Poison:: Love, Heresy and Death at the Court of Louis XIV
Josephine Wilkinson

Athénaïs de Montespan was the longest-serving mistress of Louis XIV. She occupied a place of importance and influence at court and was even called the Real Queen of France by one court observer; yet her memory will forever be tainted by her alleged involvement in a scandal that would rock the reign of Louis XIV: the Affair of the Poisons.

   Louis’s reign was marked by pre-Enlightenment discoveries in science and the king’s desire to destroy heresy and unite France under one Catholic orthodoxy. The Affair of the Poisons threatened these achievements, showing that France continued, to a large extent, to live in an age of darkness and superstition.

   As the Affair of the Poisons unfolded, witches, poisoners and magicians identified their clients. One name was mentioned by several of them: that of Athénaïs, who was accused of using black magic to bring about the death of Louis and those who would be his mistress.

   For the first time in fifty years, this book will tell the story of the Affair of the Poisons with Athénaïs as the central figure. It concludes that, while she did consult fortune-tellers, she was innocent of the charges against her. Instead, this will be the first study in English to show that her dame d’honneur and confidante, Mademoiselle des Œillets, was involved in a plot against Louis’s life, and that Athénaïs was wrongly judged by history as being equally guilty.

   Poison: Love, Heresy and Death at the Court of Louis XIV

• Focuses on the alleged involvement of Athénaïs de Montespan in The Affair of the Poisons.
• Argues for her innocence, but shows that one of her ladies, Mlle des Œillets, was involved in a plot to kill the king.
• Offers insight into the sinister Parisian underworld of sorcerers and magicians, the efforts taken to bring them to justice and highlights the effect social class and status had on crime and punishment.
• Places the Affair of the Poisons in the wider context of scientific advancement and Louis’s attempts to eradicate heresy.
• Draws on themes already familiar to readers, having provided a storyline in season two of the TV series, Versailles.