1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,667 (dramatic orchestral music) 2 00:00:05,750 --> 00:00:07,640 It's one of the darkest pages 3 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,940 in the history of the French capital of Paris. 4 00:00:10,940 --> 00:00:14,980 A scandal that erupted during the reign of Louis XIV. 5 00:00:14,980 --> 00:00:17,040 A mixture of plots, murders, 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:18,880 an attempt on the king's life, 7 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:23,290 poisonings, Black Masses, and sacrificed children. 8 00:00:23,290 --> 00:00:26,243 It's called the Affair of the Poisons. 9 00:00:27,700 --> 00:00:30,120 The Affair of the Poisons is probably one 10 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,283 of the biggest criminal cases of all time. 11 00:00:34,270 --> 00:00:35,390 With this case, 12 00:00:35,390 --> 00:00:39,700 did Louis XIV's kingdom plunge into murderous madness? 13 00:00:39,700 --> 00:00:43,450 How can we distinguish between truth and legend? 14 00:00:43,450 --> 00:00:47,313 To find out, it's here in Paris that we must investigate. 15 00:00:49,864 --> 00:00:53,531 (dramatic orchestral music) 16 00:00:57,380 --> 00:00:58,803 I'm Jean-Marc Leri. 17 00:01:00,010 --> 00:01:03,580 I've devoted my life to understanding Paris' history, 18 00:01:03,580 --> 00:01:07,623 studying its secrets, and wandering its maze of streets. 19 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:11,913 The city holds many centuries-old mysteries. 20 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,330 Often these cases are dismissed as occult phenomena, 21 00:01:16,330 --> 00:01:19,203 myths, legends, or popular beliefs. 22 00:01:21,490 --> 00:01:23,860 Things have happened here, though. 23 00:01:23,860 --> 00:01:27,290 There are facts, consistencies, 24 00:01:27,290 --> 00:01:29,063 and bonafide witnesses. 25 00:01:32,620 --> 00:01:35,690 Historians, scientists, and investigators 26 00:01:35,690 --> 00:01:38,243 of all sorts have been unable to solve them. 27 00:01:42,990 --> 00:01:46,890 It is time to reveal the most plausible theories, 28 00:01:46,890 --> 00:01:49,393 and to get as close as possible to the truth. 29 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,473 Here's Paris as you've never seen it before. 30 00:02:05,642 --> 00:02:08,642 (soft piano music) 31 00:02:18,890 --> 00:02:23,163 January 1681, the height of Louis XIV's reign. 32 00:02:24,420 --> 00:02:25,253 Paris was going through 33 00:02:25,253 --> 00:02:29,310 one of the most disconcerting episodes in its history. 34 00:02:29,310 --> 00:02:30,803 One of the darkest too. 35 00:02:31,770 --> 00:02:34,130 One which would send an unprecedented shockwave 36 00:02:34,130 --> 00:02:37,093 through society, the Affair of the Poisons. 37 00:02:42,610 --> 00:02:46,420 The great letter writer of the day, the Marquis de Sevigne, 38 00:02:46,420 --> 00:02:48,340 described the French court as being 39 00:02:48,340 --> 00:02:52,093 in stupefaction, turmoil, and chaos. 40 00:02:54,510 --> 00:02:57,300 The Affair of the Poisons was a series of scandals 41 00:02:57,300 --> 00:02:59,530 and poisonings that turned the court 42 00:02:59,530 --> 00:03:01,970 of the Sun King upside down. 43 00:03:01,970 --> 00:03:05,040 Many died in terrifying conditions. 44 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:08,533 Black Masses were held invoking Satan. 45 00:03:09,640 --> 00:03:12,520 Rites were carried out on human bodies, 46 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:14,683 and young children were sacrificed. 47 00:03:17,830 --> 00:03:22,153 The king himself was forced to intervene. 48 00:03:25,970 --> 00:03:27,490 This Affair was a thriller, 49 00:03:27,490 --> 00:03:30,280 a real-life historical game of Cluedo, 50 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:32,400 but with even more characters. 