The Prisoner of Poitiers

Starved, neglected, abandoned – the true story of the woman kept a secret from the world for 25 years. In the summer of 1876 the vivacious, intelligent, and beautiful Blanche Monnier vanishes, as if she never existed. Twenty-five years later, within the confines of a middle-class respectable chateau, the French authorities uncover a shocking crime that shakes not only the local community, but the political world of rural France. The truth of Blanche Monnier's disappearance is so terrible and bizarre it is almost unbelievable and leaves opinion divided on how far a family should go to protect their reputation. Historian Sophie Jackson reveals the terrible events that led to the horrible imprisonment of a young woman and the chauvinistic attitudes of the men who first wrote her story. While giving Blanche back her voice and exploding the myths that flood the internet about her case, she asks us – is it possible for such a crime to happen again today? Discover the true story of Blanche Monnier's confinement in The Prisoner of Poitiers today!