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Roots -

Gilles de Rais was born in 1404 in his family’s castle at Champtocé-sur-Loire, a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department of western France.

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Parents -

Gilles de Rais' parents were Guy II de Montmorency-Laval and Marie de Craon. Pictured is the seal of Gilles de Rais' father.

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Childhood -

Gilles de Rais was an intelligent child and an excellent student. He took an interest in reading and was fluent in Latin. Young de Rais trained in humanities and classic art, as well as military arts.

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Childhood -

Gilles de Rais' parents both died in 1415, so he and his brother René de La Suze were tutored by their mother’s grandfather, Jean de Craon.

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Arranged marriage -

Jean de Craon then tried to arrange a marriage between Gilles de Rais (who was 12 at the time) with the daughter of a wealthy heiress, a girl named Jeanne Paynel. His plan was unsuccessful, so he tried again, this time with the Duke of Brittany’s niece. But, yet again, he didn’t manage to go through with his plan.

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Arranged marriage -

Craon managed to finally get young Gilles de Rais to tie the knot with Catherine de Thouars of Brittany, the heiress of La Vendée and Poitou, on November 30, 1420.

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Gilles de Rais and Joan of Arc -

Joan of Arc had a bodyguard assigned to her by the dauphin (King Charles VII). This experienced military officer was Baron Gilles de Rais.

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Gilles de Rais and Joan of Arc -

Gilles de Rais was Joan of Arc’s companion-in-arms during the Siege of Orléans.

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Gilles de Rais was a big shot -

After the war ended, Gilles de Rais was appointed Marshal of France by the king.

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Gilles de Rais was a big shot -

De Rais became a notable figure in the country. So much so that he was among the four knights honored with delivering the Holy Ampulla to the consecration of King Charles VII.

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Fall from grace -

Gilles de Rais was a very wealthy man, but he failed to pursue a meaningful career after the military. Instead, he spent his fortune on a lavish lifestyle and buying expensive art.

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Involvement in alchemy -

Gilles de Rais then took an interest in alchemy. After all, turning lead into gold seemed like a good idea. Except, in medieval Europe, alchemy was associated with black magic.

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Obsession with alchemy -

Gilles de Rais became so obsessed with alchemy that he would have alchemists brought in to work for him.

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Obsession with alchemy -

But alchemists were not the only people de Rais’ staff members and cousins Gilles de Sillé and Roger de Briqueville were bringing him. They also started to bring him young boys.

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Alleged murders -

In the late 1430s, peasant boys were reported missing after being seen around de Rais’ castle. The rumored murders were kept quiet by locals, who feared challenging such a powerful nobleman.

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Alleged satanic ritual killings -

Gilles de Rais reportedly killed some of these boys and used their blood and body parts to help an alchemist named Prelati conjure a demonic entity named Barron.

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Arrest, trial, and conviction -

Gilles de Rais was arrested, charged, tried, and sentenced to death for murdering over 100 boys. His charges also included heresy and sodomy.

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Capital punishment -

Gilles de Rais was sentenced to death, and was both hanged and burned in Nantes on October 26, 1440.

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Was Gilles de Rais a ruthless serial killer? -

De Rais’ crimes have been debated by numerous experts over the years. For instance, Valerie Ogden, author of the 2014 book ‘Bluebeard,’ argues that Gilles de Rais suffered from PTSD following the death of Joan of Arc, and that his actions were also triggered by childhood trauma.

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Guilty, or innocent? -

In his 1756 'Essay on the Manners of Nations,' French writer Voltaire accused medieval trials of heresy and witchcraft of being "fanaticism composed of superstition and ignorance." Could de Rais have been a victim of the system?

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Miscarriage of justice? -

Some historians argue that de Rais was, in fact, innocent. The argument is that he confessed under the threat of torture and excommunication.

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Miscarriage of justice? -

In addition, it has been argued that there were possible false reports, and that Gilles de Rais’ accusers would have greatly benefited from his death.

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Miscarriage of justice? -

This was especially true for John V, Duke of Brittany, who gathered evidence and brought forward the proceedings. The duke had reported links to England, and would inherit de Rais’ estates after his death.

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Evidence -

Gilles de Rais’ servants confirmed that de Rais abused and killed the boys. Two clerics also testified about de Rais’ involvement in alchemy and how he used body parts in his rituals.

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Evidence -

People from surrounding villages also confirmed that boys had gone missing and were last seen at de Rais’ castle gate.

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Evidence -

While some sources claim that bodies were found, others say otherwise. It is therefore not entirely clear whether at least some of the alleged victims of Gilles de Rais were found.

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Mock retrial -

In 1992, a mock retrial for Gilles de Rais was held at Luxembourg Palace in Paris to reexamine the evidence available at the original medieval trial. Gilles de Rais was fully exonerated.

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Gilles de Rais and Bluebeard -

The French folktale written in 1697 by Charles Perrault is about a man who's involved in the disappearances of several women. It has been theorized that Gilles de Rais inspired the dark tale. In fact, both stories are sometimes intertwined.

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The truth is out there -

Whether Gilles de Rais was in fact a ruthless serial killer or a victim of a witch-hunt trial, framed by his enemies, remains up for debate.

Sources: (Listverse) (History Defined) (History Collection) (Atlas Obscura) (Britannica) (Crime Library)

See also: Who was the 16th century serial killer, Peter Niers?

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