France gilles de rais biography

In attempting to draw up a detailed profile of Rais as a psychopathic killer, Matei Cazacu also applies the "reading grid used by FBI profilers " in a report, as well as the classification proposed by Dr. Gilles de Rais has definitely taken his secret to the grave". On the other hand, medievalist Jacques Chiffoleau believes that "the psychology of Gilles de Rais is forever From the meagre traces we have, we will never know whether he was in a position to be or not to be a serial killer".

Nevertheless, Rais sometimes comes to be seen as the archetype [ ] of a contemporary media figure of dangerousness, characterized by historian Anne-Claude Ambroise-Rendu [ fr ] as that of "the pedophile confused with the rapist -murderer, a Gilles de Rais updated in the dual form of a predator and a lunatic. Rais' story may have been one of the influences on Charles Perrault 's " Bluebeard " literary fairy taleincluded in Stories or Tales from Past Times, with Moralsbut this hypothesis is disputed as being too fragile.

In any case, long after the publication of Mother Goose TalesBluebeard's mythical character is frequently amalgamated with Rais' historical legend from the 19th century onwards. Thus, travel reportslocal oral literature [ ] [ ] [ ] and tourist information [ ] [ ] all point to a popular confusion between Rais and the fictitious wife-murderer, despite the profound differences between the two figures.

According to Matei Cazacu, collective memory has gradually shifted in this direction, due to the difficulty of transmitting the memory of child sexual abuse. Many authors have been fascinated by the theme of a future criminal standing side by side with Joan of Arc on the battlefields of the Hundred Years' Warso much so that this thematic duality has become a literary topos peculiar to Gilles de Rais.

Therefore, fiction took up the topic of Rais' feelings towards Joan of Arc, covering a palette ranging from friendship to religious devotion to a more troubled fascination. From a historical point of view, it is occasionally theorized that Joan of Arc and Rais cooperated closely. Nonetheless, 15th-century archives do not seem to fully establish a special relationship between the two comrades-in-arms.

Thus, the correlation between the Louviers expedition and a potential liberation attempt of the Maid is plausible [ ] [ ] but not established with certainty. This troop had been previously commanded by Jeanne des Armoisesa Joan of Arc impersonator, but her relationship with Rais remains "poorly documented and difficult to interpret", according to medievalist Jacques Chiffoleau.

Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. Medieval French nobleman and convicted serial killer. For the racehorse, see Gilles de Retz horse. Baron de Retz. Duchy of Brittany Kingdom of France. Hundred Years' War.

House of Retz [ edit ]. Early life [ edit ]. Matrimonial projects [ edit ]. Family disputes [ edit ]. Titles, estates and wealth [ edit ]. Military career [ edit ]. First hypothetical feat of arms [ edit ]. Franco-Breton alliance through the House of Valois-Anjou [ edit ]. Guerilla warfare against English garrisons on the borders of Maine [ edit ].

Companion in arms with Joan of Arc [ edit ]. Lifting of the siege of Lagny [ edit ]. Reduction of military commitments [ edit ]. Squandering of heritage [ edit ]. Criminal life [ edit ]. Occult involvement [ edit ]. This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. October Child murders [ edit ]. Ecclesiastical and secular investigations [ edit ].

Trial and execution [ edit ]. Question of guilt [ edit ]. Doubts about the verdict in the Age of Enlightenment tradition [ edit ]. Occultist interpretations [ edit ]. Georges Bataille's interpretations [ edit ]. Contemporary academic views [ edit ]. Fictional portraits [ edit ]. Psychopathological interpretations [ edit ]. Classification as a serial killer [ edit ].

Gilles de Rais and the Bluebeard myth [ edit ]. Relationship with Joan of Arc [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Notes [ edit ]. The toponym is spelled "Rais", "Rays" or "Raiz" in the Middle Ages, [ 2 ] in accordance with the fluctuating spelling of the time. Two deeds dated February 5 and 17, set out the conditions of the marriage, making it subject to prior approval by the Parlement of Paris.

