The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide and Satanism at the Court of Louis XIV (77 page)

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Authors: Anne Somerset

Tags: #History, #France, #Royalty, #17th Century, #Witchcraft, #Executions, #Law & Order, #Courtesans, #Nonfiction

BOOK: The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide and Satanism at the Court of Louis XIV
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Montbrun, Marquis de

Montchevreuil, Henri de Mornay, Marquis de

Montchevreuil, Marguerite, Marquise de

‘Montemayor, Vicomte de’ (i.e. François Bouchard)

Monteran, Antoine

Montespan, Athénaïs de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquise de: alleged participation in black mass; under suspicion; at Versailles; and court intrigues; gambling; seen by clairvoyant; on Louis’ depressions; relations with Louis XIV; background; religious faith; appearance and character; mocks Mme de La Vallière; marriage relations; children by Louis; Mme de Maintenon cares for children; family appointments and achievements; chagrined at Mme La Vallière’s return; and Mme de La Vallière’s retirement to convent; separation from husband; refused absolution; Louis renounces and resumes relations with; and Louis’ dalliance with Mme de Soubise; and Louis’ relations with Mme de Ludres; accompanies Louis to Dutch war; and Louis’ affair with Mlle de Fontanges; position as
surintendante
of Queen’s household; relations with children; relations with Mme de Maintenon; jealousy of Mme de Maintenon; travels with King; Mariette claims as client; and Lesage’s release from galleys; la Voisin’s relations with household; and Mlle des Oeillets; Comtesse de Soissons mocks; meets Luxembourg on way to Bastille; relations with Mme de Vivonne; Mme de Vivonne’s supposed poison attempt on; and la Filastre; and plot against Mlle de Fontanges; Marie Montvoisin testifies against; Guibourg recounts alleged pact by; as client of la Voisin; Lesage and Mariette implicate; and Mlle des Oeillets’ poison plot against Louis; Louis makes money gift to; unaware of allegations; breach with Louvois over proposed marriage alliance; Colbert doubts part in poison plot; Louis decides to end enquiries against; blamed for death of Mlle de Fontanges; and Mme Vertemart; Louis’ treatment of after affair; puts on weight; and Louis’ marriage to Mme de Maintenon; temper; life in retirement; withdraws from court; charitable gifts and acts; death; fear of dark; posthumous reputation; enmity with Louvois

Montespan, Louis-Henri de Pardaillan de Gondrin, Marquis de

Montglas, Elizabeth Hurault de Chiverny, Marquise de

Montigny, Mme

Montmorency, Marie-Anne de

Montmort, Mme de

Montpensier, Anne-Marie d’Orléans, Duchesse de: consults Primi Visconti; on Versailles court; on Queen Marie-Thérèse; and Mme de Montespan; on Marquis de Montespan; on Mme de La Vallière’s return to Louis; on Henriette-Anne’s decline; engagement with Comte de Lauzun; Mme de Montespan hopes for benefaction for son from; memoirs avoid mention of poison trials

Montvoisin, Antoine

Montvoisin, Catherine
see
Voisin, Mme

Montvoisin, Marie Marguerite (la Voisin’s daughter): background and character; testimony to La Reynie; accuses Mlle des Oeillets; confrontation with Guibourg; identifies Mlle des Oeillets; La Reynie considers evidence; Colbert suspects motives; Colbert suggests prosecuting for slander; interrogated without torture; and Louis’ ending of enquiry; allegations not made public; testimony; cell mates placed in convents; imprisoned in Bellisle; accuses Romani; fate unknown; names mother’s clients; describes child sacrifice

Moreau, Christophe

Moreau, Dr Jean

Mortemart, Gabriel de Rochechouart, Duc de

Nail, Abbé: arrested, tried and hanged

Nantes, Louise Françoise de (Louis/Mme de Montespan’s daughter)

Navailles, Suzanne, Duchesse de

Nesle (client of la Voisin)

Nevers, Philippe Julien Mancini-Mazzarini, Duc de

Nivelle, Maître

Noailles, Anne, Duc de

Noailles, Anne Jules, Duc de (son of above)

Noailles, Marie-Françoise, Duchesse de

Norton, Thomas:
Ordinal of Alchemy

Novion, M. (First President of Paris
Parlement
)

