Marie Antoinette's

La Voisin (Catherine Deshayes Monvoisin 1640-1680) made a living for herself selling poisons, well love powders and 'inheritance powders' to many at the French Court. Her extraordinary client list included Olympe Mancini, comtesse de Soissons, (her sister was a favourite of Louis XIV), Louise Duchesse de la Valliere (a mistress of Louis XIV), Francoise-Athenais, marquise de Montespan (Louis XIV’s infamous mistress) and the comtesse de Gramont (A beauty of her time, charming and witty.) Inheritance powder became popular because of the Marquise de Brinvillers.

The Brinvilliers do not belong to this century, rather the 17^th century. Marie-Madeleine-Marguerite d’Aubray, Marquise de Brinvillers was charged with poisoning her family, father, mother and sisters to gain inheritance along with her lover. Her particular end was phenomenal complete with torture: forced consumption of 16 pints of water, decapitation and finally to be burned at the stake. She was executed in 1675, and this sparked the Affaire des Poisons in France.

Marie Antoinette’s great uncle Louis XIV became concerned of being poisoned himself and hired foretasters, to make sure his food was safe. He started an investigation to discover killers who used poisons by way of their dealers, who sold them “inheritance powders.”

Many were arrested, and would turn in their list of clients. La Voisin was quickly arrested on the grounds of witchcraft and she willingly named her popular clientele. She was burned at the stake and the reputations of her clients were ruined.