The French Revolution was a turbulent time, filled with fiery passion, confusion, and grief. With the lower classes revolting against the aristocracy, and the guillotine solidifying its importance within that period, there’s no doubt that the lack of civilian rights and distribution of wealth played a major part in fueling the Revolution. After all, the people had realized that their king was just a human, and a corrupt one at that. However, even in the beginning, His Majesty, as well as his elite nobility, had been crumbling beneath the burden of moral decadence. The infamous Affair of the Poisons had been the result of that.

The Affair of the Poisons was a time when nobles turned on other nobles, when lovers vied for the attention of the King of France himself, Louis XIV, where magic and infanticide had run amuck throughout the French aristocracy. Even so, they managed to hide this. Because of the deception, the lower classes held the aristocracy to higher standards, whether it was because of their wealth, beauty, or reputation. However, this image all came crashing down with the arrest of Madame de Brinvilliers, a noblewoman who was accused of poisoning her family in order to gain their fortune. After evading authorities, she was arrested, and was subsequently tortured before confessing to her crimes.

After she confessed, many other crimes suddenly came to light. Suddenly, more and more of the elite ended up being charged and convicted. It’d gotten to the point where the authorities ended up on the doorsteps of magicians and diviners, alongside priests who, in addition to their sermons, used black magic to help clients achieve what they wanted. One of the most infamous of these practitioners was named La Voisin, a midwife who many of the aristocracy came to for murder and love. In a stunning turn of events, she had even convicted Madame de Montespan, the King’s mistress, whom she claimed had used a variety of spells and potions to keep his favor. The affair had ended with the King shutting himself away from his own nobles, and becoming more and more astute so that no one would take advantage of his favors. What’s more, the affair had ended with 36 people executed. But sadly, even that wasn’t enough, since the lower classes’ grumblings had become unappeasable.

Historians have dug through the records, and found a situation that would later lay the foundation of many corrupt fairytales and dark revolutionary tales. The court at Versailles was filled with decadence and moral decay. Many women wanted to bed the King, simply because by doing so they would be able to advance their own social status, despite knowing of the King’s fickle attentions. Rather than listen to the cries of the people, the aristocracy retreated into themselves, and contented themselves with living their frivolous lives.

The affair has inspired many artists and writers alike. The Oracle Glass by Judith Merkle Riley tells the story of a girl named Genevieve, who is cared for by the famed La Voisin. She witnesses firsthand the darkness that leads to the affair. Other books detailed the complicated situation of the period, a particularly famous one being The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide, and Satanism by Anne Somerset. Though the affair had long since passed, it is still a period filled with scandal and sorrow, and one that many writers can be inspired to write about.