Marthe Brossier: The ‘Possessed’ Woman vs. France’s Religious Wars
It’s 1599, and there’s a woman strapped to a chair, surrounded by the most powerful theologians and physicians in Paris, France. Her eyes roll back into her skull, her tongue lashes out like a serpent, and a guttural voice- claiming to be Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons- erupts from her stomach. This wasn’t just a crisis of faith; it was a political time bomb. In March 1599, France had been at peace for exactly three weeks after decades of bloody religious wars. One false move, one ‘demonic’ message, and the kingdom would be back at each other’s throats.
The story of Marthe Brossier is more than just a tale of exorcism- it is one of the first times in history that the scientific method was applied to the supernatural. As King Henry IV fought to keep his fragile peace, he realized that to save his crown, he didn’t need a priest- he needed a scientist. This is the weird, dark history of how “Beelzebub” met the scientific method in the heart of Paris.
Content Warning: This article explores dark historical events, including themes of death, violence, and criminal activity. Reader discretion is advised.
Summary of The Marthe Brossier Case:
- The Context: France was recovering from 70 years of religious war between Catholics and Huguenots.
- The Subject: Marthe Brossier, a 25-year-old daughter of a struggling draper who claimed to be possessed by Beelzebub.
- The Show: Her father turned her ‘possession’ into a profitable touring attraction, performing “live exorcisms” for money.
- The Conflict: Her “demon” preached that Protestants (Huguenots) were slaves of the Devil, threatening the peace established by the Edict of Nantes.
- The Investigation: King Henry IV ordered a team of physicians to use the scientific method to test her claims.
- The Findings: Out of nine rigorous tests, Marthe failed eight, proving she could not distinguish holy objects from ordinary ones.
- The Conclusion: While she exhibited “unnatural stoicism” during a pain test, she was ultimately declared a fraud who used a “how-to” manual to mimic symptoms.
A Kingdom on the Brink: The French Wars of Religion
To understand why one woman could threaten a throne, you have to understand the nightmare France had just survived. From 1562 to 1629, the country tore itself apart in a series of brutal religious civil wars. This wasn’t a war over territory, but a war over salvation. Catholics saw Protestantism as a demonic corruption, while Huguenots rejected the Church’s authority, leading to decades of massacres and assassinations.
Jess: “So… it wasn’t just a disagreement. They genuinely believed the other side was going to Hell.”
Larry: “Worse than that. They believed the other side was sending people to Hell. This wasn’t theology, it was warfare for souls.”
By 1593, King Henry IV realized the only way to end the bloodshed was to convert to Catholicism himself. He famously quipped, “Paris is well worth a Mass.” In 1598, he issued the Edict of Nantes, granting Protestants limited rights and legal protection. The peace was exactly three weeks old when Marthe Brossier arrived in Paris to challenge it.
Who was Marthe Brossier and how did her ‘possession’ begin?
Marthe Brossier was a young woman from Romorantin, France, who gained international notoriety in 1598 by claiming to be possessed by the demon Beelzebub. Born around 1573, Marthe was the daughter of a draper whose family had fallen on hard times. Around the age of 25, neighbors reported Marthe’s behavior had become erratic, cutting her hair short and dressing in men’s clothing- a scandalous act in the 1590s.
Jess: “Wait, she was cross-dressing? In the 1590s? That was scandalous. Dangerous, even.”
After her behavior started to cause problems for the family, Marthe declared that she was possessed by a demon, and accused the complaining neighbor of bewitching her. The neighbor, Anne Chevreau, spent a year in prison.
Meanwhile, her father, Jacques Brossier, seeing a financial opportunity in her condition, turned her “possession” into a touring attraction across the Loire Valley. For 15 months, they performed public exorcisms where Marthe would contort her body, speak in guttural voices, and claim that Beelzebub was the “Prince of the Huguenots”. This became an extremely profitable business for the family, collecting donations that sometimes equaled a worker’s full yearly wage.
