The Devils (1971) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Urbain Grandier was accused of witchcraft primarily because of a combination of personal vendettas and political manipulation. When Sister Jeanne discovered that Grandier had secretly married Madeline De Brou, she was consumed by jealousy and rage. Father Mignon, who was related to Grandier's lover, used this information to mislead Sister Jeanne into accusing Grandier of bewitching the convent. Meanwhile, Baron de Laubardemont, who had orders to demolish Loudun, exploited the situation by fabricating additional evidence of sorcery to remove Grandier as an obstacle.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Grandier's secret marriage is mentioned as a potential vulnerability that his enemies could use against him.

• urbain grandier
• witchcraft accusations
• sister jeanne
• father mignon
• laubardemont

Sister Jeanne was a deformed and neurotic nun who became fixated on Grandier as the ideal confessor for her convent. Her obsession stemmed from a combination of loneliness, religious fervor, and unfulfilled desire. When she learned that Grandier had secretly married Madeline De Brou instead of pursuing a position at her convent, her obsession transformed into bitter jealousy and madness, driving her to attack Madeline and ultimately fuel the witchcraft accusations.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes Sister Jeanne's neurotic and isolated nature early on, showing her intense interest in having Grandier appointed.

• sister jeanne
• obsession
• urbain grandier
• jealousy
• convent

The man disguised as Duke Henri de Condé was actually King Louis XIII himself. The king arrived in secret to witness the exorcism proceedings in Loudun. During the public exorcism, he attempted to demonstrate the falseness of the possessions by using a holy relic, which was later revealed to be an empty vessel, exposing the entire charade to the townspeople.

Foreshadowing: The timeline mentions that the Duke de Condé's true identity is a twist revealed during the exorcism scene.

• king louis xiii
• duke de conde
• disguise
• exorcism
• loudun

Grandier was executed because the witch hunt had become a political tool rather than a genuine investigation. Even though he maintained his innocence throughout brutal torture and repeatedly affirmed it to Father Mignon, the authorities, particularly Laubardemont and the inquisitor Pierre Barre, were determined to silence him. The execution served multiple purposes: fulfilling Laubardemont's demolition agenda, appeasing the hysterical mob, and demonstrating the church's authority. The farcical trial and torture were merely formalities in a predetermined outcome.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early on that Laubardemont had explicit orders to demolish Loudun, and Grandier was the main obstacle preventing this.

• urbain grandier
• execution
• innocent
• torture
• justice
• loudun

The public exorcism was a grotesque spectacle orchestrated by the church authorities to demonstrate the nuns' supposed possession by demons allegedly summoned by Grandier. During the event, the nuns, led by Sister Jeanne, entered frantic states, stripped, and engaged in frenzied behavior, claiming that Grandier's dark magic had ensnared them in sin. The event devolved into chaos and blasphemy when the nuns attacked a statue of Christ. The entire proceedings were later exposed as a farce when King Louis XIII, disguised as Duke de Condé, revealed the holy relic to be empty.

Foreshadowing: The accusations against Grandier had been building since Sister Jeanne first learned of his marriage, and Father Mignon had been manipulating her perceptions.

• public exorcism
• nuns
• possession
• sister jeanne
• hysteria
• loudun

After Grandier was burned at the stake, his wife Madeline De Brou was freed from captivity amid the chaos of the city's destruction. She walked away from the ruined city of Loudun, leaving behind the tragic scene of her husband's execution. Her departure symbolizes the lasting impact of the tragedy and the emptiness left in the wake of religious persecution and political manipulation.

Foreshadowing: The film shows Grandier and Madeline returning to Loudun together, leading to their immediate arrest.

• madeline de brou
• grandier's wife
• ending
• freedom
• loudun

The nuns claimed possession due to a combination of religious hysteria, manipulation, and genuine psychological turmoil. Sister Jeanne's obsessive jealousy had been twisted by Father Mignon into accusations that Grandier had bewitched the convent. Under the influence of the zealous inquisitor Pierre Barre and his brutal exorcism methods, the nuns were psychologically manipulated into performing and claiming possession. The mass hysteria reflected the wider paranoia of the era and served as a tool for those seeking to eliminate Grandier.

