This page presents, in a non-exhaustive manner, some notorious French criminal cases whose development significantly took place before 1900. Those include regicide in the Middle Ages and violent crime in the 19th century.
List
Until 1800 YearYear or period during which the crime(s) were or are alleged to have been committed.Departement(s)According to the place(s) where the crime(s) were or are supposed to have been committed.CaseSummaryComment466Haute-GaronneAssassination of Théodoric IIAssassination of Theodoric II, King of the Visigoths in 466 in Toulouse by his brother Euric.CR575Pas-de-CalaisAssassination of Sigebert IAssassination of Sigebert I, Merovingian king in December 575 in Vitry-en-Artois by two emissaries of Fredegund, Queen of Neustria.CR584Seine-et-MarneAssassination of Chilperic IAssassination of Chilperic I, King of Neustria in September 584 in Chelles by one of his servants, a man named Falco.CR596UncertainAssassination of Childebert IIDouble assassination of Childebert II, King of Neustria, and his wife Faileuba in March 596.675Seine-MaritimeAssassination of Childeric IAssassination of Childeric I, King of Neustria, and his wife Bilichilde in 675 in the Broonne forest, probably victims of a terrible conspiracy.679MeuseAssassination of Dagobert IIPossible assassination of Dagobert II, King of Austrasia, in the Woëvre forest in 679.684UncertainAssassination of EbroinAssassination of Ebroin, Mayor of the palace of Neustria in 684 by Ermenfroi, a nobleman whom he had stripped of his possessions.Ebroin's cruelty and authoritarianism were such that he aroused resentment.CR741 ?UncertainAssassination of TheudoaldThe assassination of Theudoald, mayor of the palaces of Neustria and Burgundy, probably by the two sons of Charles Martel; Pépin and Carloman.768UncertainAssassination of WaiofarAssassination of Waiofar, Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony on the orders of Pepin the Short on 2 June 768.CR1199Haute-VienneAssassination of Aimar V of LimogesThe murder of Aimar V of Limoges, probably by Philip of Cognac, the supposed illegitimate son of Richard the Lionheart in 1199.1200GirondeMurder of MercadierThe murder of Mercadier, a mercenary , by a henchman of Brandin, a rival mercenary captain also in the service of John Lackland, King of England, on 10 April 1200.CR1316UncertainMurder of Reginald of BarThe possible poisoning of prelate Reginald of Bar, on 4 May 1316.1354OrneAssassination of Charles de la CerdaAssassination of Charles de la Cerda, Constable of France, at the "Spinning Sow" inn in L'Aigle on 8 January 1354 by one of the henchmen of the King of Navarre, Jean de Soult, known as .CR1358ParisAssassination of Assassination of , treasurer of the future King Charles V of France on 14 January 1358.CR1358ParisMurder of Étienne MarcelThe murder of Étienne Marcel, , by the Parisian bourgeoisie who considered that he had gone too far in his opposition and that he had wanted to hand the city over to the English on 31 July 1358.1364NordExecution of Siger IIExecution of Siger II of Enghien, Constable of France, at Le Quesnoy on 21 March 1364 on the orders of Albert of Bavaria, feudal sovereign of the counties of Holland, Hainaut, and Zeeland in the Netherlands.CR1388MarneDeath of Pierre Aycelin de MontaigutDeath by possible poisoning of Pierre Aycelin de Montaigut, Cardinal of Laon, in Reims on 8 November 1388.1407ParisAssassination of Louis I of OrléansThe assassination of Louis I of Orléans, leader of the Armagnac party, on the orders of his cousin John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy on 23 November 1407.Jean sans Peur in turn is assassinated by Tanneguy du Châtel and Jean Louvet.CR1410–1414ParisCabard and Miquelon AffairA series of murders – one hundred and forty-three, it is said – attributed to Barnabé Cabard and Pierre Miquelon, and which were allegedly perpetrated on in Paris.