Beelzebub on Tour: The Performance of a Lifetime
If you paid to see Marthe’s show, you witnessed a terrifying display of physical contortion and guttural vocalizations. Her eyes would roll back, her tongue would flick out like a snake, and a deep voice from her stomach- claiming to be the demon Beelzebub- would erupt. Beelzebub’s message was always political: “The Huguenots are servants of the Devil”.
The scam was incredibly profitable. Jacques Brossier would pass a collection plate after each “exorcism,” sometimes earning 20 to 30 crowns in a single day- roughly a full year’s wage for a common worker. By the time they reached Paris in March 1599, the crowds were massive, and the anti-Huguenot rhetoric was threatening to restart the civil war.
During this era of intense religious conflict, France was a breeding ground for supernatural paranoia, sparking both demonic possession hoaxes and deadly werewolf trials in history.
King Henry IV’s Response: The 1599 Scientific Examination
It didn’t take long before word spread throughout the city, even reaching King Henry IV. The king immediately became worried- Marthe Brossier’s demonic performances directly incited religious violence against Protestants, threatening to reignite the French Wars of Religion.
France had endured eight separate civil wars over 70 years, and the king had finally secured peace by converting from Protestantism to Catholicism and issuing the Edict of Nantes to protect the remaining Protestants.
Larry: “Legend says he quipped, ‘Paris is well worth a Mass.’ He was a king willing to do what it took to keep the peace.”
Only three weeks later, Marthe arrived in Paris, putting him in a difficult position: If the public believed a real demon was identifying Huguenots as “servants of the Devil,” the Edict of Nantes- which granted Protestants legal protection- would crumble.
But King Henry IV knew he couldn’t just arrest Marthe; if he did, the Catholic League would claim he was protecting demons. Instead, he ordered his personal physician, Dr. Michel Marescot, to assemble a team of experts to determine if Marthe was truly possessed or just a very good actress. This was one of the first recorded cases of applying controlled experiments to test the supernatural.
On March 30, 1599, the team began a series of “blind tests” at the Abbey of Sainte-Geneviève.
Test 1: The True Cross
Dr. Marescot held up a piece of wood, declaring it was a fragment of the True Cross. Marthe’s eyes rolled back and she began screaming in agony, unable to bear the “holy relic”. However, it was just a random piece of wood. When Marescot later used an actual fragment but told her it was ordinary wood, she had no reaction at all.
Test 2: Holy Water
Bishop Charles Miron approached Marthe with a cup of regular tap water, telling her it was blessed. She immediately hissed and thrashed as if it were burning her. When he later gave her actual holy water but claimed it was regular water, she drank it without any issue.
Test 3: The Relic Test
The examiners wrapped a simple key in red silk and told Marthe it was a holy relic of the True Cross. Predictably, Marthe went berserk, screaming that the demon couldn’t stand the holy object. The “holy object” was, of course, just a key.
Test 4: The Holy Sacrament
The priests gave Marthe a consecrated host (which, according to Catholic doctrine is considered to be the literal body of Christ) without telling her it was blessed by a priest. She ate it with no reaction. This was devastating to the Catholics watching; if a demon could consume Christ without pain, the entire performance was in doubt.
Test 5: The Language Test
According to doctrine, demons can speak all languages, especially Latin. Dr. Marescot and other physicians questioned Marthe in Latin, Greek, and English. Marthe stared blankly and only answered in French, making it clear she didn’t understand the questions.
Test 6: The Virgil Test
The Bishop asked for the book of exorcisms but was instead handed a copy of Virgil’s Aeneid– classical Roman poetry. As he read the Latin poetry dramatically, Marthe went wild, believing she was being tortured by holy words. In reality, the ‘holy words’ were just about Aeneas sailing to Italy.
Test 7: Physical Intimidation
Frustrated by the act, Dr. Marescot grabbed Marthe by the throat and commanded the demon to be silent. In a weak, gasping voice, Marthe whispered that the demon had left her. This proved that the “demon” was subject to physical discomfort and would stop performing if Marthe felt threatened.