51 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:34,913 One of the biggest criminal cases of all time, 52 00:03:35,805 --> 00:03:38,313 but what or who was behind it? 53 00:03:39,340 --> 00:03:41,440 However dark the truth is, 54 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:44,127 the veil of mystery needs to be lifted. 55 00:03:46,724 --> 00:03:49,141 (soft music) 56 00:03:55,687 --> 00:03:59,380 The Affair of the Poisons started with the uncovering 57 00:03:59,380 --> 00:04:00,603 of a first poisoner, 58 00:04:01,500 --> 00:04:04,120 and she wasn't just anyone. 59 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:08,360 On July 17th 1676, at six in the evening, 60 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:10,410 hundreds of Parisians lined the streets 61 00:04:10,410 --> 00:04:13,560 to watch the passing of a cart which from Chatelet jail 62 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:15,210 via Notre Dame Cathedral 63 00:04:15,210 --> 00:04:16,850 took the Marquise de Brinvilliers 64 00:04:16,850 --> 00:04:19,030 to the scaffold on the Place de Greve 65 00:04:19,030 --> 00:04:22,060 where Paris' city hall stands today. 66 00:04:22,060 --> 00:04:23,280 The Marquise de Brinvilliers 67 00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:25,623 was the daughter of nobles on both sides. 68 00:04:28,990 --> 00:04:32,260 She was accused of poisoning her father and brothers, 69 00:04:32,260 --> 00:04:35,180 and attempting to poison her sister and niece, 70 00:04:35,180 --> 00:04:36,710 along with other victims, 71 00:04:36,710 --> 00:04:38,460 the number of whom remains unknown. 72 00:04:42,030 --> 00:04:44,533 The Marquise never confessed as to why. 73 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,680 Nobody could've imagined a woman of the nobility 74 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:51,583 behaving in such a way. 75 00:04:52,740 --> 00:04:56,180 It came as a massive shock to society of the day 76 00:04:56,180 --> 00:04:58,850 and questioned its very foundations. 77 00:04:58,850 --> 00:05:01,100 A line had been crossed, 78 00:05:01,100 --> 00:05:03,170 but this was only the start, 79 00:05:03,170 --> 00:05:06,708 heralding an even more terrible period to come. 80 00:05:06,708 --> 00:05:10,291 (intense orchestral music) 81 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:13,930 During the second half of the 17th century, 82 00:05:13,930 --> 00:05:16,433 Paris was gripped by psychosis. 83 00:05:18,490 --> 00:05:22,950 All kinds of new rogues abounded within the French capital. 84 00:05:22,950 --> 00:05:25,570 Charlatans, poisoners, alchemists, 85 00:05:25,570 --> 00:05:27,820 love potion sellers, fortune tellers, 86 00:05:27,820 --> 00:05:29,940 gold diggers, phony priests, 87 00:05:29,940 --> 00:05:33,513 and real priests who officiated at Black Masses. 88 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:36,810 And they all offered their services 89 00:05:36,810 --> 00:05:39,303 to a society with two faces. 90 00:05:43,410 --> 00:05:48,010 On one side, the pomp and radiance of Louis XIV's reign. 91 00:05:48,010 --> 00:05:50,313 On the other, darkness and evil. 92 00:05:51,860 --> 00:05:53,640 The world of the forces of evil 93 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:56,373 grew to match in strength the forces of good. 94 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:01,123 Black magic and sorcery blighted people of all backgrounds, 95 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:05,853 from the common people to aristocrats, and the court. 96 00:06:11,310 --> 00:06:13,300 Anxiety reigned in every household. 97 00:06:13,300 --> 00:06:15,310 Fathers distrusted their children, 98 00:06:15,310 --> 00:06:16,560 wives their husbands, 99 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:18,630 grandmothers their grandchildren. 100 00:06:18,630 --> 00:06:22,141 People were living in high anxiety and complete turmoil. 101 00:06:22,141 --> 00:06:25,063 There was a real psychosis about poison. 