | alchemist | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet at St. Andre de Salins, (d. Dec 1691) |
| Vautier | poisoner and associate of la Voisin | perpetual imprisonment by lettre de cachet |
| Marie Vigoreaux | associate of La Bosse | died under torture in May 1679 |
| La Voisin | fortune teller, poisoner | burned at the pale 22 February 1680 |
| Jean Bartholominat La Chaboissiere | valet of Louis de Vanens | the concluding executed in the Affair of the Poisons sixteen July 1682 |
Clients [edit]
This lists people involved in the Poisonous substance Affair by being clients of the professionals higher up. Their punishment is mentioned afterward their name and role.
| Name | Client of ... | Punishment |
|---|---|---|
| Benigne, Marquise de Alluye | La Voisin | fled country to avoid trial; was later allowed to render |
| Pierre Bonnard, secretary of duc de Grand duchy of luxembourg | Lesage | condemned to the galleys in May 1680 |
| Marie Brissart | La Voisin and Lesage | fined and exiled |
| Marie de Broglio, Marquise de Canilhac | La Voisin | never brought to trial |
| Anne Carada | Deschault and Debray | executed 25 June 1681 |
| Louis de Guilhem de Castelnau, marquis de Cessac | Lesage | fled country to avoid trial; returned in 1691 |
| Mme Cottard | Lesage | admonished and fined |
| Mme Desmaretz | Lesage | fined |
| Françoise de Dreux | La Voisin | exiled from the uppercase, merely the exile was never enforced |
| Madeleine de la Ferte, Marechale (d. 1720) | La Voisin | discharged |
| Antoine de Pas, Marquis de Feuquieres (d. 1711) | La Voisin | never brought to trial |
| Madame Ferry | La Voisin | executed in May 1679 |
| Marguerite Leféron | La Voisin | exiled from the majuscule and fined |
| Mme Lescalopier | Poligny and Sandosme | left country to avoid trial |
| Jean Maillard | Moreau | executed in February 1682 |
| Olympe Mancini, Comtesse de Soissons | La Voisin | exiled |
| Marie Anne Mancini, Duchesse de Bouillon | La Voisin | banishment to the provinces |
| François Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, duc de Luxembourg | La Voisin | freed |
| Marquise de Montespan | La Voisin | never tried |
| Madame Philbert, before Brunet (married woman of Philippe Rebille Philbert) | La Voisin | hanged |
| Jaqqueline du Roure, vicomtesse de Polignac (d. 1720) | La Voisin and Lesage | fled state to avert trial; returned 1686 but banished from the uppercase |
| Marguerite de Poulaillon | Marie Bosse | imprisoned in a convent |
| Claude Marie du Roure | La Voisin and Lesage | discharged in March 1680, just banished from the majuscule |
| Marie Louise Charlotte, Princesse de Tingry | La Voisin | discharged |
| Marie Vertemart | La Voisin | sentenced to a workhouse |
| Antoinette, Duchess de Vivonne | La Voisin and Filastre | never brought to trial |
Similar incidents [edit]
In October 1702 Marie-Anne de La Ville was arrested for having created a new system similar to the one of la Voisin, only because of Affair of the Poisons, she and her colleagues were never brought to trial, just imprisoned without trial on a lettre de cachet.[1]
In fiction [edit]
Marjorie Bowen'south 1936 novel The Poisoners revolves around the incident.
The organisation of La Voisin and the Affair of the Poisons is portrayed in a novel by Judith Merkle Riley: The Oracle Glass (1994).
The Matter of the Poisons is the leading thread throughout the 2d season of the French-Canadian Television receiver serial Versailles. The series shows the courtiers being intoxicated with the powders and potions; even Madame de Montespan is portrayed as having a major role in the poisonings. In the fictionalization, La Voisin was altered to the character Agathe.
Meet too [edit]
- Gironima Spana, another female director of a cyberspace of female poisoners, who were the central figure of another 17th-century poison thing, the Spana Prosecution.
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d due east f thousand h The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide, and Satanism at the Courtroom of Louis XIV (St. Martin'south Press (12 October 2003) ISBN 0-312-33017-0)
- ^ Ravaisson 1870–1874, Volume Half-dozen 1679–1681
- ^ Herman, Eleanor (2009). Sexual practice with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge. HarperCollins. p. 113. ISBN978-006175155-4.
- ^ Somerset 2003, p. 162
Text [edit]
- Mollenauer, Lynn Wood (2007). Strange Revelations: Magic, Poisonous substance, and Sacrilege in Louis Fourteen'south France. Magic in History Series. Penn State Press. ISBN978-0-271-02915-iii.
- Somerset, Anne (2003). The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide, and Satanism at the Courtroom of Louis Fourteen . St. Martin's Press. ISBN0-312-33017-0.
- Le Nabour, Éric (1990). La Reynie: Le policier de Louis Xiv (Présence de lhistoire). Perrin. ISBN978-2-262-00806-2.
- Mossiker, Frances (1969). The Thing of the Poisons: Louis XIV, Madame de Montespan, and ane of History's not bad Unsolved Mysteries . Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN0-7221-6245-6.
- Ravaisson, François North.N. (1866–1884). Archives de la Bastille; documents inédits recueillis et publiés. Paris: A. Durand et Pedone-Lauriel. Volumes IV 1663–1678, V 1678–1679 VI 1679–1681 VII 1681.
- Excerpts from Bastille trial records of Guibourg and LaVoisin (French and English language translation)
Fiction [edit]
- Riley, Judith Merkle (2012). The Oracle Drinking glass (Fiction). Sourcebooks. ISBN978-1-4022-7059-8.
- Charbonneau, Karen (2010). The Wolf's Sun: Intrigue in 17th Century Brittany and Paris (Fiction). Ship'due south True cat Books. ISBN978-0692749111.
Video [edit]
- Madmen / Murderers / Sorcery / Warmongers. Royal Secrets. Vol. 2. Discovery Channel. 1996. ASIN B000CNT8MQ.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affair_of_the_Poisons
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