Macabre Feature- The Affair of the Poisons Pt. 1 - Damning Evidence

In this week’s Macabre feature we will be diving into the murderous scandal known as The Affair of the Poisons that took place in France during the reign of Louis XIV. Join me as we uncover the dark secrets riddled with murders and the occult churning within the aristocratic circle of the king and how a mysterious figure known as La Voisin became the epicenter of the horror that would unfold.

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Resources: Affair of the Poisons | Poison Plot, Louis XIV, Witchcraft | Britannica

La Voisin | French criminal | Britannica

La Voisin

Women and Poisons in 17th Century France

Marie-Madeleine-Marguérite d’Aubray, marquise de Brinvilliers | Poisoner, Murderer,

Executed | Britannica

Master: Marquise of Brinvilliers

Aristocratic Poisoning in 17th-Century France - HubPages

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Episode Transcript

(00:03):
This is a special presentation of Macabre, a dark history
podcast. We delve into the shadows of the
past, where history's most sinister tales reside.
These are the stories that cannot be contained within a
single episode, narratives that demand a deeper explanation and

(00:24):
immersion into the human condition.
Prepare to immerse yourself in accounts of chilling crimes,
unsolved mysteries, and the darker side of human nature in
this macabre feature. France 1672.

(00:47):
French army captain Godin de Saint Croix died leaving behind
a locked box with a letter written in his hand that read to
be opened only in the event of death.
Prior to that of the Marquis, officials could not have known
the can of macabre worms they were about to open.

(01:08):
Within the contents of this box were 9 letters in apothecary
bottles containing poisons. The damnable dark suspicions of
the late captain explained in length the accusations of his
mistress, the Marquis de Bronvie, of murder.
Not only the murders of several of her family members by

(01:31):
poisoning, but of suspicions of her involvement in something
much deeper. Welcome listeners to Macabre, a
dark history podcast. In this week's feature we will
be diving into the murderous scandal known as the Affair of
the Poisons that took place in France during the reign of Louis

(01:52):
the 14th. Join me as we uncover the dark
secrets riddled with murders andthe occult churning within the
aristocratic circle of the King and how a mysterious figure
known as Love One Saw became theepicenter of the horror that
would unfold. This three-part feature is not

(02:15):
for the faint of heart. Part 1.
Damning evidence A petite blue eyed woman was interrogated in
the torture room once more. Marie Madeleine Marguerite
Dobre, the Marquis de Braavie had nothing left to lose except

(02:38):
her life. It had been four years since her
lover Gondor had died, and because of him, soon she would
too. Marie was a noble woman,
daughter of a Sibyl Lieutenant of Paris named Antoine Drew
Debray. In 1651, she married Antoine

(02:58):
Gobbelen Don Brovier, cementing her place in aristocracy.
Gourdain was her husband's good friend.
They had been far from secretiveabout their affair.
They were so bold in fact, that Marie's father found out and
intervened by sending Saint Croix to the Bastille in 1663.

(03:23):
While he was imprisoned, he learned a lot about poisons from
a man named Exili, who was a well known adventurer at the
time. He was also a professional
poiser who at one time was underthe employment of the Swedish
Queen Christina. Upon Godin's release, the 2

(03:45):
lovers plotted their revenge. Golden Saint Croix sought the
assistance of one of the King's apothecaries.
The result was a selection of poisons.
The Marquis de Braun, VA tested these poisons on patients in
several hospitals to see what worked best.

(04:05):
In 1666, she poisoned her father.
Four years after that, her two brothers feeling quite confident
in her efforts, she targeted herhusband and their children's
tutor, Brancourt. She had a brief affair with the
tutor, but his intelligence sought through her act.

(04:27):
He ended up saving the life of her sister-in-law.
After he learned of her plot, Marie even attempted to poison
her daughter. She immediately regretted this
poisoning and had her drink a vast volume of milk as an
antidote. She had learned of her lover's
death and that her crimes had come to light, so she ran until

(04:50):
she was arrested in Liege. That's how she found herself
being tortured. She knew that they wanted her to
confess more than her crimes. They were seeking information on
the French underground and find out about plots to kill the King
Louis the 14th. They had placed her upon the

(05:11):
rack and used thumbscrews to make her confess.
In a moment of duress she yelled.
Half the people of quality are involved in this sort of thing,
and I could ruin them if I were to talk.
She would give names, names connected to a network of
poisoners and other names that were saturated with wealth.

(05:34):
There was a movement going on that was clear she would be
punished publicly. And in 1676, the Marquis de
Bravillier was beheaded in Parisin front of a massive crowd.
Peppered through the onlookers were more that knew what the
Marquis knew. Their secrets were deeper and

(05:58):
their relationship to the king closer.
King Louis the 14th named La Rasoli, the Sun King, was known
for his grandiose parties and frivolous court.
It was a defiance against what he knew in his early life.
At any given moment, he was surrounded by people with power,

(06:20):
influence, and connections. He had to keep up certain walls.
He knew to an extent what some of them would do or had done to
gain power or to further their desires.
He would be a fool if he thoughthe was loved by all of them.

