When Marie-Madeleine Gobelin, known as the Marquis de Brinvilliers, was tortured in the summer of 1676 over the death of her father, two brothers and her lover, no one in Paris expected the consequences of her testimony. Thanks to her, the poisoning scandal broke out, which changed the perception of the French aristocracy forever - and in particular of its women.
Marie-Madeleine d'Aubray was born on July 22, 1630, the daughter of wealthy State Councilor Antoine Dreux d'Aubray, an important figure in the court of King Louis XIV. From an early age, she charmed everyone with her extraordinary beauty, which attracted more and more male eyes with the passage of time. Unfortunately, there was an explosive character in the beautiful face that manifested itself every time she got angry.
However, it did not prevent her from getting married well. At the age of 21, she married Antoine Gobelin, thus becoming the Marquis de Brinvilliers. The marriage had three children very quickly, but it was not a happy one. The Marquis had a large group of lovers whom he more willingly spent time with than with his young wife. However, he did not leave her alone in the alcove.
The tapestry introduced Marie to Captain Godin de Sainte-Croix. A passionate romance ensued between the handsome and fiery temperament and the marquess. With the tacit consent of her husband de Brinvilliers, as this relationship allowed him to fully enjoy the company of other ladies. Everyone seemed to be pleased with this arrangement. Unfortunately, to quote Shakespeare, "violent fun and violent end."
Marie did not hide her romance, which aroused the growing curiosity of the neighbors, and they began to spread scandalous rumors about what was happening in her house. A woman in 17th-century France could have a lover as long as the relationship remained hidden behind the walls of her bedroom. Antoine d'Aubray did not like the news of his daughter's flourishing romance. He decided to use his connections and put Godin in prison with a royal warrant.
Madame with arsenic
The time de Sainte-Croix spent locked up did not quench his lust for Marie, but it did change the captain's life. In prison, he made many new acquaintances - including an Italian poisoner who became Godin's mentor. He told him everything he knew about the art of poisoning, and after leaving prison, the man gladly shared his knowledge with his beloved.
In the basement of the house of de Sainte-Croix the couple built an alchemical laboratory in which they experimented with various substances, including arsenic . The Marquis was eager to take revenge for throwing her lover into prison. She wanted to punish her father. However, she knew that in order to do so, she had to prepare herself properly. And as the field of her exercises, she chose the place where she aroused the least curiosity.
The Marquis de Brinvilliers, like many other aristocrats, was charitable. She visited shelters for the poor and hospitals, supporting the poor and the sick with a kind word and baskets of food. She also tested her potions on them, observing the reactions of their organisms to poisons. Her victims, after receiving various doses, suffered from vomiting, severe headaches, blackouts and eventually died.
To protect her existence, Marie decided to poison her brothers as well. And then go a step further and get rid of my husband and take over his fortune.
When she finally made sure in her "research" that she had created the perfect poison, she visited her father and gave him a lethal substance in his food. The man very quickly began to show symptoms of a mysterious and rapidly progressive disease that eventually led to his death.
According to the last will, the woman received of her father's inheritance. The rest was distributed between her two brothers. She didn't like that either. Marie led a very lavish lifestyle, which she also had to reconcile with paying off her lover's debts , de Sainte-Croix. She did it more out of fear that he would reveal her murderous secrets than out of love. In order to secure her existence, she decided to poison her brothers as well. And then go a step further and get rid of my husband and take over his fortune.
Unfortunately, Tapestry probably started to suspect something and commissioned two trusted servants to prepare his dishes, who did not serve his wife. He quickly found out that this was a reasonable approach.
Poisoning scandal
On July 30, 1672, Captain Godin de Sainte-Croix was found dead at his home. Towards the end of his life, he was seen as bankrupt with a tarnished reputation, so at first he was suspected of having committed suicide. His judgment was changed after exploring his basement where he ran his alchemy laboratory.
A red box and a letter were found there. It contained a request to return the Madame de Brinvilliers item in the event of Godin's death. However, this wish was not honored and the casket went to the police station, which very soon after receiving information about her lover's death, Marie visited. The woman demanded, begged, asked, threatened and even offered a bribe - all for nothing. The box was not returned to her. It was opened and its contents were carefully analyzed.
Inside were vials filled with mysterious potions and de Brinvilliers love letters to Godin. They concealed the truth about the criminal accomplishments of the woman. The substances from the bottles were tested on farm animals - all of them died.
Marie decided not to wait for an arrest warrant and fled to London, from where she went to the Netherlands, to finally hide in a monastery in Liege. She was also arrested there in 1676. In order to protect herself from punishment, the woman tried to commit suicide by swallowing glass and pins . However, she was rescued and transported to Paris along with a manuscript in which she described how she killed her father, brothers, residents of shelters and the sick in the hospital, and boasted about her plans to finish off her husband, sister-in-law and lover.
In order to protect herself from punishment, the woman tried to commit suicide by swallowing glass and pins. However, she was rescued
During the interrogation, she tried to blame the late de Sainte-Croix. She changed her mind under the torture. She was tormented with the help of aunt. Her arms and legs were tied to the ground, and her body was placed on a wooden support, bent with her torso upwards. Then her mouth was covered with a piece of linen into which a funnel was inserted, with the help of which water was poured into her so that the material fell into the stomach. When only a small piece of it protruded from the mouth, the torturer was pulling it from inside her, causing incredible pain. Marie couldn't stand it for long and confessed to all her crimes.
On July 16, 1676, she was dressed in a penitential sack, in which she passed under the Notre Dame Cathedral. There she confessed all her sins and was then beheaded in Place de Grève. Her body was burnt.
However, her story did not go unnoticed. During the torture, Marie revealed something else. She stated that although they caught her, she was not the only poisoner in Paris. Her testimony led to the discovery of the famous poisoning scandal involving people from the high society. Among them was King Louis XIV's official lover, Madame de Montespan.