The name derived from the French advocate François Gayot de Pitaval (1673–1743), who published several volumes of causes célèbres et intéressantes between 1734 and 1743.
Early works were mainly written for legal professionals but later Pitavals also became popular amongst other readers.
In the 19th and early 20th century the idea of publishing criminal cases quickly spread in Europe.
For example, E. T. A. Hoffmann's short story The Marquise de la Pivardiere (1820) is based on a real criminal case from 1697 (as described by François Richer).
[3] In 1982 and 1986, the Czechoslovak TV aired the series A Small Pitaval From A Large City based on true crime cases in Prague, too.