The History of the Devils of Loudun. Anonymous

This story is true story about an extraordinary event that happened in France in the times of Cardinal Richelieu. The events of the story spin around the supposed demonic possession, religious fanaticism, sexual repression, and mass hysteria that occurred in 17th-century France town of Loudun. According to the historical sources, the Roman Catholic priest Urbain Grandier and an entire convent of Ursuline nuns allegedly became possessed by demons. Grandier, was a promis-cuous and insolent personality, who yet stated that he was not guilty. Modern historians suppose that he could possibly be a victim of a political plot by Cardinal Richelieu. The trial started as a group of Ursulite nuns accused him of bewitching them into imprudent acts. Urbain Grandier stated that the true reason for the trial was his refuse to become a spiritual patron of the Covent, which infuriated which After a trial, Grandier was found guilty and burned at a stake. This book presents a translation of the first-hand account of those events and can be considered as a primary source of historical information.