Biblioteca Obscura Major I

By Nicolas Aubin

Few events in European history have embodied the deadly convergence of religious fanaticism, political ambition, witchcraft accusations, and alleged demonic possession as completely as the Affair of Loudun. During the seventeenth century, a community of Ursuline nuns claimed to be possessed by devils, spectacular public exorcisms drew thousands of spectators, and the parish priest Urbain Grandier was accused of sorcery, condemned for witchcraft, and burned alive. The History of the Devils of Loudun by Nicolas Aubin stands among the most important historical accounts of this extraordinary affair, preserving the documents, testimony, and contemporary commentary surrounding one of the most infamous witchcraft prosecutions in European history.

Drawing upon eyewitness accounts, official records, judicial proceedings, theological debate, and contemporary publications, Aubin reconstructs the dramatic events that transformed a provincial French town into the center of one of the seventeenth century's greatest religious scandals. He examines the alleged possessions, the celebrated exorcisms, the accusations against Grandier, and the political and ecclesiastical forces that shaped the trial, offering readers a compelling narrative of a tragedy where faith, fear, and power became inseparably entwined.

Far more than a single historical narrative, this edition presents a documentary archive of the Loudun affair, allowing readers to examine the original evidence, official decrees, legal proceedings, and conflicting interpretations that surrounded one of history's most controversial cases of alleged demonic possession.

Professionally restored from rare historical editions, this volume serves as the definitive documentary collection on the Devils of Loudun available to modern readers.

Contents of This Edition

This expanded collector's edition includes:

• Editor's Introduction
• The History of the Devils of Loudun
• Questions Proposed to the University of Montpellier
• Official Decree Against Urbain Grandier (1634)
• Grandier's Death Sentence (1634)
• The Alleged Diabolical Compact
• Relation of the Departure of the Demon Balam
• Contemporary Commentary
• Observations Upon the Relation
• A True Account of the Just Procedures

Together, these contemporary documents allow readers to follow the Loudun affair from accusation to execution, while examining the legal, religious, and political arguments presented by both supporters and critics of the proceedings.

Why This Volume Matters

The Loudun possessions remain one of the defining episodes in the history of witchcraft, exorcism, and religious persecution. Unlike editions that present only a single narrative, this volume assembles a remarkable collection of contemporary documents that reveal the affair from multiple perspectives. Readers can examine official judicial records, theological opinions, eyewitness testimony, and contemporary commentary, allowing the historical evidence to speak for itself.

For historians, students of witchcraft, demonology, religious history, legal history, and early modern Europe, this edition provides one of the most comprehensive documentary collections ever assembled on the Loudun possessions and the trial of Urbain Grandier.

About Biblioteca Obscura Major

Biblioteca Obscura Major is the premium collector's series from Shadowborn Press, dedicated to publishing definitive editions of the most significant works in the history of the occult, witchcraft, demonology, folklore, alchemy, religion, and the supernatural.

Unlike the standard Biblioteca Obscura pocket volumes, each Major edition is a substantially expanded hardcover volume, bringing together primary texts, rare companion documents, historical commentary, and editorial material to create the most complete modern edition of a landmark work.

Designed for collectors, historians, and serious students of the Western esoteric tradition, Biblioteca Obscura Major preserves the foundational sources that shaped centuries of supernatural belief.

Book Details

• Series: Biblioteca Obscura Major
• Volume: I
• Author: Nicolas Aubin
• Includes: Ten contemporary historical documents and editorial introduction
• Format: Premium hardcover collector's edition
• Trim Size: 6 × 9 inches
• Publisher: Shadowborn Press
• Professionally restored from rare historical editions

As the inaugural volume of the Biblioteca Obscura Major series, The History of the Devils of Loudun establishes the standard for the collection: comprehensive documentary editions devoted to the most influential episodes in the history of the supernatural. By assembling the principal narrative alongside official decrees, judicial records, theological commentary, and contemporary eyewitness accounts, this edition transforms one of history's most famous witchcraft cases into an unparalleled resource for collectors and scholars alike.