Françoise Filastre, also known as La Filastre (1645–1680), was a French poisoner and occultist, one of the many involved in '' l'affaire des Poisons''. In her testimony she named the king's mistress,

Madame de Montespan Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise of Montespan (5 October 1640 – 27 May 1707), commonly known as Madame de Montespan (), was a French noblewoman and the most celebrated maîtresse-en-titre, royal mistress of King Lou ...

as another participant in the scandal. She first came to police attention in 1677 as a practician of occult magic with renegade priests, associated with Louis de Vanens, and

La Voisin Catherine Monvoisin, or Montvoisin, née ''Deshayes'', known as "La Voisin" (c. 1640 – 22 February 1680), was a French fortune teller, commissioned poisoner, and professional provider of alleged sorcery. She was the head of a network of for ...

. and provided

aphrodisiac An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases libido, sexual desire, sexual attraction, sexual pleasure, or sexual behavior. These substances range from a variety of plants, spices, and foods to synthetic chemicals. Natural aphrodisiacs, such as ...

on her orders for Madame de Montespan, who used it to drug

Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

. In 1679, Montespan hired La Voisin to murder the monarch and his latest love interest Marie-Angelique, Duchesse de Fontanges. When the plans failed due to the arrest of La Voisin, Montespan hired Filastre to perform the murder on Fontanges. She was arrested in December 1679, after having applied for a position in the household of Fontanges. In August 1680, after the execution of La Voisin in February, the connection between La Voisin and Montespan and the plan to assassinate the king was revealed by her daughter

Marguerite Monvoisin Marie Marguerite Mon(t)voisin (born c. 1658, died after 1682) was the daughter of La Voisin and a main witness in the famous Poison Affair. It was her statement, made after the execution of her mother, that implicated the royal mistress Madame de Mo ...

, who on 9 October also confirmed the August statements by Adam Lesage of child sacrifice at the black masses. On 30 September the

Chambre Ardente ''La chambre ardente'' was the name given to a special court established for the trial of heretics in France during the reign of Francis I in the 16th century. The name has been translated to mean "the fiery chamber." Institution Special cou ...

, acting on the evidence given, condemned Filastre to death, before which she was to be subjected to further intensive interrogation of "the extraordinary question". On 31 September she confirmed her participation in a Black Mass, and stated that others, not yet tried or convicted, had performed spells for Montespan. Under torture the next day, she then claimed that Montespan had wanted Fontanges poisoned, which was why she had attempted to gain employment with the duchess. After being taken back to her cell, Filastre requested an interview with La Reynie, chief of police, in which she recanted her previous testimony, saying she wanted end the pain, but that she did not want to die with a lie on her conscience. She was burnt to death at the Place de Greve in Paris. To prevent Filastre's testimony being read aloud in court, Louis XIV suspended public hearings of the Chambre Ardente.

References

Frantz Funck-Brentano: Princes and Poisoners Or Studies of the Court of Louis XIV

H Noel Williams: Madame de Montespan and Louis XIV
* Anne Somerset - The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide, and Satanism at the Court of Louis XIV (St. Martin's Press (October 12, 2003) )
Arlette Lebigre: 1679-1682, l'affaire des poisons
{{DEFAULTSORT:Filastre, Francoise 1640s births 1680 deaths 1679 crimes French occultists Poisoners Executed French women French people executed for witchcraft 17th-century executions by France 17th-century French criminals People executed by France by burning 17th-century occultists 17th-century French businesspeople People associated with the Affair of the Poisons