102 00:06:30,425 --> 00:06:33,260 Despite the flourishing arts, literature, 103 00:06:33,260 --> 00:06:35,380 and the radiance of French culture, 104 00:06:35,380 --> 00:06:38,573 in the back alleys of Paris it was still the Middle Ages. 105 00:06:39,750 --> 00:06:42,100 There were about 400 witches and warlocks 106 00:06:42,100 --> 00:06:43,100 active in the capital, 107 00:06:43,100 --> 00:06:45,543 which has a population of 600,000. 108 00:06:48,756 --> 00:06:51,673 (soft piano music) 109 00:06:55,010 --> 00:06:57,180 Hundreds of witches and warlocks 110 00:06:57,180 --> 00:06:59,470 would help to launch a new deadly fashion 111 00:06:59,470 --> 00:07:01,420 in the streets of Paris. 112 00:07:01,420 --> 00:07:05,030 The concocting of poisons with various substances 113 00:07:05,030 --> 00:07:06,493 and different properties. 114 00:07:09,237 --> 00:07:12,400 In the 17th century when looking for poisons, 115 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:13,910 you could choose substances 116 00:07:13,910 --> 00:07:16,683 either of plant origin or mineral origin. 117 00:07:20,763 --> 00:07:23,300 Among the plants were aconite, 118 00:07:23,300 --> 00:07:25,523 an excellent, very strong poison. 119 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:29,250 Belladonna and mane, 120 00:07:30,700 --> 00:07:33,603 nightshade and Devil's Trumpet. 121 00:07:35,070 --> 00:07:36,440 Not forgetting hemlock, 122 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:38,373 which has been known since antiquity. 123 00:07:42,673 --> 00:07:46,513 And among the minerals were arsenic, 124 00:07:47,390 --> 00:07:49,723 and of course corrosive sublimate, 125 00:07:50,650 --> 00:07:54,663 the favorite poison of the Marquise de Brinvilliers. 126 00:07:59,550 --> 00:08:01,360 Other poisons were concocted 127 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:03,690 to act as aphrodisiacs. 128 00:08:03,690 --> 00:08:06,960 These were made with urine, sperm, menstrual blood, 129 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:11,090 nail clippings, toad spittle, and cantharides, 130 00:08:11,090 --> 00:08:13,313 commonly known as Spanish fly. 131 00:08:17,368 --> 00:08:21,770 The Spanish fly isn't a fly at all, 132 00:08:21,770 --> 00:08:25,363 but the beautiful green beetle cantharides. 133 00:08:28,470 --> 00:08:31,000 It was used to provoke an erection, 134 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,920 but an erection which was very painful, 135 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:37,063 and which caused blood in the urine as a side effect. 136 00:08:39,870 --> 00:08:42,460 So, it was extremely toxic, 137 00:08:42,460 --> 00:08:45,233 and overuse led to a very painful death. 138 00:08:50,220 --> 00:08:53,230 But you could obtain this dramatic poison anywhere, 139 00:08:53,230 --> 00:08:54,820 because in the country, 140 00:08:54,820 --> 00:08:57,133 peasants could find the beetles very easily. 141 00:09:01,351 --> 00:09:04,518 (church bell chiming) 142 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:14,160 This host of poisons freely on sale 143 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:17,060 came to the attention of the Paris chief of police, 144 00:09:17,060 --> 00:09:19,320 Gabriel Nicolas de La Reynie, 145 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:21,130 who would become one of the key figures 146 00:09:21,130 --> 00:09:22,923 in the Affair of the Poisons. 147 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:26,940 Louis XIV trusted him entirely, 148 00:09:26,940 --> 00:09:29,150 and placed him in charge of the investigation 149 00:09:29,150 --> 00:09:31,137 into the Marquise de Brinvilliers. 150 00:09:33,731 --> 00:09:35,610 La Reynie was a precursor 151 00:09:35,610 --> 00:09:37,830 of all the famous policemen who followed him, 152 00:09:37,830 --> 00:09:41,270 like Foucher, Vidocq, and the mobile police unit. 153 00:09:41,270 --> 00:09:43,390 In fact, La Reynie was the founding father 154 00:09:43,390 --> 00:09:44,770 of the modern police force 155 00:09:44,770 --> 00:09:47,033 as the first lieutenant general of police. 156 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:51,030 He was the first lieutenant of police of Paris, 157 00:09:51,030 --> 00:09:53,380 and he organized an office which was the ancestor 158 00:09:53,380 --> 00:09:55,300 of today's prefecture of police. 