« Pierre Miquelon et Barnabé Cabard », dans Ch. Dupressoir, Drames judiciaires. Scènes correctionnelles. Causes célèbres de tous les peuples. Première série, Paris, Librairie ethnographique, 1849, .Horace Raisson, « Le barbier de la cité », dans Le Figaro, 31 janvier 1856, .The case, which probably has a basis in truth, gave rise to the legend, which persisted in Paris until the 19th century, of a barber who killed his victims with his razor before storing the bodies in a cellar which he shared with his neighbor, a pastry chef, renowned for his succulent pies, which he actually made from the flesh of the unfortunate victims.1418ParisThe Armagnac AffairBernard d'Armagnac, Count of Armagnac, Count of Charolais, Constable of France, leader of the Armagnac party, was killed on 12 June 1418, during the massacres organized by the people of the Duke of Burgundy, and led by the executioner .1419Seine-et-MarneAssassination of John the FearlessThe assassination of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, by Tanneguy du Châtel and Jean Louvet, on 10 September 1419 on the Montereau bridge.CR1429 ?UncertainAssassination of Jacques II de Bourbon-Preaux, a religious figure.1429-1430UncertainJoan of ArcJoan is condemned to be burned at the stake for heresy.She became a heroine of French history, and a saint of the Catholic Church.IR1436–1440Loire-AtlantiqueGilles de RaisHeresy, sodomy and the murders of "one hundred and forty children, or more" attributed to Gilles de Rais, Joan of Arc's comrade-in-arms.Over the centuries, Gilles de Rais would become a legendary figure, symbolizing Evil, the ogre of fairy tales.1455ParisFrançois VillonDeath of a priest, Philippe Sermoise, killed during a brawl by the poet François Villon on 5 June 1455.Villon, because of his chaotic life, is the archetype of the cursed poet.CR1473Meurthe-et-MoselleNicholas I, Duke of LorraineLouis XI is suspected of having poisoned Nicolas of Lorraine, Duke of Lorraine on 27 July 1473.1556AisneRobert IV de La MarckRobert IV de La Marck, Marshal of France, died poisoned on the orders of Emperor Charles V.CR1563LoiretFrançois, Duke of GuiseFrançois de Guise, Duke of Lorraine and Catholic leader, was assassinated with a pistol shot fired by a Protestant gentleman, Jean de Poltrot de Méré.De Poltrot de Méré is quartered.CR1567ParisAnne de Montmorency, 1st Duke of MontmorencyAnne de Montmorency, Constable of France, Catholic leader, was mortally wounded by a pistol shot in the back by a certain Robert Stuart.1569CharenteLouis I, Prince of CondéLouis I de Bourbon-Condé, Prince of Condé and Protestant leader, was assassinated after the Battle of Jarnac.CR1572ParisGaspard II de ColignyAssassination of Admiral de Coligny on 24 August 1572.The affair is the prelude to the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.CR1572ParisPetrus RamusAssassination of Pierre de La Ramée, Protestant humanist, philosopher, grammarian and logician on 26 August 1572.1573Charente-Maritime?Assassination of François III Bouchard d'Aubeterre in his bed, leader of the Protestant armies of Saintonge, present-day Saintes, one year after the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.1579Maine-et-LoireLouis de Clermont, seigneur de BussyLouis de Bussy d'Amboise, favorite of Francis, Duke of Anjou, was assassinated at the by the men of the on 19 August 1579.CR1586ParisDeath in mysterious circumstances of Jean-Édouard Du Monin, poet in 1586 in Gy.1588Loir-et-CherAffaire du Duc de GuiseThe assassination, on the orders of King Henry III, of the Duke of Guise on 23 December 1588 in Blois.The case would inspire, more than three centuries later, a classic (1908) of silent cinema.CR1589Hauts-de-SeineAffaire Jacques ClémentAssassination of King Henry III on 1 August 1589 at Saint-Cloud. The king died the next day. The culprit is Drawn and Quartered.CR1592Puy-de-DômeAffaire Babou de la BourdaisièreMurder of Françoise Babou de la Bourdaisière, a noblewoman, on 9 June 1592, in Issoire, during a riot during the War of the Catholic League.Her lover, Yves IV d'Alègre, suffered the same fate.1594ParisAffaire Jean ChâtelAttempted regicide against Henri IV, on 27 December 1594, Châtel is torn apart.The attack led to the expulsion of the Jesuits from France.CR1598Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (région)A case of witchcraft.1603 ca.Paris, Manche, Ille-et-VilaineJulien and Marguerite de RavaletAdultery and incest. The guilty parties are beheaded.1605 ca.