Martine Bertereau facts for kids
Martine de Bertereau, also known as Baroness de Beausoleil, (around 1600 – after 1642) was the first known woman to study minerals and work as a mining engineer. She worked alongside her husband, Jean de Chastelet. Martine traveled a lot across Europe. She looked for mineral deposits (places where valuable rocks and metals are found) and fresh underground water. She was hired by many important people, including nobles and kings.
During the time of the French King, Louis XIII, Martine and her husband explored possible mine sites in France. On one of their trips, Martine and her family were accused of witchcraft. They had to escape to Hungary. Later, Martine, her husband, and their oldest daughter were arrested. They sadly died in prison sometime after 1642.
During her life, Martine wrote several books. Her ideas came mostly from the Roman engineer Vitruvius's book on architecture, De architectura. Her writings talked about using "divining-rods," which are like dowsing tools. She also wrote about other scientific ideas. Martine de Bertereau didn't always share her true scientific methods. She preferred people to think she was using magic or old, famous scientific ideas. Her real success came from her deep understanding of the Earth. We don't know why she chose to hide her true methods. Her writings give us a special look into the skills needed for mining in the 1600s.
Life of a Mining Expert
Martine Bertereau came from a noble French family who worked in mining in Touraine. In 1610, she married Jean de Chastelet, Baron de Beausoleil et d'Auffenbach, who was also a mining expert. They had several children. We only know about their oldest daughter, who died in prison with Martine, and their oldest son, Hercule.
From 1610 to 1626, Martine and Jean traveled outside France. They even crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Potosi, Bolivia, to visit mines there.
The Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolph, made Jean the person in charge of the mines in Hungary. Because of this, they traveled widely. For 16 years, they visited mines across Europe and possibly South America. They were always looking for rich deposits of ore (rock that contains valuable metals).
In 1626, they were called back to France. Their job was to help bring the French mining industry back to life. In 1627, Hercule got very sick. He recovered after a few weeks in the town of Château-Thierry. During this time, Martine found a natural spring and said its water had healing powers. She told the local doctor, and he agreed she was right. The town became a popular place where sick and wealthy people visited.
Later, a historian named Martina Kölbl-Ebert showed that this was a clever trick, not magic. We don't know why Martine and Jean tried to make people believe they had magical abilities or good luck. Maybe they thought it would attract richer clients.
While they were in Château-Thierry, the local doctor became suspicious. He didn't believe Martine found the spring using a "divining rod." Divining rods, also called "water witching," were thought to help people find water underground. They are usually two bent metal rods held by a person. There is little scientific proof for this method. It's seen as an old, unproven idea, like a Ouija board. The doctor realized that Martine found the mineral-rich water by following red, iron-rich deposits in the cobblestones to the water source.
This discovery by the doctor started problems for their careers. After this, people began to doubt their methods. Their activities made the local religious leaders suspicious. At their mining base in Morlaix in Brittany, a religious leader named Touche-Grippé sent someone to search their home. When the searcher found their research, maps, and other materials, the clergy decided their methods involved magic. They accused Martine and her husband of witchcraft. No official charges were made, but the couple had to leave France. They fled to Germany from 1628-1629 and then to Hungary. After failing to make things work elsewhere, they returned to France.
Once back in France, Martine wrote to King Louis XIII. She hoped to get permission to dig at the mines she had found before fleeing. In her letter, she suggested a business plan to find more valuable materials. In her writing, she talked about using mysterious methods that she and her husband didn't actually use. When these fake methods were removed from her plan, the document showed a very good way to look for mineral deposits.
After getting no answer from the King, Martine wrote to the king's secretary, Richelieu. Again, she received no reply. Two years after her letter to Richelieu, she was arrested along with her husband and oldest daughter. Martine was put in prison at the Château de Vincennes. The Baron was sent to the Bastille, and their daughter was also in Vincennes. They were arrested because people thought they were telling fortunes or using astrology. Even though they didn't do these things, they still died in jail. Despite the stories Martine and the Baron told, they didn't do anything magical. They just had a good understanding of basic chemistry, early knowledge of rocks, and the land around them. They convinced people they were doing mythical things, but they were really just practicing science.
The exact date of their deaths is unknown. Martine and her oldest daughter died in prison sometime after 1642.
Her Writings
Martine wrote two reports about her work with her husband.
The first one, called Véritable déclaration de la découverte des mines et minières, was published in 1632. It listed 150 French mines the couple had found. This book also described mineral deposits in France. It mentioned the somewhat "mysterious" use of dowsing rods to find water. This document also contains many practical and scientific ideas that help us understand how people studied water underground in the 1600s.
The second writing was a poem, sent to Cardinal de Richelieu. It was called La restitution de pluton (1640). This poem was truly a plea for the couple, especially for Martine, to be paid for the work they did for the king.
In this poem, she tried to defend her unusual position as a woman working in the mining industry. She wrote:
"But what about what others say about a woman who tries to dig holes and go into mountains: this is too bold, and goes beyond what women can do. And perhaps, there are more empty words and pride in such promises (bad habits often seen in people who are not serious) than truth. I would tell anyone who doesn't believe this, and all those who use such arguments, to look at old stories. There, they will find that, in the past, there were women who were not only brave in war and skilled with weapons, but even more, expert in arts and sciences, taught by both the Greeks and the Romans.”
See also
In Spanish: Martine Bertereau para niños
