G. Roullier - La Marquise de Brinvilliers - 1883

2 volumes in-12 paperbacks, 229; 186 — Exterior wear, interior fresh — A pleasant copy.

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This work is devoted to Marie-Madeleine d’Aubray, a central figure in the Affair of the Poisons and one of the most famous criminals of the reign of Louis XIV.

Roullier bases his study on a document that was unpublished at the time: the manuscript of Father Edme Pirot, the marquise’s confessor during the final days leading up to her execution. He also includes:

court documents;
excerpts from judicial archives;
biographical documents;
historical commentary intended to place the affair in its proper context.
Main Themes

The book recounts:

the Marquise’s affair with Chevalier Godin de Sainte-Croix;
hers training in poisons under the chemist Christophe Glaser;
the poisonings of her father and brothers;
the investigation following the accidental death of Sainte-Croix;
the trial before the Chambre ardente;
the confessions, torture ("the question"), religious penance, and execution of the marquise, who was beheaded and then burned in 1676.
Historical Significance

The book’s primary significance lies in the publication of the account attributed to Father Pirot, which describes the condemned woman’s final hours with great spiritual and psychological precision. Roullier seeks less to romanticize the case than to compile the available sources, making his work a valuable resource for historians of criminal justice under the Ancien Régime.