In 17th century France a group of nuns described some unsettling visitations at their convent, which developed into a story of possession, political intrigue, and a moment in time that was rife with social tensions.

Research:
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Wars of Religion". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Mar. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/event/Wars-of-Religion
“Hawthorn.” National Institute of Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/hawthorn
Cameron, Teagan. “A Diabolical Martyrdom: Urbain Grandier, the Transgressive Outsider, and the Surrogate Victim in The Possession at Loudun.” Constellations. Vol. 13, no. 2. Aug. 2022, doi:10.29173/cons29475
deCerteau, Michel. “The Possession at Loudun.” University of Chicago Press. 2000.
Dumas, Alexandre, Pere. “Urbain Grandier – 1634.” 1910. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2746/2746-h/2746-h.html
Ferber, Sarah. “Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern France.” Routledge. 2013.
Hunter, Mary Kate. “Loudun Possessions: Witchcraft Trials at The Jacob Burns Law Library.” Newsletter of the Legal History & Rare Books Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries. Volume 16 Number 3. Hallowe’en 2010. https://www.aallnet.org/lhrbsis/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/lhrb-16-3.pdf
Huxley, Aldous. “The Devils of Loudun.” London. Chatto & Windus. 1952. Accessed online: https://ia601400.us.archive.org/3/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.469712/2015.469712.The-Devils_text.pdf
Niau, Des and Edmund Goldsmith (tr.) “The history of the devils of Loudun; the alleged possession of the Ursuline nuns, and the trial and execution of Urbain Grandier, told by an eye-witness.” Edinburgh. Private Printing. 1887. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/historyofdevilso00desn/page/n31/mode/2up
Sluhovsky, Moshe. “The Devil in the Convent.” The American Historical Review , Vol. 107, No. 5 (December 2002), pp. 1379-1411. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association. https://.www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/532851
Soth, Amelia. “A Mother Superior’s Demons.” JSTOR Daily. Oct. 31, 2024. https://daily.jstor.org/a-mother-superiors-demons/

In 17th century France a group of nuns described some unsettling visitations at their convent, which developed into a story of possession, political intrigue, and a moment in time that was rife with social tensions.
Research:
<ul>
<li>The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Wars of Religion".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Mar. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/event/Wars-of-Religion</li>
<li>&ldquo;Hawthorn.&rdquo; National Institute of Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/hawthorn</li>
<li>Cameron, Teagan. &ldquo;A Diabolical Martyrdom: Urbain Grandier, the Transgressive Outsider, and the Surrogate Victim in The Possession at Loudun.&rdquo;&nbsp;Constellations. Vol. 13, no. 2. Aug. 2022, doi:10.29173/cons29475</li>
<li>deCerteau, Michel. &ldquo;The Possession at Loudun.&rdquo; University of Chicago Press. 2000.</li>
<li>Dumas, Alexandre, Pere. &ldquo;Urbain Grandier &ndash; 1634.&rdquo; 1910. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2746/2746-h/2746-h.html</li>
<li>Ferber, Sarah. &ldquo;Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern France.&rdquo; Routledge. 2013.</li>
<li>Hunter, Mary Kate. &ldquo;Loudun Possessions: Witchcraft Trials at The Jacob Burns Law Library.&rdquo; Newsletter of the Legal History &amp; Rare Books Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries. Volume 16 Number 3. Hallowe&rsquo;en 2010. https://www.aallnet.org/lhrbsis/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/lhrb-16-3.pdf</li>
<li>Huxley, Aldous. &ldquo;The Devils of Loudun.&rdquo; London. Chatto &amp; Windus. 1952. Accessed online: https://ia601400.us.archive.org/3/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.469712/2015.469712.The-Devils_text.pdf</li>
<li>Niau, Des and Edmund Goldsmith (tr.) &ldquo;The history of the devils of Loudun; the alleged possession of the Ursuline nuns, and the trial and execution of Urbain Grandier, told by an eye-witness.&rdquo; Edinburgh. Private Printing. 1887. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/historyofdevilso00desn/page/n31/mode/2up</li>
<li>Sluhovsky, Moshe. &ldquo;The Devil in the Convent.&rdquo; The American Historical Review , Vol. 107, No. 5 (December 2002), pp. 1379-1411. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Historical Association. https://.www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/532851</li>
<li>Soth, Amelia. &ldquo;A Mother Superior&rsquo;s Demons.&rdquo; JSTOR Daily. Oct. 31, 2024. https://daily.jstor.org/a-mother-superiors-demons/</li>
</ul>

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Listen to this collection of top episodes from iHeartRadio and iHeartPodcasts. 