-1611Bouches-du-RhôneAix-en-Provence possessionsA case of witchcraft.. Louis Gaufridi, parish priest of , found guilty of having seduced Madeleine Demandolx de La Palud using witchcraft and magic, was burned alive on 30 April 1611 in Aix-en-Provence.1610ParisFrançois RavaillacAssassination of King Henry IV of France on 14 May 1610. Ravaillac is quartered.CR1624 ?ParisVital d'AudiguierMurder of Vital d'Audiguier, poet and writer.1624ParisMurder of François de Molière d'Essertines, libertine writer, in March 1624, as a result of a duel.His assassin was probably a man he considered a friend.1627VaucluseRaymond Audebert, a bourgeois from Aix, was killed in June 1624 by Marc-Antoine de Malherbe during a duel.Sentenced to be beheaded, he nevertheless received letters of pardon. Malherbe was killed himself in a duel in 1627.CR1632VienneLoudun possessionsThe Ursuline convent in Loudun was bewitched by the priest Urbain Grandier, who was condemned to be burned at the stake.1646 ca.DoubsAdrienne d'HeurA case of alleged witchcraft.1665ParisAffaire TardieuMurder of Lieutenant général de police Jacques Tardieu, a criminal, and his wife, the 24 August 1665 on rue de Harlay.« Le lieutenant-criminel Tardieu et Marie Ferrier, sa femme. Leur assassinat », dans J.-B.-J. Champagnac, Chronique du crime et de l'innocence…, 1833, Tome 2, .Arlette Lebigre, Les Dangers de Paris au 17th century. L'Assassinat de Jacques Tardieu, lieutenant criminel au Châtelet, et de sa femme, Paris, Albin Michel, 1991.1667HéraultThe assassination of Diane de Joannis de Chateaublanc, Marquise de Ganges, who died on 5 June 1667 in Ganges.The case notably inspired a work (1813) by the Marquis de Sade and a story by Alexandre Dumas (ca. 1840).CR1679–1682ParisAffair of the PoisonsA series of poisonings in Paris during the reign of Louis XIV. The Madame de Brinvilliers was beheaded and then burned, and La Voisin was condemned to be burned at the stake.The case has, to this day, inspired or formed part of the plot of several works of fiction.1689ParisAffaire Le BrunMurder of Lady Mazel on 27 November 1689 at . Le Brun, the faithful servant, is wrongly accused, and dies before the real culprit is discovered and confesses.François Gayot de Pitaval, « Innocent condamné sur des indices, Et sa mémoire justifiée », dans Causes célèbres et intéressantes avec les jugements qui les ont décidées. Tome troisième, Nouvelle édition, corrigée & augmentée, Liège, Bassompierre – Amsterdam, Van den Berghen, 1775, . En ligne sur Internet Archive.1699ParisAssassination attempt on her husband by , Tiquet's wife, on 8 April 1699, a first attempt, three years earlier, was uncovered. Despite the husband's pleas to the king, Madame Tiquet was condemned to have her head cut off in the place de Grève, one of her henchmen to be hanged and the other to the galleys for life.François Gayot de Pitaval, « Madame Tiquet. Condamnée pour avoir entrepris d'avoir fait assassiner M. Tiquet, son mari », dans Causes célèbres et intéressantes, avec les jugements qui les ont décidées. Tome IV, La Haye, Jean Neaulme, 1748, . En ligne sur Internet Archive.1720 ca.-1726UncertainEtienne-Benjamin DeschauffoursEstablishment of a "pedophile network" and alleged murder. Deschauffours, convicted of sodomy, was sentenced to be burned at the stake.1730VarCatherine CadièreCase of witchcraft.The trial sparked numerous comments among contemporary authors and historians.1755ParisAssassinationThe execution in the place de Grève was attended by a huge crowd.1756 ca.-1758Saint-DomingueFrançois MackandalA series of poisonings. François Mackandal, a runaway slave, was condemned to be burned at the stake.Mackandal, a figure surrounded by legends, would later become a symbol of resistanc