Aqua Tofana :The case of Giulia Tofana(Queen of poison)
I first discovered this case in a YouTube video by Bailey Sarian. This case became my fascination and led me to do my research.
This case happened in Italy in the 1600s. It was during the renaissance period where they treated women as objects. They subjected women to arranged, loveless, and abusive marriages. Divorce and separation were not a choice. The only time married couples separated was when one spouse dies. During that time, a woman’s weapon of choice was poison.
This case is about Giulia Tofana, known for her poison Aqua Tofana. They labeled her as the queen of poison since she allegedly killed six hundred men. She is one of the most successful serial killers I have known since I ventured into true crime.
Early life and family
According to Wikipedia, Giulia Tofana was born in the 1600s in Palermo. Her home life is sparse, but it is alleged that she was the daughter of Thofania d’Adamo who was executed on 12th July 1633 for killing her husband, who is assumed to be Giulia’s father. Giulia’s father was described to be abusive. Girolama Spara, also known as Astrologa Della Lungara, was Giulia's daughter.
Giulia was described to be beautiful, even though no portraits of her existed. She spent most of her time with apothecaries (who are the modern-day pharmacists) where she learned to mix portions, medicine, tinctures, and cosmetics. She, later on, ventured into mixing cosmetics. Through this, she brewed her best-selling product, Aqua tofana.
Aqua Tofana
As said before, Aqua tofana was the best-selling product. Some people claim Giulia brewed the poison from her own recipe, others claim it was a recipe passed down by her mother, Thofania d’Adamo. She made aqua tofana from three lethal ingredients which includes lead, arsenic, and belladonna.
Belladonna
Belladonna, which means the beautiful lady is a poisonous plant that is known as the deadly nightshade. During the renaissance, Italian women used belladonna to dilate the pupils to have a striking appearance. When ingested, it can cause catastrophic consequences, including death.
Arsenic and Lead
During the renaissance, arsenic and lead were both ingredients used in makeup for flawless-looking skin. Arsenic and lead are poisonous when ingested.
No one knows how the ingredients were blended. Aqua Tofana was unnoticeable since it was odorless, tasteless, and colorless and the symptoms resembled advancing diseases. This made it easier to add it to meals and wines.
For aqua tofana to work, one needed to administer three doses. The initial dose caused weakness and fatigue. The second dose caused more weakness and fatigue, and the third dose killed an individual person.
Giulia's business
She moved from Sicily to Naples to Rome. she expanded her business after every move. When she moved to Rome, she opened a cosmetic front. In that cosmetic front, she worked with her daughter and three of her employees. This cosmetic front was just a disguise for their criminal activities.
Her criminal activities
Giulia had a soft spot for poor and working-class ladies who were in abusive marriages. These wives came to her seeking aqua tofana. If a wife was a new client, she needed to do a credibility check. This was to protect herself, her clients, and her business.
Once she gave the clients the poison, she coached them on what to do, including the number of doses and how to behave when the husband dies.
How the wives behave when their husbands died
According to Mike Dash the historian once the husband died, the wife was to ask for a post mortem to relieve suspicion from her. If the doctor did a post mortem they never got any result to indicate poisoning.
How she was caught
Her clients remained loyal since their loyalty benefited both the clients, her, and her accomplices. As we know, a chain is stronger as its weakest link.
In 1650, a woman went to Giulia and purchased aqua tofana. When she went, she prepared a bowl of soup for her husband. She then added the first dose of aqua tofana. When the husband sat down, took his spoon, and was ready to take his first spoon of soup, the woman stopped her husband from taking the soup. This made the husband suspicious and asked her why. The woman at first could not answer, but after abuse from the husband, she later confessed to poisoning the soup.
The husband turns his wife to the authorities. The authorities interrogated the woman using torture, which forced her to confess where she purchased Aqua tofana from. This led to a manhunt for Giulia Tofana and her accomplices. Word went around and Giulia heard she was being looked for, hence leading to her escape and seeking refuge at a local church. There was a rumor going around that Giulia had poisoned the water, and this made the locals furious. Once the locals heard Giulia was seeking refuge at the church, they threatened the church members, and this caused them to hand her to the authorities.
The authorities tortured her, which led her to confess that she had killed 600 men in total. They forced her to name some of her clients since she said she can’t remember all her clients.
Her death
Allegedly, Giulia Tofana, alongside her accomplices(her daughter and three of her employees) were executed Campo de’ Fiori in Rome in 1659
They also executed some of her clients while others went to prison.
They also executed some of her clients while others went to prison.
What Mozart believed
Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart was a legendary composer in the 1700s.While he was nearing his death, he believed he was poisoned by the infamous poison aqua tofana.
The physicians who attended to him believed he had a fever that was caused by syphilis.
My thoughts on the case
Even though there are no portraits of Giulia exist, I believe this case exists. For the men she killed, am not sure, but there is a possibility she killed more, or due to pressure from the torture, she might have exaggerated her numbers.
Interesting
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