Listen to this collection of top episodes from iHeartRadio and iHeartPodcasts.&nbsp;

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In 17th century France a group of nuns described some unsettling visitations at their convent, which developed into a story of possession, political intrigue, and a moment in time that was rife with social tensions.

Loudun Possessions

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1bc6d45e-0400-4531-9c4a-b36d00035a13/transcript

Part 1 of this 2020 two-parter covers background on the FBI and on the origins of its counterintelligence programs, as well as one specific operation, called COINTELPRO-White Hate.

Part 1 of this 2020 two-parter covers background on the FBI and on the origins of its counterintelligence programs, as well as one specific operation, called COINTELPRO-White Hate.

SYMHC Classics: COINTELPRO 1

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a007cbe8-2d8b-4833-835b-b3f001828ae8/transcript

Tracy shares her desire to see the rest of the letter that was quoted in this week's episodes on Anthony Burns. Talk also turns to the fact that many of the things that are surprising people today are, in fact, precedented.

Tracy shares her desire to see the rest of the letter that was quoted in this week's episodes on Anthony Burns. Talk also turns to the fact that many of the things that are surprising people today are, in fact, precedented.

Behind the Scenes Minis: It's Not Unprecedented

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a344bef1-bb63-45b4-999c-b3f00059535e/transcript

Our second episode on the life of Anthony Burns begins with his detention in Boston, which outraged Massachusetts abolitionists. Even after Burns was returned to Virginia to be enslaved once again, his supporters in Boston continued to work for his freedom.

Research:
Buehrens, John A. “Spiritual friendship and social justice.” UU World. Fall 2019. https://www.uuworld.org/articles/spiritual-friendship
Sutton, Robert K. “’We waked up stark mad Abolitionists.’” From "Stark Mad Abolitionists.” Salon. 8/5/2017. https://www.salon.com/2017/08/05/we-waked-up-stark-mad-abolitionists/
Sutton, Robert K. “The Wealthy Activist Who Helped Turn ‘Bleeding Kansas’ Free.” Smithsonian. 8/16/2017. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/wealthy-activist-who-helped-turn-bleeding-kansas-free-180964494/
Delblanco, Andrew. “America’s Struggle for Moral Coherence.” The Atlantic. 12/12/2018. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/11/the-nation-has-been-this-dividedin-the-civil-war/575587/
Finkelman, Paul & Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Anthony Burns (1834–1862). (2020, December 07). In Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/burns-anthony-1834-1862.
“Anthony Burns Captured.” Africans in America. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2915.html
Boston African American National Historic Site. “"God made me a man- not a slave": The Arrest of Anthony Burns.” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/-god-made-me-a-man-not-a-slave-the-arrest-of-anthony-burns.htm#_ftnref14
Linder, Douglas O. “The (Fugitive Slave)Trials of Anthony Burns: An Account.” UMKC School of Law: Famous Trials. 2019. https://www.famous-trials.com/anthonyburns/2425-the-fugitive-slave-trials-of-anthony-burns-an-account
Encyclopedia Virginia. “The Trial of Anthony Burns (1854).” https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/burns-anthony-the-trial-of-1854/
Stevens, Charles Emery. “Anthony Burns: A History.” Boston : John P. Jewett and Co. 1856.
Shapiro, Samuel. “The Rendition of Anthony Burns.” The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Jan., 1959). https://www.jstor.org/stable/2716312
Maginnes, David R. “The Case of the Court House Rioters in the Rendition of the Fugitive Slave Anthony Burns, 1854.” The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 56, No. 1 (Jan., 1971). https://www.jstor.org/stable/2716024
Landon, Fred. “Anthony Burns in Canada.” Reprinted from the Ontario Historical Society’s “Papers and Records” volume XXII. 1925. https://archive.org/details/anthonyburnsinca00land/
Potter, Joseph S. “The Boston Slave Riot, and Trial of Anthony Burns.” Boston: Fetridge and Company. 1854. https://archive.org/details/DKC0103/mode/1up
Perlstein, Henry, “From the Ashes of the Common Law”: Personal Replevin in the 21st Century (February 05, 2024). Intercultural Human Rights Law Review, Volume 19, pp. 257-309, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5407082 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5407082

