Catherine Monvoisin

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La Voisin, proof by Antoine Coypel , 1680
La Voisin, illustration from the February issue of Mercure galant, 1680

Catherine Monvoisin (* around 1640 ; † February 22, 1680 in Paris ; maiden name Deshayes ), called La Voisin , was a French serial killer , was convicted as an alleged witch and was one of the main participants in the so-called poison affair ( affaire des poisons ).

Life and deeds

Catherine Monvoisin lived on what was then the outskirts of Paris. Her husband was an unsuccessful jeweler . To get more money, and together with her sixteen year old daughter and several colleagues, she operated successfully as so-called abortionist , that is, they (often raised or helped their noble ) customers, unwanted pregnancies abort . She also sold love potions and poisons for high fees and provided horoscopes to predict the future; she also "helped" her customers through alleged sorcery to harm unloved people or rivals . In addition, an accomplice said under the torture of that together with the Abbé Étienne Guibourg consisting of the priests , had been violated amt black masses were celebrated in which allegedly infants were sacrificed. The children's blood was used for potions.

Many members of the nobility were among their customers, including Madame de Montespan , the long-time mistress of Louis XIV , who bought potions from La Voisin and secretly mixed them in food and drink for the king in order to maintain his favor.

In 1679, following the trial of the Marquise de Brinvilliers for poisoning in Paris, rumors arose that numerous other poisonous murders had been committed in the city. Louis XIV recognized the scandal that threatened even his court and set up a special commission to investigate the allegations. Under the direction of the Police Commissioner of Paris, Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie , the commission became known as the Chambre ardente (French: glowing chamber ) because its proceedings took place in a black-curtained, candle-lit room.

After La Reynie arrested two fortune tellers, they tortured them to accuse several accomplices and La Voisin. She is said to have poisoned her first husband, performed abortions, made love potions and sold poison to the high nobility. In their garden there is said to have been a chapel, in which Astaroth and Asmodaeus were supposedly worshiped. Guests at these black masses with Étienne Guiborg included princesses, courtiers, and the executioner.

execution

Catherine Monvoisin was subjected to torture but insisted on not being a witch until the end. On February 22, 1680, La Voisin and other accomplices were sentenced to death at the stake on the Place de Grève .

Madame de Sévigné witnessed the execution of La Voisin and wrote in her letters: “In front of Notre-Dame she refused to apologize and on Greve-Platz resisted getting out with hands and feet. They pulled them out and put them on the pile of wood, tied them in a sitting position with iron chains, and covered them with straw. She cursed and pushed the straw away five or six times, but finally the fire went up and she was no longer seen. Your ashes are now flying around in the air. This is how Mrs. Voisin died, famous for her crimes and pagan disbelief. "

La Voisin in literature and film

literature

Judith Merkle Riley addressed La Voisin in The Witch of Paris , as did Mary O'Ferrall with the book La Voisin and Hans José Rehfisch in his historical novel The Witches of Paris (1957). Anne Golon dealt fictionally in Angelique and the King with the fall of La Voisin and Madame de Montespan, as did Sargon Youkhana with his book Im Labyrinth der Lilien and Antonia Munoz in her historical novel The Oracle of Paris . La Voisin is also mentioned in ETA Hoffmann's Das Fräulein von Scuderi (1819) and in the novel Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg , the model for the film Angel Heart .

Movie

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Theodor Griesinger: The ladies regiment at the various courts of Europe in the last two centuries , 2nd volume, Verlag A. Kröner, Stuttgart 1866, p. 388 ff. ( Online )
  2. ↑ Michael Horn: Historical serial killers , Kirchschlager Verlag 2009, p. 77 ISBN 978-3934277250
  3. ^ Otfrid Mylius: The secrets of the Bastille: historical biographical pictures from the past , Volume 2, Verlag Emil Ebner, Stuttgart 1865, p. 13 ff. ( Online )
  4. ^ August Lewald : Europe, Chronicle of the educated world , 3rd volume, Verlag Gutsch u. Rupp, Leipzig and Stuttgart 1836, p. 146 ( online )
  5. ↑ Obi NI Ebbe, Dilip K. Das: Criminal Abuse of Women and Children: An International Perspective , CRC Press 2009, pp. 18 ff. ( Limited preview )
  6. ↑ Friedrich Morin: Paris and its surroundings: the latest and most reliable guide for Germans , Verlag Christian Kaiser, Munich 1855, p. 134 ( online )
  7. ↑ Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de Sévigné : Letters of Madame de Sévigné to her daughter and her friends , Volume 5, Verlag J. Walker, London 1811, p. 261 ( online )
personal data
SURNAME Monvoisin, Catherine
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Madame La Voisin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French poisoner
DATE OF BIRTH around 1640
DATE OF DEATH February 22, 1680
Place of death Paris