159 00:09:55,300 --> 00:09:57,120 There's even a plaque to commemorate him 160 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,220 at the main entrance of the prefecture of the police 161 00:09:59,220 --> 00:10:00,833 facing Notre Dame Cathedral. 162 00:10:04,250 --> 00:10:08,460 He had to deal with both crime and the city itself, 163 00:10:08,460 --> 00:10:12,920 its supplies, policing, markets, 164 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:17,483 fairs, traffic, fighting epidemics, and fires. 165 00:10:19,180 --> 00:10:21,300 That's why he was so different from his successors, 166 00:10:21,300 --> 00:10:22,983 who only had to deal with crime. 167 00:10:25,460 --> 00:10:28,963 He wasn't only the police chief, 168 00:10:28,963 --> 00:10:31,390 but a kind of governor of the city, 169 00:10:31,390 --> 00:10:32,840 and that's why he stands out. 170 00:10:33,850 --> 00:10:37,620 Before that, Paris' back streets were like cutthroat alleys, 171 00:10:37,620 --> 00:10:40,850 and going out at night in Paris was suicide. 172 00:10:40,850 --> 00:10:43,950 Street lighting is essential for a city's security, 173 00:10:43,950 --> 00:10:47,150 so he had Paris lit up correctly and regularly, 174 00:10:47,150 --> 00:10:50,123 which is what earned it the name of the City of Light. 175 00:10:54,022 --> 00:10:56,700 He was active in all areas of the city's management, 176 00:10:56,700 --> 00:10:58,233 and not just in the police. 177 00:11:07,620 --> 00:11:09,170 In September 1677, 178 00:11:10,580 --> 00:11:12,880 an anonymous letter describing a plot 179 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:15,496 to kill the king with white powder 180 00:11:15,496 --> 00:11:17,640 was left in a confessional 181 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:21,393 at the Jesuit abbey on the Rue Saint-Antoine. 182 00:11:22,980 --> 00:11:24,613 La Reynie smelled a rat. 183 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:30,180 For several months, he sent his detectives 184 00:11:30,180 --> 00:11:33,310 into the notorious district of Saint-Denis, 185 00:11:33,310 --> 00:11:35,633 where the poison's trade was plied. 186 00:11:36,510 --> 00:11:40,313 They made arrests, interrogated suspects and tortured them. 187 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:48,550 The king's ministers, followed by the king himself, 188 00:11:48,550 --> 00:11:53,130 were stunned to learn that several hundred people in Paris 189 00:11:53,130 --> 00:11:57,633 were making and selling deadly poisons with impunity. 190 00:12:02,830 --> 00:12:05,040 They realized the cases of poisoning 191 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:07,780 hadn't stopped with the execution 192 00:12:07,780 --> 00:12:10,200 of the Marquise de Brinvilliers. 193 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:12,690 La Reynie's investigation would eventually lead to 194 00:12:12,690 --> 00:12:16,083 one of the worst serial killers in French history. 195 00:12:17,593 --> 00:12:20,760 (church bell chiming) 196 00:12:28,770 --> 00:12:32,070 Catherine Deshayes, aka La Voisin, 197 00:12:32,070 --> 00:12:36,690 lived and worked in her store at 23 to 25 Rue Beauregard 198 00:12:36,690 --> 00:12:39,390 in the capital's second arrondissement. 199 00:12:39,390 --> 00:12:42,120 La Voisin presented herself as a former midwife, 200 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:43,840 but she also practiced abortions, 201 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:45,930 read cards, and told fortunes. 202 00:12:45,930 --> 00:12:47,770 At the same time, as a good Christian, 203 00:12:47,770 --> 00:12:49,980 she would dedicate herself to novenas, 204 00:12:49,980 --> 00:12:53,293 devotional prayers repeated for nine consecutive days. 205 00:12:54,870 --> 00:12:57,520 La Voisin also sold lotions, potions, 206 00:12:57,520 --> 00:12:59,803 ointments, and poisons of all sorts. 