Our second episode on the life of Anthony Burns begins with his detention in Boston, which outraged Massachusetts abolitionists. Even after Burns was returned to Virginia to be enslaved once again, his supporters in Boston continued to work for his freedom.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Buehrens, John A. &ldquo;Spiritual friendship and social justice.&rdquo; UU World. Fall 2019. https://www.uuworld.org/articles/spiritual-friendship</li>
<li>Sutton, Robert K. &ldquo;&rsquo;We waked up stark mad Abolitionists.&rsquo;&rdquo; From "Stark Mad Abolitionists.&rdquo; Salon. 8/5/2017. https://www.salon.com/2017/08/05/we-waked-up-stark-mad-abolitionists/</li>
<li>Sutton, Robert K. &ldquo;The Wealthy Activist Who Helped Turn &lsquo;Bleeding Kansas&rsquo; Free.&rdquo; Smithsonian. 8/16/2017. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/wealthy-activist-who-helped-turn-bleeding-kansas-free-180964494/</li>
<li>Delblanco, Andrew. &ldquo;America&rsquo;s Struggle for Moral Coherence.&rdquo; The Atlantic. 12/12/2018. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/11/the-nation-has-been-this-dividedin-the-civil-war/575587/</li>
<li>Finkelman, Paul &amp; Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Anthony Burns (1834&ndash;1862). (2020, December 07). In Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/burns-anthony-1834-1862.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Anthony Burns Captured.&rdquo; Africans in America. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2915.html</li>
<li>Boston African American National Historic Site. &ldquo;"God made me a man- not a slave": The Arrest of Anthony Burns.&rdquo; National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/-god-made-me-a-man-not-a-slave-the-arrest-of-anthony-burns.htm#_ftnref14</li>
<li>Linder, Douglas O. &ldquo;The (Fugitive Slave)Trials of Anthony Burns: An Account.&rdquo; UMKC School of Law: Famous Trials. 2019. https://www.famous-trials.com/anthonyburns/2425-the-fugitive-slave-trials-of-anthony-burns-an-account</li>
<li>Encyclopedia Virginia. &ldquo;The Trial of Anthony Burns (1854).&rdquo; https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/burns-anthony-the-trial-of-1854/</li>
<li>Stevens, Charles Emery. &ldquo;Anthony Burns: A History.&rdquo; Boston : John P. Jewett and Co. 1856.</li>
<li>Shapiro, Samuel. &ldquo;The Rendition of Anthony Burns.&rdquo; The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Jan., 1959). https://www.jstor.org/stable/2716312</li>
<li>Maginnes, David R. &ldquo;The Case of the Court House Rioters in the Rendition of the Fugitive Slave Anthony Burns, 1854.&rdquo; The Journal of Negro History, Vol. 56, No. 1 (Jan., 1971). https://www.jstor.org/stable/2716024</li>
<li>Landon, Fred. &ldquo;Anthony Burns in Canada.&rdquo; Reprinted from the Ontario Historical Society&rsquo;s &ldquo;Papers and Records&rdquo; volume XXII. 1925. https://archive.org/details/anthonyburnsinca00land/</li>
<li>Potter, Joseph S. &ldquo;The Boston Slave Riot, and Trial of Anthony Burns.&rdquo; Boston: Fetridge and Company. 1854. https://archive.org/details/DKC0103/mode/1up</li>
<li>Perlstein, Henry, &ldquo;From the Ashes of the Common Law&rdquo;: Personal Replevin in the 21st Century (February 05, 2024). Intercultural Human Rights Law Review, Volume 19, pp. 257-309, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5407082 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5407082</li>
</ul>

Our second episode on the life of Anthony Burns begins with his detention in Boston, which outraged Massachusetts abolitionists. Even after Burns was returned to Virginia to be enslaved once again, his supporters in Boston continued to work for his freedom.

The Rendition of Anthony Burns, Part 2

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/773492b7-cec5-4a10-83be-b3ee003bb945/transcript

Loudun Possessions

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