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In modern times, revisionists have questioned whether or not de Rais was truly guilty of the crimes for which he was executed, noting that his confession was extracted using the threat of torture. Most historians who have examined the evidence from de Rais’s trial, though, continue to believe that he did in fact commit the murders.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- The Early Life of Gilles de Rais
- From War Hero to Demonic Murderer
- The Trial and Execution of Gilles de Rais
- Was Gilles de Rais A Serial Killer?
Gilles de Rais was born Gilles de Montmorency-Laval in 1404 in Champtocé-sur-Loire, France. The son of nobles, he was raised in the area of Rais, in the western French region of Brittany. He was a bright child who wrote illuminated manuscripts, learned military tactics, and spoke fluent Latin. Tragedy struck when de Rais was 10 years old and his fa...
Historical accounts described Gilles de Rais as a fearless and capable fighter. He solidified his status in 1429 when the dauphin, who would later become King Charles VII of France, ordered him to watch over Joan of Arc on the field. As her official protector, de Rais had significant responsibility and rose to the occasion. The two fought bravely i...
When secular lawmen interviewed Gilles de Rais’ servants, they admitted to abducting children for him and that he would masturbate on and molest the boys before cutting off their heads. Two French clerics testified de Rais engaged in alchemy and was obsessed with the dark arts — and that he used the limbs of victims for his rituals. Several servant...
While his guilt had been universally accepted for centuries — and Gilles de Rais even inspired the 1697 “Bluebeard” fairytale — some experts have come to question his guilt. Historian Margot K. Juby, the author of The Martyrdom of Gilles de Rais, believes the threat of torture was so daunting that de Rais confessed regardless of guilt, or possibly ...
Gilles de Rais ( c. 1405 – 26 October 1440), Baron de Rais, was a knight and lord from Brittany, Anjou and Poitou, a leader in the French army during the Hundred Years' War, and a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He is best known for his reputation and later conviction as a confessed serial killer of children.
According to court documents, Gilles de Rais carried out the systematic abduction, rape, and murder of over one hundred children between 1432 (a year after Joan’s death) and 1440. But it was not until he assaulted a priest in September of that year that anyone came forward to denounce his crimes.
Confess and Execution. The judges were correct. Gilles, who undoubtedly used implements of torture during his bloody reign, had no stomach for being on the receiving end of the Inquisitions tool chest and after his visit to La Tour Neuves prison, agreed to answer the questions of the judges.
Apr 6, 2024 · On October 15, 1440, Gilles de Rais faced trial in Nantes, accused of crimes that included heresy, witchcraft, and the murder of countless children. Despite his earlier heroic reputation, the evidence presented during the trial was overwhelming, painting a chilling picture of a man who had succumbed to the darkest depths of human depravity.
Jun 2, 2017 · Brought to trial after dozens of children went missing in the Nantes countryside, Gilles de Rais was accused of, in the words of biographer Georges Bataille, “the abominable and execrable sin of ...