207 00:13:01,810 --> 00:13:03,530 Members of the Paris upper class, 208 00:13:03,530 --> 00:13:05,960 mostly ladies, visited her dispensary 209 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:08,240 to get rid of an overbearing husband, 210 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:10,953 a bothersome lover, or a rival in love. 211 00:13:15,094 --> 00:13:17,019 It was a real business. 212 00:13:17,019 --> 00:13:20,167 La Voisin was a businesswoman, 213 00:13:20,167 --> 00:13:24,423 she ran a company with employees, mostly women. 214 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:29,313 She made money, and she had few morals or scruples. 215 00:13:32,500 --> 00:13:35,330 She also carried out serial abortions, 216 00:13:35,330 --> 00:13:38,800 she burned 2,500 fetuses in an oven. 217 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:40,650 When she was asked why she had that oven, 218 00:13:40,650 --> 00:13:42,300 she said to make my little pates. 219 00:13:45,399 --> 00:13:47,580 La Voisin was a vile creature. 220 00:13:47,580 --> 00:13:49,630 It's not caricaturing. 221 00:13:49,630 --> 00:13:51,403 She was an abominable person. 222 00:13:53,490 --> 00:13:56,990 From then on, every death was suspicious. 223 00:13:56,990 --> 00:13:58,970 The affair grew to such a scale 224 00:13:58,970 --> 00:14:01,860 that on April the seventh, 1679, 225 00:14:01,860 --> 00:14:06,693 Louis XIV asked La Reynie to reopen the Chambres Ardente, 226 00:14:08,190 --> 00:14:11,270 the burning chamber, an exceptional court 227 00:14:11,270 --> 00:14:14,463 created a century earlier to judge crimes of state. 228 00:14:15,810 --> 00:14:19,420 The burning chamber tried 442 people, 229 00:14:19,420 --> 00:14:22,580 issued 319 arrest warrants, 230 00:14:22,580 --> 00:14:27,580 and made 104 judgments, including 30 acquittals, 231 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:31,910 36 death sentences, 34 banishments from the kingdom, 232 00:14:31,910 --> 00:14:34,163 and four sentences to the galleys. 233 00:14:38,470 --> 00:14:39,740 Arrested in 1679, 234 00:14:43,430 --> 00:14:44,373 La Voisin was burned at the stake two years later 235 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:48,930 on the Place de Greve. 236 00:14:48,930 --> 00:14:51,150 Everyone thought the case was closed, 237 00:14:51,150 --> 00:14:52,690 but far from it. 238 00:14:52,690 --> 00:14:56,770 La Voisin's daughter, also interrogated by La Reynie's men, 239 00:14:56,770 --> 00:14:59,173 made some sensational revelations. 240 00:15:01,100 --> 00:15:04,761 She accused a number of figures in the king's entourage, 241 00:15:04,761 --> 00:15:07,170 but one name stood out, 242 00:15:07,170 --> 00:15:08,393 Madame de Montespan. 243 00:15:11,743 --> 00:15:14,660 Françoise-Athenais de Rochechouart de Mortemart, 244 00:15:14,660 --> 00:15:16,350 Marquise of Montespan, 245 00:15:16,350 --> 00:15:18,703 was one of the most beautiful women at court. 246 00:15:19,820 --> 00:15:22,772 Intelligent, cultured, spiritual, 247 00:15:22,772 --> 00:15:24,110 she had been born into 248 00:15:24,110 --> 00:15:26,883 one of France's most illustrious families. 249 00:15:28,470 --> 00:15:31,170 She was Louis XIV's royal mistress, 250 00:15:31,170 --> 00:15:33,163 and mother to seven of his children. 251 00:15:37,540 --> 00:15:40,830 A young woman in her service, Mademoiselle des Oeillets, 252 00:15:40,830 --> 00:15:42,560 was said to have made numerous visits 253 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:44,960 to La Voisin's dispensary. 254 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:47,320 Madame de Montespan was believed by some 255 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:49,040 to be behind the suspicious death 256 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:51,563 of the king's new young mistress, Mademoiselle de Fontanges. 257 00:15:54,210 --> 00:15:57,360 Even worse, Madame de Montespan apparently wanted 258 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:00,623 to poison the king himself for breaking her heart. 