Test 8: The Foul Compound
The exorcists applied a horrible-smelling compound to Marthe’s face. She immediately cried out that the demon had fled, begging them to remove the substance. Once again, physical discomfort- not holy power- forced the “demon” to leave.
By this point, the scientific evidence started really stacking up against Marthe. But for more details about each test, be sure to listen to the full episode on Spotify- or watch on Youtube above. (Click here to jump to top)
The Pin Test: A Moment of Unnatural Stoicism
Despite failing eight tests, there was one final trial that nearly changed everything: The Insensibility Test. According to 16th century doctrine, demons would leave a “Devil’s Mark” on the body that is immune to pain. If you stuck a pin into it, the person wouldn’t flinch.
Dr. Marescot pushed a long pin deep into Marthe’s hand and then her neck. Marthe didn’t move, flinch, or blink. She sat there taking the pain as if it were nothing.
Observers were horrified, and the team of doctors and scientists became uncertain.
Jess: “I would probably have second guessed things too.”
While this “unnatural stoicism” caused doubt among the theologians, Marescot remained a scientist. He concluded that while her ability to withstand pain was unusual, it was not necessarily supernatural. Considering Marthe’s size and stature, it would theoretically be possible for the pin to cause little to no pain. After some debate, Marescot determined that failing 8 out of 9 tests was a significant enough result to declare Marthe was a fraud.
Marescot’s final report famously read: “Nihil a Spiritu, multa ficta, pauca a morbo” which translates to: “Nothing from a spirit. Much fraud. A little illness.”
The Smoking Gun: The “How-To” Manual
Following the examination, the Parliament of Paris ordered Marthe’s arrest. While she was held in the Châtelet prison, guards discovered a book in her cell: The Devil of Laon.
This book was a detailed account of a famous 1566 possession case and essentially served as a “how-to manual” for faking demonic symptoms. It described every symptom, performance trick, and test she would likely face. Marthe hadn’t been possessed; she had been studying.
This was considered to be the ‘smoking gun’ of evidence against her, and any lingering doubts about her possible possession were put to rest.
Banishment, Kidnapping, and the Road to Rome
On May 24, 1599, the Brossiers were banished from Paris and ordered to return to Romorantin. However, they defied the order and went underground, holding private séances instead of public exorcisms. This was relatively successful for the next few months, but it likely gained a significantly smaller amount of income for the family than before.
In December, a devout Catholic named Alexandre de la Rochefoucauld- who genuinely believed Marthe was possessed- kidnapped her and smuggled her to Rome.
They arrived during the Papal Jubilee Year of 1600, a massive celebration perfect for Marthe’s “show”. King Henry IV was furious and used his diplomatic leverage over the Vatican to shut her down. In an era where supernatural claims frequently masked hidden agendas- much like the brutal European witch trials that served as political purges– the king could not let her undermine his authority.
The king threatened to make the expulsion of the Jesuits from France permanent if the Pope continued to support her. The Pope, not wanting to risk any more conflict or displaced people, ordered the show to be shut down and Marthe was stripped of her support.
The Vanishing of Marthe Brossier
After Marthe’s credibility was shattered in Rome, she continued to perform for a few more years. Her last recorded appearance was in Milan in 1604. After that, she and her family disappeared from history. Some say they died in poverty, but no official record remains of the woman who nearly brought a kingdom to its knees.
The 1599 Examination of Marthe Brossier
| Test | The Claim | The Reality | Result |
| True Cross | Demon recoils from holy wood | Random piece of wood | FAIL (Fraud) |
| Holy Water | Demon burns from blessed water | Regular tap water | FAIL (Fraud) |
| Relic Test | Demon cannot stand holy objects | A simple key wrapped in silk | FAIL (Fraud) |
| Sacrament | Demon cannot consume the Host | Consecrated Host (told it was fake) | FAIL (Fraud) |
| Language | Demon speaks all languages | Only answered in French | FAIL (Fraud) |
| Virgil Test | Demon tortured by holy rites | Classical Roman poetry (Aeneid) | FAIL (Fraud) |
| Physical | Demon is above human pain | Responded to throat grab/smells | FAIL (Fraud) |
| Pin Test | “Devil’s Mark” feels no pain | Deep needle penetration | PASS (Inconclusive) |
FAQ
Most historians and the 1599 scientific panel concluded she was a fraud. However, the “pin test” where she felt no pain continues to be a point of debate for those interested in the limits of human stoicism or potential supernatural influence.
