A Tale of Two Murders: Passion and Power in Seventeenth-Century France

by James R. Farr

As scandalous as any modern-day celebrity murder trial, the “Giroux affair” was a maelstrom of intrigue, encompassing daggers, poison, adultery, archenemies, servants, royalty, and legal proceedings that reached the pinnacle of seventeenth-century French society. In 1638 Philippe Giroux, a judge in the highest royal court of Burgundy, allegedly murdered his equally powerful cousin, Pierre Baillet, and Baillet’s valet, Philibert Neugot. The murders were all the more shocking because they were surrounded by accusations (particularly that Giroux had been carrying on a passionate affair with Baillet’s wife), conspiracy theories (including allegations that Giroux tried to poison his mother-in-law), and unexplained deaths (Giroux’s wife and her physician died under suspicious circumstances). The trial lasted from 1639 until 1643 and came to involve many of the most distinguished and influential men in France, among them the prince of Condé, Henri II Bourbon; the prime minister, Cardinal Richelieu; and King Louis XIII. James R. Farr reveals the Giroux affair not only as a riveting murder mystery but also as an illuminating point of entry into the dynamics of power, justice, and law in seventeenth-century France. Drawing on the voluminous trial records, Farr uses Giroux’s experience in the court system to trace the mechanisms of power—both the formal power vested by law in judicial officials and the informal power exerted by the nobility through patron-client relationships. He does not take a position on Giroux’s guilt or innocence. Instead, he allows readers to draw their own conclusions about who did what to whom on that ill-fated evening in 1638.

Genres: History, France, Crime, Nonfiction, Read For School

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Janellyn51 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was interested in reading this, because my great grandfather's descendant Thomas Heyot, was one of the first 11 families solicited by the king of France to settle the New France, which was essentially a fort in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River, what was to become Quebec......in 1638, the year these murders took place. I thought it might be a good way to glean what life was like at that time. I think a fort and hostile Indians is the way to go! These people were corrupt as he'll!
Did he or didn't he? I certainly wouldn't have trusted Marie, and Saumaise was a piece of work....both of them, he And Giroux were creeps. Saumaise struck me as someone who would have presided over witch trials. As imperfect as our court systems are, those people, while they were in the process of establishing laws of procedure, they had no qualms to disregard them either. Saumaise made out like a bandit financially, and right there, that judges and people pressing charges, ought not to have benefited financially from the prisoners wealth. Anyway, I'm glad my descendant got out while the getting was good!

[robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not an easy read - there are a lot of names and they sort of blur together. But it's exhaustively researched and carefully told - a really scholarly labor.

Full disclosure... I gave up on it. But I appreciate it for what it is.

[Melantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was, altogether, an enjoyable read, if perhaps not quite as compelling as THE AFFAIR OF THE POISONS (which I read during my little interregnum, and must add to my shelves some time soon -- I have been adding books that I read then as I remember them, and at about what time it was that I read them). One cannot help but admire Professor for uncovering this little gem of a murder-mystery, and undertaking the Herculean task of trying to unweave this web -- the amount of contradictory evidence is of almost Lizzie Borden proportions. I could wish, however, that the book's citations were a little more thorough. That aside, this has all the makings of a riveting soap-opera: lust, murder, wife-beating, political intrigue, blasphemy, infanticide, adultery, conspiracy, prison-break, family vendettas, rape (and the list goes on)... There are so MANY people to keep track of, and I was grateful that the author was kind enough to remind us who such-and-such last mentioned sixty pages ago was. (I have trouble keeping track of the characters in most books, and generally have to write myself a "dramatis personæ", so this was an enormous boon for me.)
All in all, a page-turner*, and one that offers fascinating insight into society, day-to-day living and the legal system in Louis XIII's France.

*I did stall out on it for two months or so, but this was because I had to study for my final, and because, as I have mentioned before, I have the attention-span of a two-year-old.

[J.T.K. Gibbs]

Fascinating study of murder and the law in 17th century France. A sort of "Law & Order" minus four centuries. Well worth the read, but a LOT of material. Farr is the ultimate expositor on this topic!

[Laura Crockett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough review of a 17th C murder case and how the justice system worked in France, and to a large degree, still works. Very different from our own American system.

[Lisa]

Despite this being a monograph, it reads almost like a novel. It contains mystery, intrigue, lies, and it keeps the reader continuously wanting to discover more so they can try to solve the mystery.