259 00:16:02,790 --> 00:16:04,750 She was also suspected of being 260 00:16:04,750 --> 00:16:06,790 the instigator of Black Masses 261 00:16:06,790 --> 00:16:10,403 in connivance with Etienne Guibourg, a defrocked priest. 262 00:16:17,500 --> 00:16:21,300 Women lay naked, a black candle in each hand, 263 00:16:21,300 --> 00:16:25,163 on what constituted the altar of these macabre masses. 264 00:16:37,870 --> 00:16:41,703 Babies had their throats slit on these women's stomachs. 265 00:16:44,970 --> 00:16:48,030 Their blood was poured into a chalice. 266 00:16:48,030 --> 00:16:51,530 Satan was then invoked so that a good deed or bad deed 267 00:16:51,530 --> 00:16:53,693 towards another be fulfilled. 268 00:16:56,920 --> 00:17:00,210 It's said that next, the babies entrails and heart 269 00:17:00,210 --> 00:17:02,623 were collected for the making of poisons. 270 00:17:05,180 --> 00:17:07,490 As crazy as it might sound or read, 271 00:17:07,490 --> 00:17:09,905 these Black Masses did exist, 272 00:17:09,905 --> 00:17:14,905 and undoubtedly so did trafficking in abandoned newborns, 273 00:17:15,090 --> 00:17:18,193 destined for these unimaginable rituals. 274 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:25,550 In June of 1681, 275 00:17:25,550 --> 00:17:28,770 La Reynie had had Etienne Guibourg arrested. 276 00:17:28,770 --> 00:17:30,863 He was interrogated and tortured. 277 00:17:34,150 --> 00:17:37,980 Several of his statements pointed to Madame de Montespan. 278 00:17:37,980 --> 00:17:40,280 Important figures were worried. 279 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:42,650 The affair fanned the flames of rivalry 280 00:17:42,650 --> 00:17:45,280 between two famous ministers of the king, 281 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:48,273 the Marquis de Louvois, and Jean-Baptiste Colbert. 282 00:17:52,360 --> 00:17:53,980 It was then that Louis XIV 283 00:17:53,980 --> 00:17:56,173 brought an abrupt end to proceedings. 284 00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:58,863 He closed the burning chamber, 285 00:17:59,930 --> 00:18:03,020 and gave the order for everything to disappear. 286 00:18:03,020 --> 00:18:05,160 Hundreds of pages of court records, 287 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:08,323 correspondence, statements, and reports. 288 00:18:17,300 --> 00:18:20,073 Was Louis XIV trying to protect his mistress? 289 00:18:22,670 --> 00:18:25,483 The truth would come out by chance years later. 290 00:18:28,490 --> 00:18:31,410 In about 1850, the chief librarian 291 00:18:31,410 --> 00:18:34,060 at the Bibliotheque de L'Arsenal, Francois Ravissant, 292 00:18:35,020 --> 00:18:38,230 decided to have his parquet renewed. 293 00:18:38,230 --> 00:18:40,393 And when the boards were removed, 294 00:18:43,690 --> 00:18:47,610 he discovered part of the archives of the Bastille, 295 00:18:47,610 --> 00:18:50,970 and notably the personal notes of La Reynie, 296 00:18:50,970 --> 00:18:53,603 which he had written outside of the proceedings. 297 00:18:55,430 --> 00:18:58,323 For historians, this was a treasure trove. 298 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:05,730 We owe Ravissant our gratitude, 299 00:19:05,730 --> 00:19:08,050 because as all the court paperwork had been burned 300 00:19:08,050 --> 00:19:11,740 by order of Louis XIV and under his strict control, 301 00:19:11,740 --> 00:19:14,940 if historians and archivists didn't have at their disposal 302 00:19:14,940 --> 00:19:17,010 the private notes of La Reynie, 303 00:19:17,010 --> 00:19:19,450 we would know a whole lot less about this affair 304 00:19:19,450 --> 00:19:23,083 that has such an important place in the history of France. 305 00:19:25,060 --> 00:19:26,930 I think we can sum up what he did 306 00:19:26,930 --> 00:19:29,290 as that of a serious public servant 307 00:19:29,290 --> 00:19:30,750 keeping very precise records 308 00:19:30,750 --> 00:19:32,763 of a crucial episode in history. 309 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:41,283 Louis XIV wanted to hush up the affair. 