(06:40):
But his eyes opened a little wider when the confession of the
Marquis de Braavillier was reported back to him.
It begged the question of other mysterious deaths that had taken
place and continued even after her beheading.
The king wasn't the only one teased with the paranoia.
Other prominent people were feeling more uneasy with every

(07:03):
passing day. They were used to the decadent
food displayed beautifully on platters, welcoming someone to
take a bite. Now their mouths twinged instead
of watered as a thought of someone poisoning them haunted
their choices. Dark dealings rippled in the
undercurrents of conversations at the gambling tables.

(07:27):
Inheritance powders, love potions, charms and amulets were
nestled into clusters of coins waiting to be collected by the
winter, perspiration from the anxious coming through the cloud
of perfume like a vapour. While church law was an ever

(07:47):
present reminder of how to live 1's life in this time in France,
the reality was different from many at court.
Within the Golden Palace, morality was grey.
Spiritualism bled into the social entertainment.
The king saw himself and his authority above that of the
papacy. This was reflected in his social

(08:10):
gatherings. When money and aspirations were
on the line, greed was supreme. Louise parties radiated with the
essence of his wealth and power.These events were crucial in his
role as monarch, designed to be both cultural and political.

(08:31):
Perhaps the Sun King was blindedby his own reflection in his
hall of mirrors because among the lavish forests of costumes
and etiquette were predators ready to strike at him and
others of his circle with entertainment that was crafted
to please every guest. Unsurprisingly, diviners and

(08:54):
fortune tellers were part of therevelry.
Ladies blushed through their powdered makeup when they were
told their fortunes of future love.
Gentlemen chuckled that the warnings predicted if they
continued on their current path.Obsession of the unknown that
what it meant to them developed from amusing party entertainment

(09:17):
into tantalizing possibilities to get what they wanted.
It was so easy to get caught up in the wonder of it all.
The world King Louis the 14th created at Versailles was like
no other place. Anything seemed possible during
his firework displays, dances and plays.

(09:38):
So why not the prospects of 1's future?
Those who are impatient for inheritance, the unhappily wed
love struck by another at court,or the ladies who sought the
affection of the king. A monarch always looking for a
new amorous adventure, shifting eyes taking in the splendor of

(09:59):
the palace, Envious of the wealth in Hungary for the power
it held and stood for. The reasons for diving into the
underbelly of France were endless.
Outside, the gardens of Versailles were being
constructed, some parts already growing in lush with plant life.

(10:19):
Its opulence, an onlooker could imagine, was a glimpse into a
heavenly place, a stark contrastto Paris's underground, where
there were countless caverns, tunnels, bones and hidden
passages where secrets lurked. Crimes, treasons, murder and

(10:40):
other dark dealings were thriving there, a resemblance to
an entrance of hell. There was a network of unsavory
businesses that sprawled like veins under Parisian straits.
Activity, long simmering under the surface was starting to
boil. Agitations were coming alive.

(11:02):
So did black market traders pursuits.
Unspeakable ideas were seeping through the cracks of devious
minds and becoming a reality. Something had shifted within the
extravagant walls of Versailles.The atmosphere thickened with
tension. Words were uttered in hushed

(11:24):
tones. The king was on alert.
There were already threats to his life.
It came with being a king, but now that he knew there were
people with high standings involved, the threat grew to a
nightmarish size. Was it already too late?
It could be anyone sitting in his parlor, the gossipers at his

(11:48):
parties, the people who spoke tohim inches away.
He had to rid his circles and all of France of the people
involved in this. He appointed the Lieutenant
General of the Paris police, Gabriel Nicolas de la Regni.
The Lieutenant General knew it was only a matter of time.

(12:11):
He had found much during his investigations into those who
were arrested not long after thedeath of the Marquis de
Bronvian. Among those who were arrested
were several alchemists, poisoners, and magicians.
They found laboratories under their ownership that contained
furnaces, minerals, nitric acid,arsenic and mercuric chloride.

(12:38):
In a disclosure to the King, Larry Nee wrote vials, vats,
jugs, jars and packets, the crystals, potions and potpourri
and cauldrons with deadly nightshade, which is thimble
root, metagora, powder of catharsis of toad and bat and

(13:00):
Viper, blobs of hangman's fat, nail clippings, bone splinters,
specimens of human blood, excrement, urine and semen.
It was becoming clear to officials that there was an
unimaginable dark society going on in the shadows of Paris.

(13:21):
Vladaini was relentless in his investigation.
With every discovery he felt feel to go further and faster.
But they couldn't be all legitimate, could they?
Surely most of them were swindlers making their living
off of deception. There seemed to be a plethora of

(13:41):
people who shield away from earning their income, honestly.
Larrainy knew how far some wouldtake it for money though, and he
knew how real these occult practices could be.
It wasn't all hearsay. What tears would he find?
The Lieutenant General was confronting a beast ignorant to

(14:04):
the number of teeth. He soon discovered just how
close this ring of the occult was getting to the king.
He heard rumors of black masses,sacrifices, and a name that
seemed to echo in the streets ofParis.
Lavoisan. Thank you for listening to this

(14:24):
special presentation and limitedseries on Macabre, a dark
history podcast. Stay tuned for Macabre features
in the future where together we will uncover the darkest parts
of history.