Sorcery and publicity: The Cadire-Girard scandal of 1730-1731

Abstract

The Cadire-Girard trial of 1730-1731 is an early example of a sensational, nationally publicized French trial in which the major parties were private individuals. Cadire, a female penitent, accused Girard, her Jesuit confessor, of bewitching and raping her; Girard claimed that Cadire was guilty of slander. It was to be the last witchcraft trial in the francophone world. Another notable feature of the trial was its publicity, in which the contesting parties almost immediately became stand-ins for the Society of Jesus and for its Jansenist adversaries. This paper argues that certain anti-Jesuits, particularly Cadire's defence team and in the Parlement of Aix-en-Provence, acted to prolong the trial with the aim of creating as much bad publicity as possible for the Society of Jesus; it also shows how Jansenist publicists took advantage of the lengthy process, creating literature that 'burned Girard in spirit', and with him, the Jesuits as a whole.