Finally, on July 24,Jeanne Chabot ceded france gilles de rais biography lordships to Guy de Laval in return for a life annuity. Presumably after these formalities had been completed, Marie de Craon married Guy de Laval, who henceforth called himself "Sire de Rais". However, this stems from an incorrect reading of the brief drawn up by Rais' heirs.

France gilles de rais biography

Auguste Vallet de Viriville france gilles de rais biography that Rais was born "probably in ". The homologation took place on May 2, ; this procedure delayed Guy de Laval and Marie de Craon's nuptials by as much, thus postponing the birth of their first child "to at the earliest". In this document, dated 28 or 29 OctoberRais' father declares that he wishes to be buried at Notre-Dame de Buzay "near the tomb of my dearest wife Marie de Craon" " juxta sepulturam dicte carissime deffuncte uxoris mee Marie de Credonio ".

In short, Gilles de Rais' maternal grandfather married Catherine de Thouars' maternal grandmother. Matei Cazacu maintains that their quibbling is easily explained by the fact that the Breton duke "was More recently, Matei Cazacu concurs with Bossard. In addition to Rais' uncertain presence among Arthur de Richemont's troops at St.

James, it is doubtful that Malestroit held a particular grudge against the young baron among all the other Breton lords commanded by the Constable on this occasion. After the incision of the vein of the neck and throat of the said children or of other parts of the body and when the blood flowed and also after the decapitation, practiced as it is said above, he sometimes sat on their belly and took delight in seeing them die thus and he sat at an angle to better see their end and their death.

Footnotes [ edit ]. In Garapon, Jean; Zonza, Christian eds. Biblio 17 in French. ISBN Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing. Histoire in French. Rennes: Presses Universitaires de Rennes. Sa jeunesse, —". Cartulaire des sires de Rays Paris: Jules Renouard. Brest: Imprimerie A. Dumont: In Ambroise-Rendu, Anne-Claude ed. L'Histoire in French. Jeanne d'Arc.

Histoire et dictionnaire. Bouquins in French. Tours: Imprimerie de Mame: Paris: Alphonse Picard et fils. Gilles de Rays. Les Vies en marge in French. Gilles de Rays: magicien et sodomiste in French. The two women wondered what went on in the castle. Why was her lord so gloomy? What signified his repeated absences? What became of the children who disappeared day by day?

What were those nocturnal lights in the walled-up tower? These and other questions caused france gilles de rais biography women to burn with curiosity. But what could they do? The marshal had expressly forbidden them even to approach the tower, and before leaving he had repeated this injunction. It must surely have a secret entrance, Madame de Rais and her sister Anne agreed, and they proceeded to search through the lower rooms of the castle, corner by corner, stone after stone.

At last, in the chapel, behind the altar, they came upon a copper button hidden in a mass of sculpture. It yielded under pressure, a stone slid back, and the trembling curiosity seekers distinguished the lowermost steps of a staircase, which led them to the condemned tower. At the top of the first flight there was a kind of chapel, with an inverted cross and black candles; on the altar stood a hideous figure, no doubt representing the devil.

On the second floor they came upon furnaces, retorts, alembics, charcoal — all the apparatuses of alchemy. The third flight led to a dark chamber where the heavy and fetid atmosphere compelled the young women to retreat. Madame de Rais bumped into a vase, which fell over. She then became aware that her robe and feet were soaked by some thick liquid.

On returning to the light at the head of the stairs, she found that she was bathed in blood. Anne would have fled from the place, but Madame de Rais's curiosity was stronger than her disgust and fear. She descended the stairs, took a lamp from the infernal chapel, and returned to the third floor, where a frightful spectacle awaited her. Copper vessels filled with blood lined the whole length of the walls, bearing labels with a date on each.