310 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:44,640 Under his orders, those who had mentioned 311 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:46,690 Madame de Montespan in their statements 312 00:19:46,690 --> 00:19:48,480 were never brought to trial. 313 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:51,453 Likewise, those who had spoken of Black Masses and spells. 314 00:19:53,250 --> 00:19:55,520 They were locked in towers in the provinces 315 00:19:56,940 --> 00:19:58,803 so they would be simply forgotten. 316 00:20:02,230 --> 00:20:04,303 But a big question remains: 317 00:20:05,450 --> 00:20:08,763 what was the extent of Madame de Montespan's guilt? 318 00:20:09,980 --> 00:20:11,560 Could she had attempted to poison 319 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,970 Mademoiselle de Fontanges, the king's new mistress? 320 00:20:14,970 --> 00:20:16,803 Or even the king himself? 321 00:20:21,754 --> 00:20:24,790 The Affair of the Poisons did indeed reveal 322 00:20:24,790 --> 00:20:27,160 Mademoiselle de Fontanges had been the victim 323 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:28,693 of attempted poisonings. 324 00:20:29,810 --> 00:20:33,200 The trouble is, after studying the timeline of events, 325 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:35,770 when La Voisin's accomplices went to the apartment 326 00:20:35,770 --> 00:20:38,930 of Mademoiselle de Fontanges with poisoned fabrics, 327 00:20:38,930 --> 00:20:42,840 at that moment in time, Madame de Montespan didn't know yet 328 00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:45,673 that the young Fontanges was the king's mistress. 329 00:20:46,822 --> 00:20:51,822 So, chronologically, the case against her doesn't hold up. 330 00:20:51,950 --> 00:20:53,990 There was an attempted poisoning, 331 00:20:53,990 --> 00:20:56,513 but Madame de Montespan wasn't involved in it. 332 00:21:01,363 --> 00:21:04,673 The accusations of buying love potions and other things 333 00:21:04,673 --> 00:21:08,590 so as to keep the king's love are well founded. 334 00:21:08,590 --> 00:21:10,490 But wanting to poison the king? 335 00:21:10,490 --> 00:21:12,510 That's a ridiculous hypothesis. 336 00:21:12,510 --> 00:21:14,560 It's like biting the hand that feeds you. 337 00:21:19,413 --> 00:21:22,660 Did Madame de Montespan take part in Black Masses? 338 00:21:22,660 --> 00:21:23,850 It's possible. 339 00:21:23,850 --> 00:21:27,500 Etienne Guibourg said I set a mass over the body 340 00:21:27,500 --> 00:21:31,300 of a young woman I was told was Madame de Montespan. 341 00:21:31,300 --> 00:21:33,720 Her face was covered in veils. 342 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:37,070 Was it her? Did she commission the masses? 343 00:21:37,070 --> 00:21:38,360 Here there's some doubt, 344 00:21:38,360 --> 00:21:40,810 the benefit of which goes to Madame de Montespan. 345 00:21:44,170 --> 00:21:47,040 The role of Madame de Montespan's chambermaid, 346 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:48,570 Mademoiselle des Oeillets, 347 00:21:48,570 --> 00:21:50,463 is much less clearcut. 348 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:54,480 She undoubtedly visited La Voisin. 349 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:57,160 It was even said that the mysterious English lord 350 00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,040 had given her money to pay for a Black Mass 351 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:01,980 officiated by Guibourg. 352 00:22:01,980 --> 00:22:04,350 But trying to poison Louis XIV 353 00:22:04,350 --> 00:22:06,720 when she was in fact his secret mistress, 354 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:08,833 and mother to a daughter by him? 355 00:22:12,980 --> 00:22:15,680 She wanted the king to recognize her daughter, 356 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:19,500 to have her legitimized, but the king refused. 