Noyon, Bishop of
see
Clermont-Tonnerre, François de

Nymwegen, Treaty of (1678)

Oeillets, Claude de Vin des: on Louis’ melancholy; background and relations with Louis; relations with la Voisin; Louvois disbelieves guilty of wrongdoing; la Voisin denies knowing; confesses to Romani’s brother; Marie Montvoisin implicates; Romani and; and supposed poison plot against Louis; La Reynie investigates; Guibourg accuses; Louvois questions; admits knowing la Voisin; identified by Lesage and others; subsequent life and death

Olonne, Catherine Henriette d’Angennes, Comtesse d’

Orléans, Bishop of
see
Coislin, Pierre de

Orléans, Elizabeth Charlotte, Duchesse d’ (Duc Philippe’s second wife; ‘Madame’): complains of dirty habits at Versailles; on court intrigues and backbiting; on infidelities at court; on Mme de Montespan; marriage; on belief in witches; believes Henriette-Anne poisoned; believes Comtesse de Soissons innocent; and rumours of Mme de Montespan poisoning Mlle de Fontanges; suspects later deaths by poisoning; on lack of religious conviction; loose behaviour; on homosexuality at court

Orléans, Henriette-Anne, Duchesse d’ (Duc Philippe’s first wife; ‘Madame’): letters; on Louvois; on Louis’ qualities; and Mme de La Vallière; on Mme de Montespan; death; Comtesse de Soissons falls out with

Orléans, Philippe I, Duc d’ (Louis XIV’s brother; ‘Monsieur’): and Glaser; gambling; consults Primi Visconti; homosexuality; and Mme de Montespan; on Mme de Ludres’ retirement to convent; daughter marries King of Spain; gives ball for Louis; marriage relations with Henriette-Anne; and death of Henriette-Anne

Orléans, Philippe II, Duc d’ (
earlier
Duc de Chartres; Philippe I’s son)

Ormesson, Olivier d’

Oropesa, Manuel Joachim Alvarez, Count of

Palluau, M. (of Paris
Parlement
)

Paris: as centre of science; Louis XIV’s attitude to; conditions

Paris, Archbishop of
see
Harlay, François de

Parlement de Paris:
and Pennautier case; and witchcraft; hears appeal of Mme de La Grange and Nail; and commission on Mmes Vigoreux and Bosse

Parma, Odoard Farnese, Prince of

Pastrana, Duke of

Patin, Gui

Pelletier, la

Pennautier, Pierre-Louis Reich de

Perceval, Jean

Perrin, Maître

Petit Jean

Petit, Pierre

Petitfils, Jean-Christian

Philbert, M. (flautist)

Philbert, Mme (
earlier
Brunet)

Philippsburg: siege and fall of (1676)

Philosopher’s Stone
see
alchemy

Pierre, Maître (herbalist)

Pinon du Martroy, Jacques

Pirot, Edmé: attends Mme de Brinvilliers as confessor; suspected of complicity with Le Boultz family; writes account of Mme de Brinvilliers’ final hours

Poignard, Mme

poison: repugnance for; Italian supposed expertise in; availability; Glaser’s formulae for; supposed undetectability; fear of; and witchcraft; extent of use of; regulated

Polignac, Jacqueline du Roure, Vicomtesse de: attempts to bewitch Louis XIV; consults Lesage; arrest warrant on; flees France; and Comtesse du Roure; la Voisin names

Polignac, Louis Armand, Vicomte de

Polignac, Melchior, Abbé de

Poligny, Anne

Pomponne, Simon Arnauld, Marquis de

Poncet (
Conseiller d’état
)

Pontchartrain, Louis Phélypeaux

Poulaillon, Alexandre de

Poulaillon, Marguerite de

Prade, M. de

priests: accused by Lesage

Primi Visconti, Giovanni-Battista: on Pennautier; on courtiers’ extravagance; as clairvoyant; on Louis; and Louis’ women; on religious observance at court; on Mme de Montespan; on Mme de Maintenon; on Paris improvements; denounces Bezons; on la Voisin; on abortion; Mlle des Oeillets consults; criticises Feuquières; on Duchesse de Luxembourg; on Louvois’ antipathy towards Comtesse de Soissons; on Bouillon’s marriage; on mockery of
Chambre
proceedings; on Colbert’s disapproval of
Chambre Ardente;
on Mlle de Fontanges’ illness and death; on effect of poison affair; on moral reforms at court; on Louvois’ role in setting up
Chambre Ardente;
on inconclusiveness of
Chambre
findings

prisoners: treatment of;
see also
torture; Vincennes

Racine, Jean: at court; career; la Voisin accuses of poisoning mistress;
Iphigenia; Phèdre

