Gilles de Rais
Gilles de Rais was a prominent figure in 15th-century France, initially celebrated for his military achievements, notably his service alongside Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years' War. Born into a wealthy noble family, he became a marshal of France due to his valor in battle. However, after the war, his reputation took a dark turn; he faced serious accusations of horrific crimes, including the murder of numerous peasant children, with estimates ranging up to 800 victims. These charges emerged after his arrest in 1440, leading to a trial that combined both secular and ecclesiastical courts. While he and his accomplices confessed under duress to murder and sorcery, the validity of these confessions has been debated, with some suggesting political motivations behind the accusations. Gilles de Rais was ultimately sentenced to death by hanging and burning on October 26, 1440. His legacy is complex, often casting him as one of history’s most notorious figures, and he is thought to have inspired various cultural references, including the legend of Bluebeard and themes in Gothic literature. The interplay between his military valor and alleged monstrous acts continues to intrigue historians and criminologists today.
Gilles de Rais
Marshal of France and serial killer
- Born: September or October, 1404
- Birthplace: Champtocé, France
- Died: October 26, 1440
- Place of death: Nantes, France
Major offenses: Rape, murder, and sorcery
Active: c. 1431-1440
Locale: Brittany, France
Sentence: Execution by hanging and burning
Early Life
Gilles de Rais was born into fifteenth century French nobility; in fact, at that time, he inherited the largest fortune in France. He served in the French military during the second half of the Hundred Years’ War, beginning his military career at sixteen. He is most famous for fighting alongside Joan of Arc, eventually receiving the title marshal of France in honor of his service. After Joan of Arc was captured and killed, Rais retired from military service to his family’s castle in Brittany as a baron. It is this point at which his reputation changed drastically from valorous war hero to one of history’s most notorious criminal fiends.
Criminal Career
Readers must consider Rais’s postwar activities with suspicion, as Rais and his accomplices confessed under torture. Some scholars believe that other noblemen, envious of Rais’s lands, fabricated the charges against him for political or other reasons. Whatever the truth may be, Rais was accused of sorcery (a capital crime in fifteenth century France) but is better known for the atrocities he is said to have committed against between 140 and 800 peasant children, mostly boys—the precise number is impossible to determine. Accusations against Rais included the torture, mutilation, rape, and murder of these children in the most gruesome of circumstances. Some accounts link the murder of children with Rais’s attempts at alchemy and making a pact with the devil; he was said to have studied Satanism in order to gain wealth and power. Other authorities view Rais as a sexual sadist who found more satisfaction in horrific acts of torture and mutilation, as well as necrophilia, than in rape itself. Authorities finally arrested Rais in 1440.
Legal Action and Outcome
Rais’s trial was conducted by both secular and ecclesiastic courts on charges of murder, sodomy, and heresy. Testimony from the parents of missing children as well as that of Rais’s accomplices helped convict Rais. However, he and his accomplices confessed voluntarily to murder and sorcery (the latter seen by the court as the worse of the two crimes, given that the alleged murder victims were peasant children), a move which spared him court-ordered torture. Instead, Rais was sentenced to die by hanging and burning, which occurred on October 26, 1440. Centuries later, in 1992, a group of history enthusiasts and skeptics of Rais's story held an unofficial retrial, in which Rais was found not guilty. Some criticized the proceedings as a publicity stunt fabricated to support a book about the figure, however.
Impact
Gilles de Rais, possibly one of the world’s most prolific serial killers, has had significant influence on historians and criminologists, and though he is less well-remembered in popular culture he has nevertheless been featured in numerous works of fiction, been portrayed in several films, and been referenced in songs. More familiar by name in France than elsewhere, he is also thought to be a source of the legend of Bluebeard and may have influenced Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. Many consider him a precursor to the modern-day serial killer. He remains fascinating for the vast scope, sheer audacity, and ghastly monstrosity of his crimes, all of which—if true—eclipsed his service to wartime France.
Bibliography
Gibson, Dirk Cameron. Legends, Monsters, or Serial Murderers? The Real Story behind an Ancient Crime. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2012. Print.
Hickey, Eric W. Serial Murders and Their Victims. 2nd ed. Albany: Wadsworth, 1997. Print.
Holmes, Robert M., and Stephen T. Holmes, eds. Contemporary Perspectives on Serial Murder. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1998. Print.
Morgan, Val. The Legend of Gilles de Rais (1404–1440) in the Writings of Huysmans, Bataille, Planchon, and Tournier. Lewiston: E. Mellen, 2003. Print.
Schechter, Harold. The Serial Killer Files. New York: Ballantine Books, 2003. Print.
Webster, Paul. "From the Archive, 17 June 1992: Rehabilitation of France's Bluebeard." Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 17 June 2013. Web. 22 Jun. 2016.