Blanche Monnier

Blanche Monnier (1849-1913), often known in France as la Séquestrée de Poitiers, was a spinster in Poitiers, France who was secretly kept locked in a small room by her mother for 25 years. Blanche Monnier had not seen sunlight for 20 years.[1][2][3]

Biography

At age 25, Blanche Monnier had set her heart on marrying a lawyer, who was not to her mother's liking. Her disapproving mother locked her in a tiny room for 27 years. On May 23, 1901 the Paris Attorney General received an anonymous letter that revealed the secret incarceration. She was found in appalling conditions and rescued by police.[4][5]

Her mother became ill shortly after being arrested, and died 15 days later. Her brother, Marcel, appeared in court, and was initially convicted but later was acquitted on appeal; Blanche was mentally incapacitated, and although the judges criticized his choices, they found that a "duty to rescue" did not exist in the penal code at that time.[4][6]

Having been released from the room, Blanche Monnier's continuing mental problems soon led to her admission to a psychiatric hospital, where she died in 1913.[7]

Legacy

In 1930, André Gide published a book about the incident, La Séquestrée de Poitiers, changing little but the names of the protagonists.[4][8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ This Woman's Family Shockingly Locked Her Away In A Dungeon For 25 Years.
  2. ↑ Augustin, Jean-Marie. L’histoire véridique de la séquestrée de Poitiers. Fayard. 2001. ISBN 978-2213609515
  3. ↑ Vivi, Janouin-Benanti. La Séquestrée De Poitiers: Une Affaire Judiciaire Sans Précédent. ISBN 978-2914474009
  4. 1 2 3 Pujolas, Marie. En tournage, un documentaire sur l'incroyable affaire de "La séquestrée de Poitiers". France TV info. Feb 27, 2015
  5. ↑ Jacques Pradel et RTL reviennent sur l'incroyable histoire de la Séquestrée de Poitiers Charente Libre. May 19, 2015.
  6. ↑ Moreillon, Laurent. L'infraction par omission, Librairie Droz, 1993, p. 65
  7. ↑ Pascal Audoux dévoile les mystères du Loir-et-Cher. La Nouvelle Republique. Apr 25, 2015.
  8. ↑ Levy, Audrey. Destins de femmes: Ces Poitevines plus ou moins célèbres auront marqué l'Histoire. Le Point. Apr 21, 2015.


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