Foreshadowing: Sister Jeanne's initial descent into madness after discovering Grandier's marriage set the psychological groundwork for the mass hysteria.

• nuns
• possession
• hysteria
• mass hysteria
• sister jeanne
• exorcism

Cardinal Richelieu was manipulating King Louis XIII to demolish the fortifications of French cities to prevent potential Protestant uprisings and consolidate royal power. However, the king had made a promise to protect the town of Loudun and forbade its demolition. This political backdrop set the stage for conflict: when the governor of Loudun died, control passed to Grandier, who opposed the demolition. Baron de Laubardemont arrived to carry out the orders anyway, making Grandier a target for removal.

Foreshadowing: The film opens with Richelieu's political machinations, establishing the power struggle that underlies the entire narrative.

• cardinal richelieu
• king louis xiii
• loudun
• fortifications
• political intrigue

Father Mignon became involved because he was related to a woman with whom Grandier was having a clandestine affair. When Mignon learned that Grandier had secretly married Madeline De Brou, he used this information to manipulate Sister Jeanne, who was already obsessed with Grandier. Mignon deliberately misled Jeanne into believing Grandier had used dark magic to bewitch the convent, transforming her personal jealousy into accusations of witchcraft that spread through the nuns and ultimately triggered the witch hunt.

Foreshadowing: The summary notes that Grandier was engaged in a clandestine affair with a relative of Father Mignon, establishing the personal motive for Mignon's later betrayal.

• father mignon
• accusations
• witchcraft
• manipulation
• jealousy
• loudun

Baron de Laubardemont was not personally motivated against Grandier but rather saw him as an obstacle to fulfilling his orders to demolish Loudun's fortifications. When Grandier rallied the local soldiers to oppose Laubardemont's demolition efforts and went to petition the King directly, Laubardemont seized the opportunity to remove Grandier by any means necessary. He conspired to fabricate evidence of sorcery and collaborated with the inquisitor Barre to ensure Grandier's destruction, aligning his personal agenda with the religious hysteria.

Foreshadowing: Laubardemont's arrival in Loudun is marked by his explicit disregard for Grandier's authority and his determination to carry out the king's demolition orders.

• baron de laubardemont
• demolition
• loudun
• urbain grandier
• orders

Sister Jeanne attacked Madeline De Brou in a violent confrontation after discovering that Grandier had secretly married her. Jeanne's jealousy and rage reached a breaking point upon learning that the man she desired had chosen another woman. In her fit of madness, she physically attacked Madeline, branding her a "fornicator" and a "sacrilegious bitch." This violent outburst marked the point where Jeanne's obsession transformed from romantic longing into destructive hatred, setting her on the path to accusations and revenge.

Foreshadowing: The revelation of Grandier's secret marriage to Madeline is the catalyst that triggers Jeanne's violent breakdown.

• sister jeanne
• madeline de brou
• attack
• jealousy
• marriage
• loudun

Pierre Barre was a notorious inquisitor known for his cruel methodologies and depraved exorcism practices, brought to Loudun by Laubardemont to pursue the alleged witchcraft case against Grandier. Barre's arrival escalated the hysteria significantly, as his brutal "exorcism" techniques induced genuine psychological distress in the nuns, leading to their public displays of possession and madness. He presided over Grandier's show trial and torture, showing fanatical fervor during the execution, ultimately speeding up the burning to ensure Grandier's horrific death.

Foreshadowing: The timeline notes Barre's arrival as a turning point that brought brutal methods to the witch hunt.

• pierre barre
• inquisitor
• exorcism
• torture
• witch hunt
• loudun

During Grandier's execution by burning at the stake, the inquisitor Barre displayed fanatical fervor, speeding up the process to ensure Grandier died a horrific death rather than being granted a quicker end. As the flames approached, Father Mignon, tormented by doubt and guilt over his role in the false accusations, miscalculated and tightened the noose around Grandier's neck prematurely, ironically providing a more merciful death than the fire would have offered. The execution was accompanied by an explosion that demolished the city's defenses, sending inhabitants into chaos.

Foreshadowing: The build-up to the execution shows Mignon wrestling with his conscience, suggesting he would play a role in the final moments.

• urbain grandier
• execution
• burning at stake
• barre
• mignon
• loudun