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France: La Voisin and the Affair of the Poisons
Season 36 Episode 2
In the glittering court of Louis XIV's France, where opulence and intrigue walked hand in hand, one woman built a criminal empire that would
Episode 2 of 6 | Season 36: Serial Killers in History
Catherine Monvoisin's poisoning network spreads through the French aristocracy as her connections to the royal court deepen, implicating some of the most powerful figures in France.
Catherine Monvoisin began as Catherine Dyer, born in 1640 to a humble family on the outskirts of Paris. With little formal education but a natural aptitude for herbalism and folk medicine, she married Antoine Monvoisin, a jeweler whose business fell into ruin. As debt mounted, Catherine discovered she possessed something far more valuable than her husband's failing trade: an understanding of human desperation. She started as a fortune teller and midwife in the Villeneuve quarter, offering hope to clients who would pay handsomely for glimpses into their futures. Her charisma and discretion quickly attracted wealthy Parisians seeking solutions to problems they couldn't solve through conventional means. What made Catherine memorable wasn't just her accuracy in predictions—it was her willingness to provide tangible solutions, no matter how dark, to her clients' most desperate desires.
The case of La Voisin represents a watershed moment in French criminal history, marking the last great witch trial in France and fundamentally transforming the justice system. Her criminal enterprise exposed the intersection of superstition, organized crime, and aristocratic corruption at the highest levels of French society. The scandal, known as the Affair of the Poisons, forced Louis XIV to establish the Chambre Ardente, a special court that would try 442 suspects over three years and sentence 36 people to death. The case revealed how deeply rooted corruption had become within French aristocratic circles and led to lasting reforms in law enforcement, including increased surveillance of fortune tellers and new regulations controlling dangerous substances. Perhaps most significantly, La Voisin's trial marked the beginning of France's transition from superstition-based justice to rational investigation, helping usher the nation toward the Age of Enlightenment.
Catherine's transformation from fortune teller to serial poisoner was gradual but calculated. By the late 1670s, she had built a sophisticated criminal network operating from her lavish establishment in Paris. Her home featured elegant furnishings and private consultation rooms where nobles could discreetly arrange everything from love potions to murder. She employed astrologers, alchemists, and renegade priests, each contributing specialized skills to her expanding enterprise. Her most notorious services were the black masses—elaborate ceremonies combining Catholic ritual with occult practices, performed in secret locations outside Paris. These theatrical events attracted powerful clients who believed they could achieve anything from romantic conquest to political advancement through supernatural means. Among her most influential clients was Madame de Montespan, the official mistress of King Louis XIV himself. Their partnership began in 1667 when Montespan, fearing her waning influence over the King, sought Catherine's services. The rituals performed for Montespan were particularly blasphemous, involving twisted versions of Catholic mass performed over her body as a human altar, with claims that infant sacrifices occurred during these ceremonies.
La Voisin's criminal empire finally collapsed in 1679 when one of her associates was arrested for poisoning. Under interrogation, this associate revealed the extent of Catherine's network, leading to her arrest in March 1679. King Louis XIV established the Chambre Ardente specifically to prosecute poisoning cases emerging from this scandal. During her trial, Catherine showed neither remorse nor hesitation in describing her cri
Published on 4 months, 4 weeks ago