TOULOUSE
Justice and injustice have marked the history of Toulouse. Dramas have been played out here and cases have been tried that could have changed the course of French history. From place to place, we reveal the extraordinary destinies of heroic… or disturbing personalities.
The city of Toulouse, with its tradition as a royal judicial centre, has an impressive number of parliamentary archives. The guide has chosen to recount four different cases: a crime of passion involving a mysterious young woman, political manipulation that almost cost Louis XIII his crown, a collective psychosis that inspired one of Voltaire’s most famous philosophical essays, and a mystery case…
The tour is also peppered with historical details about how investigations were conducted under the Ancien Régime. So, if you are unfamiliar with contumacy, estrapade and the bouton de Géhenne, be warned that this tour is not for the faint-hearted!
This tour does not include recent cases, but remains a way of approaching history and the city from the perspective of its heritage. It’s a safe bet that you’ll feel a slight shiver as you walk along its walls…