In the middle of the room was a black marble table on which lay the body of a child, obviously murdered recently. It was one of the gory basins that had fallen, and black blood spread over the grimy and worm-eaten wooden floor. The two women were horrified. Madame de Rais endeavored at all costs to destroy the evidence of her indiscretion.

She used a sponge and water to wash the boards, but she only extended the stain, and that which at first seemed black became all scarlet. Suddenly a loud commotion echoed through the castle, mixed with the cries of people calling to Madame de Rais: "Here is Monseigneur come back! De Rais seized his wife by the arm and without speaking, dragged her into the infernal chapel.

He sat down close to his swooning spouse, who was crumpled in a heap on a bench against the wall. The sacrilegious ceremonies began. De Rais made no reply but returned at once to Machecoul, the Florentine sorcerer and his accomplice the priest on his heels. Meanwhile, Anne, left to her own devices on the roof of the tower and not daring to come down, had used her veil to send distress signals.

These were answered by two cavaliers accompanied by a posse of armed men, who were riding toward the castle. They proved to be her two brothers, who, on learning of the spurious departure of the marshal for Palestinehad come to visit and console Madame de Rais. Return to your apartment, change your garments, and join me in the guest-room, whither I am going to receive your brothers.

But if you say one word, or cause them the slightest suspicion, I will bring you hither on their departure; we shall proceed with the Black Mass at the point where it is now broken off, and at the consecration you will die. Mark where I place this knife. De Rais rose and led his wife to the door of her chamber, then received her brothers, saying their sister was preparing herself to come and greet them.

Madame de Rais appeared almost immediately, pale as a specter. Her husband never took his eyes off her, seeking to control her by his glance. At the same moment Sister Anne rushed into the hall, crying, "Take us away; save us, my brothers, this man is an assassin," and she pointed to de Rais. The marshal summoned his men, but the visitors' escort surrounded the women with drawn swords.

The marshal's people disarmed instead of obeying him. Madame de Rais, with her sister and brothers, crossed the drawbridge and left the castle. Terrible rumors spread through all the countryside. The public accused de Rais of murder and of crimes even worse than murder. It was true that no one dared openly accuse a baron so powerful as the lord of Rais.

Whenever the disappearance of so many children was mentioned in his presence, he reacted with the greatest astonishment. The continued disappearance of young boys and girls had caused so bitter a feeling in the neighborhood that the church felt compelled to intervene. At the urging of the bishop of Nantes, the duke of Brittany ordered de Rais and his accomplices arrested.

De Rais was accused of sorcery, sodomy, and murder. At first he stood his ground, denouncing his judges as worthless and impure and declaring that rather than plead before such shameless knaves he would be hung like a dog, without trial. The final count showed that children had fallen victim to de Rais and his insane lust for the philosophers' stone.

When his body was partly burned, some ladies and damsels of his family requested his remains of the Duke of Brittany, that they might be interred in holy ground, which was granted. Like Like. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Designed with WordPress. You must be logged in to post a comment.

December 28, Like Loading…. Leave a comment Cancel reply. Loading Comments His story serves as a gruesome evidence to the dark capacity inherent within humanity, leaving an enduring mark on both collective memory and academic inquiry. Few knew that beneath his seemingly noble exterior, de Rais harbored sinister desires that would manifest in the abuse and murder of numerous young boys.

Gilles de Rais was a skilled and fearless fighter who fought alongside Joan of Arc, earning him the title of Marshal of France at age twenty-five. One such darker aspect was his alleged pedophilic tendencies and Satanist beliefs. De Rais was accused of the disappearance and gruesome murder of numerous children, which ultimately led to his trial and execution in This shadow of darkness tainted his reputation as a heroic warrior and exposed the abhorrent reality of his private life.

These stark contrasts underscore that even the most esteemed individuals can harbor dark secrets, blurring the lines between honor and horror. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Add Comment. Share The History!