LOUDUN — 1634 · Unsolved Case
The Loudun possessions
In 1632, nuns at a convent in the French town of Loudun began claiming they were possessed by demons. The investigation that followed accused a rival clergyman of the time, Father Urbain Grandier, of practicing witchcraft. Tried under torture, Grandier had his legs broken and was burned alive without admitting to any of the charges. Historians regard the case as a miscarriage of justice in which an innocent man was sacrificed to political rivalry and mass hysteria.
- Date
- 1634
- Place
- Poitou, Loudun, FR
- Category
- Unsolved Case
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 47.0000, 0.1000 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 1632Alleged symptoms of "possession" began among the nuns
- 1634Grandier arrested and tried
- 1634Burned alive after torture (18 August)
Sources
- Court Records
- Contemporary Press Archive
- Official Report
Source grade C: no linked source yet; details rely on the general press archive. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
Categories
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.