357 00:22:19,500 --> 00:22:22,010 So, one might suppose that Mademoiselle des Oeillets, 358 00:22:22,010 --> 00:22:25,020 who knew of her mistress' dealings with La Voisin, 359 00:22:25,020 --> 00:22:28,240 continued buying love potions and aphrodisiacs 360 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:29,820 for her own purposes, 361 00:22:29,820 --> 00:22:32,080 which were then given to the king unwittingly 362 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:33,323 by Madame de Montespan. 363 00:22:34,660 --> 00:22:38,053 And perhaps instead of an aphrodisiac, it was poison. 364 00:22:45,957 --> 00:22:47,930 The complex investigation 365 00:22:47,930 --> 00:22:49,830 that was the Affair of the Poisons, 366 00:22:49,830 --> 00:22:54,053 this huge historical criminal case is now partly solved. 367 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:57,960 Madame de Montespan dabbled in the world 368 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:00,070 of spells and aphrodisiacs, 369 00:23:00,070 --> 00:23:02,963 but never set out to assassinate Louis XIV. 370 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:07,070 However, Mademoiselle des Oeillets' 371 00:23:07,070 --> 00:23:09,003 involvement seems real enough. 372 00:23:09,930 --> 00:23:13,630 The entire network of witches and poisoners was wiped out, 373 00:23:13,630 --> 00:23:15,970 even though numerous important figures 374 00:23:15,970 --> 00:23:17,403 slipped through the net. 375 00:23:19,380 --> 00:23:22,613 But at least one benefit was to come of the affair. 376 00:23:24,230 --> 00:23:27,890 On July 31st 1682, the French parliament issued 377 00:23:27,890 --> 00:23:30,430 an epoch making edict. 378 00:23:30,430 --> 00:23:33,460 All magical practices would be severely punished, 379 00:23:33,460 --> 00:23:36,833 and only scientists had the right to run a laboratory. 380 00:23:41,210 --> 00:23:43,533 The page of the poisons had turned, 381 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:48,973 even though this mystery will forever had its gray areas. 382 00:23:52,120 --> 00:23:55,160 While we are still terrified today of this affair, 383 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:57,320 with the long line of witches, warlocks, 384 00:23:57,320 --> 00:23:59,450 Black Masses, and so on, 385 00:23:59,450 --> 00:24:00,860 you must remember that these practices 386 00:24:00,860 --> 00:24:03,600 didn't disappear with the reign of Louis XIV, 387 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:05,200 and that they still exist today. 388 00:24:06,310 --> 00:24:09,430 We don't live in an entirely rational era. 389 00:24:09,430 --> 00:24:12,040 However much technology there is, 390 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:13,420 there is still practices today 391 00:24:13,420 --> 00:24:15,610 which go back to ancient times, 392 00:24:15,610 --> 00:24:18,460 in which in our eyes are totally reprehensible, 393 00:24:18,460 --> 00:24:20,523 and so we need to ask questions. 394 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:28,320 The Affair of the Poisons 395 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:30,600 will always be a blot of the shimmering reign 396 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:35,463 of Louis XIV, the sun and its eclipse. 397 00:24:38,300 --> 00:24:40,413 The glory and the folly. 398 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,870 It also revealed another face of France's capital city, 399 00:24:45,870 --> 00:24:49,980 and its taste for the world of darkness and the occult. 400 00:24:49,980 --> 00:24:52,083 But Paris has other mysteries. 401 00:24:53,700 --> 00:24:55,900 The clues and keys to these enigmas 402 00:24:55,900 --> 00:24:57,690 are to be found in old books, 403 00:24:57,690 --> 00:25:01,580 lost in the capital's libraries, in the city's streets, 404 00:25:01,580 --> 00:25:05,710 or beneath its buildings, by the light of a candle, 405 00:25:05,710 --> 00:25:08,060 or in the dead of night, 406 00:25:08,060 --> 00:25:12,193 by cross checking documents, archives, and records. 407 00:25:14,730 --> 00:25:18,253 Paris has not yet revealed all of its secrets. 408 00:25:20,714 --> 00:25:23,797 (somber organ music)