Martha (or Marthe) Brossier (1556 – after 1600) was a French woman, known for claiming
demonic possession
Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and reli ...
at the age of 22.
[p. 22.] According to
Augustin Calmet
Antoine Augustin Calmet, O.S.B. (26 February 167225 October 1757), a French Benedictine monk, was born at Ménil-la-Horgne, then in the Duchy of Bar, part of the Holy Roman Empire (now the French department of Meuse, located in the region of L ...
, Martha was the daughter of a weaver in
Romorantin
Romorantin is a traditional French variety of white wine grape, that is a sibling of Chardonnay. Once quite widely grown in the Loire, it has now only seen in the Cour-Cheverny AOC. It produces intense, minerally wines somewhat reminiscent of ...
who claimed to have been demonically possessed, drawing considerable notoriety. The case was interpreted as fraud by
Charles Miron, bishop of either the
Diocese of Angers
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Angers (Latin: ''Dioecesis Andegavensis''; French: ''Diocèse d'Angers'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The episcopal see is located in Angers Cathedral in the city of Anger ...
or the
Diocese of Orléans.
[p. 132.]
Demonic torment
The maladies from which she was said to suffer included extreme shortness of breath, an ability to stick out her tongue unreasonably far, and the gnashing of her teeth. She would writhe and move her mouth as if she had convulsions, while contorting her face, rolling her eyes, and appearing to show deep vexation and torment. She would also contort her body parts. A rumbling noise was heard from the area of her spleen under her short ribs on her left side, causing her left thigh to spasm.
She often spoke in a violent and roaring voice. She was recorded to have lain flat on her back and skipped from the altar to the door of a great chapel in four or five lifts, which onlookers described as giving an impression of her being dragged or lifted, presumably by demons. During her demonic fits, she was able to endure pinpricks to her hands and neck with limited bleeding. She was also able to speak with her mouth shut, often speaking English and Greek with apparent fluency.
Discovery
Charles Miron thought that Marthe Brossier's claim that she was possessed was fraudulent. He made her drink holy water under the guise of normal water. He also had the exorcists present her with a key wrapped up in red silk, stating that the silk contained a
relic
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
of the
true cross
The True Cross is the cross upon which Jesus was said to have been crucified, particularly as an object of religious veneration. There are no early accounts that the apostles or early Christians preserved the physical cross themselves, althoug ...
, and recite various verses from
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
, which she mistook for the rite of
exorcism
Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...
. Both the wrapped key and the lines from Virgil agitated her immensely. Henri de Gondi, Cardinal Bishop of Paris, had her examined by five members of his faculty. Three were of the opinion that she was an impostor with little indication of malady. The Parlement of Paris nominated eleven physicians who all unanimously reported that there was nothing demonic in the matter,
[p. 132.] suggesting that she used the physical strength of her stomach and breast to
speak with her mouth shut.
[p. 24.]
See also
*
Abraham Hartwell
*
Augustin Calmet
Antoine Augustin Calmet, O.S.B. (26 February 167225 October 1757), a French Benedictine monk, was born at Ménil-la-Horgne, then in the Duchy of Bar, part of the Holy Roman Empire (now the French department of Meuse, located in the region of L ...
*
A Guide to Grand-Jury Men
''A Guide to Grand-Jury Men'' — in full, A Guide to Grand Jury Men, Divided in two books. In the first, is the Author's best advice to them what to do, before they bring in a Billa vera in cases of Witchcraft, with a Christian Direction to suc ...
*
Margareta i Kumla Margareta i Kumla ('Margareta of Kumla') also known as the ''Sibyl of Kumla'' ('Prophetess of Kumla'), or ''Kumlapigan'' ('Maid of Kumla'), (died after 1628), was a Swedish visionary, who claimed to be possessed. She became the target of pilgrimag ...
*
Richard Bernard
Richard Bernard (1568–1641) was an English Puritan clergyman and writer.
Life
Bernard was born in Epworth and received his education at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he matriculated in 1592, obtained his BA in 1595, and an MA in 1598. ...
*
*
Loudun possessions
The Loudun possessions, known in French language, French as the Possessed of Loudun Affair (''Affaire des possédées de Loudun''), was a notorious Witch-hunt, witchcraft trial that took place in Loudun, Kingdom of France, in 1634. A convent of Ur ...
Notes
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Broissier, Martha
16th-century French people
16th-century French women
1556 births
French fraudsters
French female criminals
Demonic possession
Year of death unknown
Witch trials in France