The Renaissance’s Most Successful Killer
How Giulia Tofana Indirectly Murdered 600 Men with Her Cosmetics.
The Renaissance is known to be a time of Enlightenment- a blossoming of the arts and language, as well as many inventions in the sciences. However, it was also a time of witch hunts across European countries where people were put to death for various causes, sometimes with little proof.
The standing of women in these days was deplorable. They were viewed as property and loveless items to be auctioned off. Divorce was not an option. The husband had free reign in the marriage. He was able to be cruel, to abuse and mistreat his wife as much or as often as he wanted, with no punishment.
When it came to marriage, women had no choice in who they married as many were pre-arranged. They also had no way to get out of the marriage. Even if they would have been able to escape, roles for women were sparse. They could be a wife, prostitute, or have someone die. Quite a few women chose the last option with the help of Giulia Tofana.
Background
Very little is known about Tofana. She was born in Palermo in 1620. Her mother, Thofania d’Amado, was executed in 1633 for murdering her husband- perhaps through an apothecary concoction. After the death of her parents, Tofana spent a lot of time in apothecaries, learning the secrets of the trade.
Eventually, Tofana would use the skills she had learned to create Aqua Tofana- a liquid that was colorless, tasteless, odorless. It was created from arsenic, lead, and belladonna (used for dilating the eyeballs for a larger appearance).
This was a liquid that could kill with precision. The doses could be calculated to allow for a slow decline, allowing husbands to confess their sins and put their affairs in order. This liquid also left no trace that could turn in up in a post-mortem examination.
Deaths
Aqua Tofana used products that were used to create common makeup products. They were either sold under the guise of regular makeup or as “Manna” of St. Nicholas of Bari- oil said to ooze out of the saint’s tomb and used for miraculous curative processes.
Since the liquid could be calculated, a few doses, given little by little in food, soup, or wine, could kill a man. The first dose would give off the appearance of a common cold. The second dose would produce stomach aches, nausea, and vomiting. The third or fourth dose would finish the man off.
Women were also coached on how to act at each stage of the process. They were told to be concerned when symptoms were getting worse. The performance would happen after the husband’s death, where the woman would act upset and demand a post-mortem examination so that her guilt could be ruled out.
Death of Giulia Tofana
Tofana was careful in who she dealt with. She vetted her customers and only accepted referrals from past clients. She is said to have written directions to go along with the product that made it appear more like a legit beauty product than a poison.
She was also loved by the community for the number of women that she had helped escape. However, one customer got cold feet upon administering soup with a dose of Aqua Tofana. She served the soup and then demanded her husband stop eating. Under punishment from him, she confessed to trying to poison him. She was arrested and tortured until they found out the source of Aqua Tofana.
Tofana was given an advanced warning that the secret was out. She went to a local church seeking sanctuary, which was granted until the authorities showed up. Under torture, Tofana gave up the information that she had assisted in the murder of 600 men. She also gave out some of her customer’s information.
Tofana was executed in 1659 along with her daughter Girolama Spera and three other employees. Many of the customers were executed afterward.
Was Tofana trying to help women escape unhappy marriages and stop abuse, or did she have a more sinister motive? Was she trying to fight against a society that stated that men had all governing decisions and women had no rights? In any event, she paid the price for the creation and assistance with her life.
