TOULOUSE
The city of Toulouse, with its tradition as a royal judicial city, has an impressive number of parliamentary archives. The guide has chosen to recount four different cases: a crime of passion surrounding a dark young woman, a political manipulation that almost cost Louis XIII his crown, a collective psychosis that spawned one of Voltaire’s most famous philosophical essays, and a mystery case…
The tour is also peppered with a few historical details on how an investigation was conducted under the Ancien Régime. So if you’re unfamiliar with contumacy, the estrapade and the Gehenna button, be warned that this tour is not for the faint-hearted!
This tour does not include any recent cases, but it is still a way of looking at history and the city from the point of view of its heritage. It’s a good bet that you’ll shudder a little as you walk along its walls…
