The Affair of the Poisons, Part 2: Scandal at Versailles
About this episode
The episode explores the scandal surrounding Madame de Montespan and the accusations of poison and witchcraft at the court of Louis XIV.
As accusations from La Voisin’s circle reached Versailles, Madame de Montespan, Louis XIV’s former favourite was drawn into claims of love powders, forbidden rituals, and poison plots. But the evidence was shaped by rumour, torture,fear, and politics, leaving one question at the centre of the scandal: what was real, and what was too dangerous for the monarchy to expose? Support the show on Patreon: If you enjoy Historical True Crime and want to help support the research, writing, hosting, and production that goes into each episode, you can join my Patreon for as little as $2 a month. Patrons get access to extra episodes and bonus content, including cases that are not in the regular feed. Patreon.com/historicaltruecrime Source Materials Anne Somerset, The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide, and Satanism at the Court of Louis XIV Holly Tucker, City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris Antonia Fraser, Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King Nancy Mitford, The Sun King: Louis XIV at Versailles Benedetta Faedi Duramy, “Women and Poisons in 17th Century France,” Chicago-Kent Law Review , Vol. 87, No. 2, 2012 Erika…
People in this episode
Host: Lizzie
Topics covered
- poison plots
- scandal
- Versailles
- Louis XIV
- witchcraft
- historical crime
Keywords
- poison
- scandal
- Versailles
- Louis XIV
- witchcraft
- historical true crime
- La Voisin
- Madame de Montespan
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Affair of the Poisons, City of Light, City of Poison, Love and Louis XIV, The Sun King: Louis XIV at Versailles, Women and Poisons in 17th Century France, Potions, Poisons and ‘Inheritance Powders’
More episodes of Historical True Crime
- The Harem Conspiracy: The Murder of Ramesses III
- The Affair of the Poisons - Part 1
- A Shot Through the Window: Who Killed Louise Bailey?
- The Lover in the Attic: The Dolly Oesterreich Case
- Patricia Douglas: The Woman Who Took on MGM
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