L’affaire du Poison
The Affair of Poisons was a scandal that rocked the court of Louis XIV of France. Louis’s court was one of the most libertine in the history of… ever. The court featured a group of nobility with no responsibilities except to dress well and vie for the attention and favors of one person; the king. A Spanish duke once referred to it as “a real brothel.” The ladies of the court competed for the privilege of being Lois’s mistress. At this time the most power a woman could yield was that from her hoo-haw. At the same time, Louis attended mass every day. It was in this atmosphere of licentiousness coupled with religiosity that The Affair of Poisons blossomed.
The Man in the Iron Mask
“The Man in the Iron Mask” is a moniker given to an unidentified French prisoner in the 17th and 18th century whose face was perpetually hidden. Contemporary accounts suggest that the mask was most likely made of black velvet, rather than iron. Many believe that The Man in the Iron Mask was a nobleman or someone very close to nobility. All seem to agree that he was incarcerated for either his appearance or something he knew rather than something he did.