Reynie first went to every alchemist in and around Paris which led him to poisoners and in no time was at the door of Catherine Deshayes Montvoisin.
Catherine was born in 1640 and married Antoine Montvoisin, a Parisian jeweler. They had one daughter, Marie-Marguerite that would later turn against her mother. Catherine was first just a palm reader and fortune teller but that quickly led to being a potion and poison maker and performing abortions.
One of the most horrific acts during this time was the Black Mass a practice that had been around for centuries but was given a dark name in the 17th century. Another woman who loved to dapple in the occult world Catherine de Medici was known to hold a Black Mass on May 28, 1574. In the time of Poison Affairs, a defunct priest Etienne Guibourg resurrected the practice in Paris with Catherine in 1673. It is not for the faint of heart to hear and the practice involves the killing of a baby which Catherine was never short of.
In 1658 Montespan was lady-in-waiting to Henriette of England, the young Francoise was now close to king Louis XIV who later died from suspicious causes. Montespan had her eyes on the king but needed to befriend Louise de la Valliere the current headmistress. When Louise and the queen were pregnant by the king at the same time, she asked Montespan to dine with the king each evening. It was sending the fox into the hen house and after the birth of the illegitimate child of the king, Louise left the court as Montespan had moved into her place.
La Voisin and Montespan first met in 1665 when she had asked for a love potion to use on the king to keep his attention on her. The mother of seven children with the king was a little rounder around the edges and he had his eyes on some of the younger members on the edges of the court.
The Black Mass became well known in every corner of Paris after the arrest of Catherine and everyone would learn the truth of her most famous client. In 1672 Guibourg et La Voisin as she came to be known found an empty chateau near Orleans and François de Rochechouart de Mortemart, the Marquise de Montespan. The Marquis laid on a stone slab completely naked with her arms out like a cross and holding a candle in each hand. Guibourg placed a silver chalice on her belly and above her held a baby that would bleed into the chalice.
Montespan had to chant “Asmodée, prince of love, I beg you to accept the sacrifice of this child in exchange I would keep the king’s affection, the favor of the princesses of the court, and the satisfaction of all desires.” The ritual was held three times, in 1673, 1673, and lastly in 1679. Her sexual relationship with the king ended in 1678 and she remained at court for her children until it all came crashing down after March 17, 1769.
On a sunny afternoon, La Voisin was walking out of the church and was arrested by Reynie. Although she was quite adept at the dark arts she was also a very devoted member of the church and a high priestess. Believing her powers and actions were bestowed upon her by God she easily walked away with the Lieutenant thinking she had done nothing wrong. Her abilities were widely known and every morning people lined up outside her door to see her for one of many reasons.
At the time women had little to no rights, especially over their own bodies, and were happy to pay her for fortunes or alleviate a pregnancy making her a very wealthy woman.
An inspection of her home on Rue Beauregard in the 2nd authorized by her daughter found more than 2500 babies buried in her backyard.
The court of the Chambre Ardente was held in the Arsenal in front of 13 magistrates interrogating hundreds of prisoners. Experts including doctors were on hand to help delve into the chemistry and poison terms and evidence. The windows were covered with dark cloth as all of Paris was watching day and night to catch a glimpse of the men and women being brought in.
In the years of the investigation, the Chambre Ardente as they were called over three years resulted in quite a large outcome. 442 people were accused of which 319 were subpoenaed and 194 were arrested and 36 were executed and twice as many committed suicides.
Of these were a few closely associated with La Voisin. Françoise Filastre was arrested in 1680 and confirmed the involvment of Etienne Guibourg and the Black Masses. Francoise was sentenced to life in prison and died in 1686 but her testimony would lead to the incrimination of Montespan. After Voisin’s arrest, Montespan had contacted Filastre to supply her with poison to use at court.
Françoise de Dreux was of noble birth and married to a high-ranking member of the Parliament of Paris. However, she was in love with Armand Jean de VIgnerot du Plesses and she killed her husband so she could be with her lover. Arrested and brought to trial for another man M. Pajot she was accused of also ordering the poison to kill her lover’s wife Anne de Richelieu. She was later acquitted but another woman would bring it all back to light.
Margurite Joly was just as skilled and successful as La Voisin. Arrested she was subject to water torture and gave up the names of many of her clients including François de Dreux who thought she was in the clear, Dreux was going to be arrested but managed to flee France before she could be found.
Marguerite Leféron was the wife of a judge whom she didn’t like very much. She like Dreux killed her husband so she could marry her lover De Prade. De Prade was only after her money and so she needed to kill him as well. She was arrested and exiled, not everyone went to the stake.
Marie Brosse, La Brosse as was known as the first poisoner arrested in the roundup and pointed her finger at La Voisin. One night at a party after a bit too much wine La Brosse bragged to everyone how much money she had due to ceiling poison to many women in Paris that wanted to kill their husbands or lovers. Someone at the party reported it back to Reynie and Brosse was arrested as well as her daughter and sons. Marie met her fate on the Place de Greve on May 8, 1679.
Marguerite de Poulaillon obtained poison from Marie Brosse to kill her husband Alexandre de Pouaillon but he survived and was able to hand her over to the police. Her beauty saved her from the same fate as many of the other women and when Reynie heard of her lenient sentence of exile he stepped in and had her sent to work at a holding house for former prostitutes in Angers where she would spend the rest of her life.
The court of the Chambre
In 1678 the investigation was pointing in many directions to Louis XIV and the court of Versailles. Evidence mounted and it was discovered that Louis XIV had been poisoned for 13 years. The Sun King ordered Reynie to only make notes on unattached paper so it could be destroyed.
On July 13, 1709, had 29 volumes of evidence were destroyed in a fire. Much of it against Montespan was destroyed in a fire but we have all the notes of Madame de Sévignè and the files of Reynie are still held in the Prefecture of Paris.
In the end, 3 times the arrested were made and would come 10 years before the Salem witch trials in the US.
Versailles season 2 all about Poison Affair and episode 9 features the horrific act of the Black Mass