Chambre Ardente
Encyclopedia
A Chambre ardente was an extraordinary court of justice in Ancien Régime France
, mainly held for the trials of heretic
s.
The name is perhaps an allusion to the fact that the proceedings took place in a room from which all daylight was excluded, the only illumination being from torches, or there may be a reference to the severity of the sentences in ardente, suggesting the burning of the prisoners at the stake. These courts were originated by the Cardinal of Lorraine, the first of them meeting in 1535 under Francis I
.
The Chambre Ardente co-operated with an inquisitorial tribunal
also established by Francis I, the duty of which was to discover cases of heresy and hand them over for final judgment to the Chambre Ardente.
The reign of Henry II of France
was particularly infamous for the cruelties perpetrated by this court on the Huguenot
s. The marquise de Brinvilliers and her associates were tried in the Chambre Ardente in 1680 (the affaire des poisons). The court was abolished in 1682.
See N Weiss, La Chambre Ardente (Paris, 1889), and François Ravaisson, Archives de la Bastille (Paris, 1866-1884, 16 vols).
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France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, mainly held for the trials of heretic
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
s.
The name is perhaps an allusion to the fact that the proceedings took place in a room from which all daylight was excluded, the only illumination being from torches, or there may be a reference to the severity of the sentences in ardente, suggesting the burning of the prisoners at the stake. These courts were originated by the Cardinal of Lorraine, the first of them meeting in 1535 under Francis I
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
.
The Chambre Ardente co-operated with an inquisitorial tribunal
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
also established by Francis I, the duty of which was to discover cases of heresy and hand them over for final judgment to the Chambre Ardente.
The reign of Henry II of France
Henry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
was particularly infamous for the cruelties perpetrated by this court on the Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s. The marquise de Brinvilliers and her associates were tried in the Chambre Ardente in 1680 (the affaire des poisons). The court was abolished in 1682.
See N Weiss, La Chambre Ardente (Paris, 1889), and François Ravaisson, Archives de la Bastille (Paris, 1866-1884, 16 vols).
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