In 1679, the Affair of the Poisons erupted, but to grasp the origins of these scandals, one must delve into the year 1672. During that time, letters written by Madame de Brinvilliers were discovered following the death of her companion, Godin de Sainte-Croix. The marquise confessed to attempting to poison her father and brothers. Despite Madame de Brinvilliers facing decapitation in 1679, the scandals persisted.
Other cases involving Madame de Montespan and Catherine Monvoisin, known as “La Voisin,” came to light. Testimonies directly implicated personalities from the court of Louis XIV. A special court, known as the Chambre Ardente, convened between 1679 and 1682, where over a hundred individuals faced judgment. Death sentences, banishments from the kingdom, and forced labor were pronounced.
In 1682, Louis XIV chose to suppress the Affair of the Poisons by ordering the destruction of records and police reports, thus shielding his former mistress, Madame de Montespan, who remained at the Court until 1691.
How Did the Affair of the Poisons Begin?
The series of scandals began in 1672. One of the cavalry officers of the Tracy regiment, Jean-Baptiste Godin de Sainte-Croix, died that year. As an inventory is conducted after his death, nine letters written and signed by Marie-Madeleine d’Aubray, the Marquise de Brinvilliers, are discovered in a box. The marquise, who was the officer’s mistress, acknowledges debts amounting to 30,000 livres in these letters. Phials containing poison (a mixture of arsenic and toad saliva) are also found in the same box. What do the letters say? They explain how Godin de Sainte-Croix and his mistress poisoned the marquise’s father and two brothers to inherit their fortune.
The case might not have garnered as much attention if another document, signed by Pierre Louis Reich de Pennautier (a French businessman), had not also been identified. It is a power of attorney authorizing a merchant to receive a sum of 10,000 livres through the intermediary of Godin de Sainte-Croix and originating from the marquise. Louis Reich de Pennautier happens to be a friend of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the then-principal minister of state. Godin de Sainte-Croix’s creditors directly approach the Royal Prosecutor to recover their lost sums.
Madame de Brinvilliers was supposed to be judged on August 22, 1672, but she fled to London, then to Valenciennes, Holland, and Liège. She was arrested in a Belgian convent in 1673 by François Desgrez, a police officer disguised as a priest. Brought back to France, the marquise is imprisoned at the Conciergerie, along with Pennautier, who was implicated by the young woman.
How Does the Poisons Trial Unfold?
The trial of the Marquise de Brinvilliers took place from April 29 to July 16, 1676. Master Nivelle, the defense attorney, argued both a lack of evidence and the absence of a confession. Despite this, the Marquise de Brinvilliers was executed on July 17, 1676. She was dressed in a woolen robe, her eyes blindfolded. André Guillaume, the executioner of Paris, beheaded the marquise with a sword and then transported her body to the pyre. On July 27 of the same year, Pennautier was released from prison after more than a year in confinement.
The trial of the marquise was not the only one held in the context of the Poison Affair. In 1679, a “Chambre Ardente,” an extraordinary tribunal judging crimes against the state, was established. As scandals related to poisonings erupted, the backstage of the court was revealed to the public. Gradually, individuals involved, such as Catherine Deshayes, also known as La Voisin, began confessing.
Over three years, the Chambre Ardente interrogated 442 accused individuals. In total, 104 judgments were rendered, including 30 acquittals, 36 death sentences, 34 banishments from the kingdom (with loss of nationality) or fines, and 4 sentences to the galleys (hard labor).
What Was the Link Between the Affair of the Poisons and “La Voisin”?
Catherine Deshayes emerged from a humble background. While still quite young, she married Catherine Monvoisin. Soon after, she lost her husband and delved into chiromancy, a divinatory practice that interprets the lines of the hand. Concurrently, she engaged in the illegal activities of selling poison and performing abortions. It is alleged that Voisin had around 100 poisoners under her command and organized black masses for court personalities, further fueling the scandal.
Voisin faced judgment in the Chambre Ardente. During questioning, she claimed to have burned or buried “the bodies of more than 2,500 prematurely born children” in her garden. The alleged witch was sentenced to death by being burned alive on the current Place de l’Hôtel de Ville in Paris on February 22, 1680. In her letters, Madame de Sévigné, a French marquise and epistolary writer, recounted:
She defended herself as much as she could to avoid the tumbrel; She was taken out forcibly. She was placed at the stake, seated and attached with iron. She was covered with straw.. She swore a lot. […] That is the death of Madame Voisin, famous for her crimes and for her impiety.
Why Was Madame de Montespan, Louis XIV’s Favourite, Charged?
The Voisin is said to have conducted black masses—satanic rituals involving belief in demonic entities. She herself reveals Madame de Montespan’s involvement, as the mistress of Louis XIV, in these rituals. The marchioness allegedly sought Voisin’s assistance in regaining the king’s favor after Louis XIV fell in love with 17-year-old Mademoiselle de Fontanges, a young protegé of Madame de Montespan, in 1678.
Voisin agrees and seeks the help of Abbe Etienne de Guibourg. Allegedly, three black masses were performed, either in Paris or in the countryside, involving the sacrifice of infants during the rituals.
What other suspicions surround Madame de Montespan? While pregnant, Mademoiselle de Fontanges gives birth prematurely, and her son does not survive. She then suffers from a prolonged illness that continually weakens her. She died at the age of 20. In the context of the poisoning affair, many accuse Madame de Montespan of attempting to assassinate the duchess by poisoning her mineral water.
However, the king eventually suppresses the matter, and Madame de Montespan remains at the court. No evidence could be presented, and the last accusers were imprisoned in royal fortresses.
How Was Louis XIV Involved in the Affair of the Poisons?
The Affair of the Poisons erupted during the reign of Louis XIV. This “witch hunt” captivated the masses for over three years. Numerous aristocratic personalities were implicated in the scandals, including the Countess of Soissons, Marshal du Luxembourg, and Madame Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de La Motte. La Reynie, the first lieutenant general of police in Paris, endeavored to unravel fact from fiction.
As the Court was shaken by these affairs, the king referred to a “vile commerce” in a letter to Colbert concerning Madame de Brinvilliers. When Voisin revealed the black masses involving Madame de Montespan, the affair took a new turn. It is even said that drops of blood from sacrificed infants were poured into the king’s food to draw him back to the marquise.
In 1682, likely to quell rumors about himself and his associates, Louis XIV decided that the Affair of the Poisons should be consigned to “eternal oblivion”: the “twenty-nine large bundles of various records” were burned on his orders. However, written traces were preserved in copies of acts belonging to the police and the Chambre Ardente.