Rambures, Marie-Armande de

Ravaillac, François

Ravaisson, François;
Archives de la Bastille

Rebenac, François de Pas, Comte de

Renaudot, Théophraste

reversis
(game)

Riantz, M. de (Attorney-General at the Châtelet)

Richelieu, Anne Poussart de Fors de Vigean, Duchesse de

Richelieu, Armand Jean de Vignerot Du Plessis, Duc de

Robert (Attorney-General of
Chambre Ardente
)

Robert, Demoiselle

Robert, Père

Roche-sur-Yon, N. de Bourbon-Conti, Prince de

Rochechouart, Marie Madeleine Gabrielle de, Abbess of Fontrevault

Rochefort, Henri Louis d’Aloigny, Maréchal Duc de

Rochefort, Madeleine de Montmorency-Laval, Maréchale de

Rohan, Gui-Auguste, Chevalier de

Rohan, Marguerite, Duchesse de

Romani (friend of Blessis)

Rondeau, M. (Mme Cadelan’s first husband)

Rosel, Père du

Rouen:
Parlement

Roure, Claude Marie, Comtesse du (
née
d’Artigny)

Roure, Louis Pierre Scipion de Grimoard, Comte du

Roussel, Mme

Rousselle, Catherine de, Abbess of Chelles (Fontanges’ sister)

Rouvière, Mme de (accomplice of Comtesse de Soissons)

Royal Academy of Sciences, Paris

Royal Botanical Gardens, Paris

Rubantel, Captain

sacrilege

Sagot, M. (Recorder of
Chambre Ardente
)

Saint-Aignan, François de Beauvillier, Duc de

Saint-Laurens, M. Hannyvel de

Saint-Laurens, Mme Hannyvel de

Saint-Laurens, Mlle de

Saint-Martin, Mme de

Saint-Maurice, Thomas Chabod, Marquis de (Savoyard ambassador): on Louis’ fear of violent death; on supposed Dutch attempt on Louis’ life; on Queen’s intelligence; on Louis’ promiscuity; on Mme de Montespan; on Louvois’ diligence; supposed meetings with La Chaboissière; affair with Duchess of Savoy; on death of Henriette-Anne; on death of Comte de Soissons

Saint-Pol, Comte de
see
Longueville, Charles d’Orléans, Duc de

Saint-Réal, Abbé de

Saint-Simon, Louis de Rouvroy, Duc de: on Versailles; and Louis’ patronage; on court intrigue; and Louis’ non-intervention in court disputes; on Louis’ encouragement of gambling; on Mazarin’s nieces; on Louis’ attitude to homosexuality; on Louis’ industry; on Louis’ health; on Louis’ appearance and manner; on Louis’ dismissal of d’Aquin; on Louis’ affairs; on Mme de Montespan; on Louis’ travelling demands on companions; on Marquis de Montespan’s behaviour; and Mme de La Vallière’s retirement to convent; alleges Louis’ affair with Mme de Soubise; praises La Reynie; on Boudin’s search for Philosopher’s Stone; on Duc de Luxembourg; on Feuquières; on Duchesse de Luxembourg; praises Racine; and death of Henriette-Anne; on Marquise d’Alluye; on death of Marie-Louise of Spain; on Duchesse de Bouillon; on Comtesse du Roure’s banishment; on Vivonnes’ marriage; on Mme de Montespan’s fear of death in old age; on Louis’ reaction to news of Mme de Montespan’s death; and moral/religious observances at court;
Memoirs

Sainte-Croix, Gaudin de: relations with Mme de Brinvilliers; arrested; knowledge of poisons; alchemical interests; casket; confession; death and effects; and Briancourt; Pennautier’s dealings with; ambitions; and Maillard

Saintot, Nicolas (Mme de Dreux’s brother)

Salomond, Mme

Sandosme, Denise

Saugeon, Baron de

Saulx, Mme de

Savoie, Chevalier de

Savoy, Charles Emmanuel, Duke of: and Louis’ promiscuity; death

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