Chambre ardente

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The Chambre ardente ( French "glowing chamber") was at various times in France an extraordinary court that imposed very harsh penalties, mostly death by fire . The commission was known as the “glowing” or “fiery chamber” because its proceedings took place in a black-draped room lit by torches or candles.

Under King Francis I , the Chambre ardente was set up as an extraordinary inquisition tribunal to persecute the French Protestants ( Huguenots ) from 1535 and was considered the second instance of the inquisition tribunals. The members appointed by the Pope were called "sniffing dogs of the Lord" ( domini canes ) to expose heresy . The Chambre ardente took over the final verdict and the execution of the sentence. The Chambre ardente was also active under King Henry II . His successor Franz II set up a special chamber of the same name at each parliament in 1559, which had to supervise the execution of the heretic edicts of 1555 and 1559. These chambers were abolished in the Edict of Romorantin in May 1560 . The Chambres ardentes from 1535 to 1560 were typical tools of the Counter Reformation .

In 1677, King Louis XIV set up a Chambre ardente - called Cour de Poison ("Poison Court") - in the so-called poison affair ; Their job was to investigate rumors that had emerged after the execution of the Marquise de Brinvilliers (this chamber had nothing to do with the conflicts of the Counter Reformation). It was alleged that a ramified ring of poisoners around Catherine Monvoisin was responsible for the mysterious deaths of some members of the French nobility. During the chamber's investigations, the use of brutal torture methods led to suspicion of numerous people from all walks of life (including the Duke of Luxembourg , one of the Pairs of France ). This chamber was officially closed in 1680 after the execution of the main accused.

In the story Das Fräulein von Scuderi , the poet E. T. A. Hoffmann refers to the Chambre ardente of Ludwig XIV. He covertly criticized the special jurisdiction in Prussia known to him from his professional experience as a judge.

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chambre ardente . In: Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon . 6th edition. Volume 3, Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1905, p.  870 .
  2. ↑ Bernd Hesse, The crime story "Das Fräulein von Scuderi" as a mirror of the judicial office of ETA Hoffmann . In: Neue Juristische Wochenschrift 2008, p. 698.