In this case, Beelzebub was the name the “spirit” inside Marthe gave itself. Notably, the demon claimed to be the “Prince of the Huguenots” and used its platform to spread anti-Protestant propaganda.
By using controlled experiments (like using regular water instead of holy water), the King’s team was able to provide objective proof of fraud. This allowed the King to stabilize the country without appearing to attack the Catholic Church itself- a strategy mirrored by various religious figures who dismantled European witch trials from the inside.
After being forced to explain his actions to Church authorities in Rome, Rochefoucauld disappeared from history. Some accounts say he died of “sadness” shortly after the incident.
After being banished from Paris and rejected by Rome, the family’s influence waned. Marthe was last seen in Milan in 1604, and the family eventually disappeared into historical obscurity, likely living in poverty. Now, they’re simply a footnote in the archives of dark history.
Final Thoughts on Marthe Brossier’s Demon of Paris
Marthe Brossier was more than just a woman in a chair- she was a mirror reflecting a kingdom’s deepest fears. For six years, she exhibited signs of possession that terrified an entire nation, bringing France to the very edge of renewed religious slaughter. King Henry IV chose science over superstition to save his throne, and in doing so, he gave us one of the first documented victories for the scientific method.
Every test- from the fake holy water to the Latin poetry- seemed to point toward an elaborate fraud. It is easy to see her as a desperate woman in a desperate time, using a “how-to” manual and her own “unnatural stoicism” to survive a world that offered her no other future.
Yet, even the most skeptical physicians of the 16th century couldn’t shake the memory of that final pin test. Why didn’t she flinch? Why didn’t she bleed when a needle was pushed deep into her neck?
Maybe it was just extreme pain tolerance born of trauma.
But we have to consider the chilling alternative: if a demon’s goal was to sow chaos while remaining undetected, what better way than to fail the “obvious” tests and be dismissed as a charlatan?. Perhaps the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing King Henry IV that Marthe Brossier was just a very good actress.
If you look back at the records from 1599, the question remains as sharp as Dr. Marescot’s pin: Was Marthe Brossier a master manipulator who played the role of a lifetime, or was she the host for something truly dark that simply chose to stay hidden in the shadows?
Scholarly Resources:
Note: These resources have been reviewed by Larry/Jess and are publically available unless otherwise stated below.
1- A true discourse, upon the matter of Martha Brossier – Michel Marescot (1599) https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A16950.0001.001
2- Traicte des energumenes (The Catholic Rebuttal) – Pierre de Bérulle (1599) https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65596064/f1.item.texteImage
3- Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern France – Sarah Ferber (2004) https://archive.org/details/demonicpossessio0000ferb
4- ‘A woman under the influence’: a case of alleged possession in sixteenth-century France – Anita M. Walker and Edmund H. Dickerman (1991) https://www.jstor.org/stable/2541474
5- Placebo Science Is Rooted in Witch Hunts – Kristen French (Nautilus, 2024) https://nautil.us/placebo-science-is-rooted-in-witch-hunts-787338
The links above are just the tip of the iceberg- we fell into way more rabbit holes than we can list here!
Download the Full Marthe Brossier Resources PDF to see the complete trail of evidence we used to exhume this story. It’s a clickable, printable list of every resource we used to investigate the alleged demonic possession, it’s potential threat to France’s fragile peace after religious wars, and the methods and outcomes of each scientific test- including our personal note on why each piece of evidence is vital to the case. Download the FREE Research Set Here.
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