A Culture of Forgery. The de Launay Brothers and Heraldic Fraud in the 17th century

The Launay Brothers, Pierre-Albert and Jean, prolific seventeenth century genealogists settled in Spanish Netherlands, initially operated to satisfy their taste for glory. They invented for themselves their own genealogical tree and prestigious noble titles. Their activity was also lucrative, and satisfied a variety of clientele in lack of noble ancestors. Seventeenth century society was structured around noble lineage and the attainment of verifiable documentation was a constant preoccupation. They even went as far as compiling and producing a vast amount of documentation as well as falsifying official documents, certificates, patents, genealogies. Their careers were interrupted by judicial complications, temporary for Pierre, the eldest (dagger 1694) and tragically for Jean, the youngest (executed in 1687). Public libraries conserved some "Launay documents" in complete series, on multiple support, where heraldry is always a key factor (Paris, Arras, Lille, Brussels.). Private collections also contain convincing forgeries that continue to be problematic to this day.