Gilles de Rais

Gilles de Rais (also spelled Retz) (autumn of 1404 – October 26, 1440) was a French aristocrat, soldier, and at one time, a national hero. He was later convicted of torturing, raping and murdering hundreds of children; along with Erzsébet Báthory, another sadistic aristocrat acting more than a century later, he is considered to be a precursor to the modern serial killer. Image File history File links Gilles_de_rais. ... Events June 14 - Owain Glyndwr of Wales allies with the French against the English and the Henry of Lancaster. ... Jump to: navigation, search October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 66 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search For alternative meanings, see number 1440. ... Aristocracy is a form of government in which rulership is in the hands of an upper class known as aristocrats. ... A Norwegian soldier (a Corporal, armed with an MP-5) A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a sovereign country and has undergone training and received equipment to defend that country or its interests. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Iron Maiden of Nuremberg was an infamous torture device. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Flogging demonstration at Folsom Street Fair 2004. ... Serial killers are individuals who have a history of multiple slayings of victims who were usually unknown to them beforehand. ...

Rais was born in 1404 at Machécoul, in the area on the border of Brittany and Poitou. His father was Guy de Montmorency-Laval who himself had inherited by adoption the fortunes of Jeanne de Rais and Marie de Craon. Rais inherited the barony of Rais in the peerage-duchy of Retz. He was an intelligent child, learning fluent Latin. Events June 14 - Owain Glyndwr of Wales allies with the French against the English and the Henry of Lancaster. ... Jump to: navigation, search Traditional coat of arms This article is about the historical duchy and French province, as well as the cultural area of Brittany. ... Poitou was a province of France whose capital city was Poitiers. ... Jump to: navigation, search Latin is an Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

Rais took the side of the Montfort Dukes of Brittany, against a rival house led by Olivier de Blois, count of Penthievre, who took John VI, Duke of Brittany prisoner. He was able to secure his release, and was rewarded for this act by generous land grants which the Breton parliament commuted to monetary ones. Jump to: navigation, search John VI (in French Jean VI) (December 24, 1389 – August 29, 1442), known as the Wise, was duke of Brittany, from 1399 to his death. ... An aerial view of Parliament of India at New Delhi. ...

After the death of his parents c. 1415, he was placed in the "care" of his godfather, Jean de Craon, who was something of a hybrid between a politician and a bandit. Events Friedrich I Hohenzollern (b. ...

In 1420 he found himself at the court of the Dauphin, the then uncrowned king of France. Jean de Craon tried to marry Rais off to the heiress Jeanne de Paynol; this was unsuccessful. Jean de Craon then pitched Rais at Beatrice de Rohan, niece of the Duke of Brittany, again with no success. Eventually he substantially increased Rais' fortune by marrying him off to Catherine de Thouars from Brittany, La Vendee and Poitou after kidnapping her. The very thin connection that Rais may have with the legend of Bluebeard may follow from the fact that out of several previous marriage plans two were thwarted by death of the putative bride. Events May 21 - Treaty of Troyes. ... For other uses, see Dauphin (disambiguation). ... Bluebeard is the title character in a famous fairy tale about a dangerous husband and a curious wife, a cautionary tale against the dangers of curiosity and feminine disobedience told by Charles Perrault. ...

From 1427 to 1435, Rais served as a commander in the Royal Army, including service during Joan of Arc's campaigns in 1429. Although a few popular authors have chosen to inflate the position he held during the latter campaigns, it is known from the surviving financial records that he commanded a rather modest personal contingent of some twenty-five men-at-arms and eleven archers, and was one of many dozens of such commanders rather than the chief. Nor did he serve as Joan of Arc's bodyguard, a position actually held by a man named Jean d'Aulon. Rais' greatest honor during these campaigns came when he joined the other three commanders holding the quasi-ceremonial title of "Maréchal", a subordinate position under the Royal "Connétable". This honor was granted to him at the coronation of Charles VII on July 17, 1429. Jump to: navigation, search Events Lincoln College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is founded. ... For other uses, see number 1435. ... Jump to: navigation, search The tone of this article is inappropriate for an encyclopedia. ... Events January 10 - Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, founds the European Order of the Golden Fleece February 12 - Battle of Rouvray (or of the Herrings). English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the Earl of Suffolks army at Orleans from attack by... Jump to: navigation, search Charles VII the Victorious, a. ... Jump to: navigation, search July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... Events January 10 - Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, founds the European Order of the Golden Fleece February 12 - Battle of Rouvray (or of the Herrings). English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the Earl of Suffolks army at Orleans from attack by...

In 1435 Rais retired from military service to indulge himself on his estates, promoting theatrical performances and spending the large fortune he had inherited. It was also during this period that, according to the later testimony of himself and his accomplices, he began to experiment with the occult under the direction of a man named Francesco Prelati, who told Rais that he could regain the wealth he had squandered by sacrificing children to a demon named "Barron." For other uses, see number 1435. ... Retirement is the status of a worker who has stopped working. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed... Jump to: navigation, search The word occult comes from Latin occultus (hidden), referring to the knowledge of the secret or knowledge of the hidden and often meaning knowledge of the supernatural, as opposed to knowledge of the visible or knowledge of the measurable, usually referred to as science. ... Jump to: navigation, search Human sacrifice was practiced in many ancient cultures. ... Jump to: navigation, search In folklore, mythology, and religion, a demon or demoness is a supernatural being that has generally been described as a malevolent spirit but outside Christian circles was viewed as a sort of elemental spirit: compare Daemon and djinn. ...

On May 15, 1440, Rais kidnapped a clergyman named Jean le Ferron during a dispute at the Church of St. Etienne de Mermorte. This prompted an investigation by the Bishop of Nantes, during which the Bishop uncovered evidence of Rais' crimes over the years. On July 29, the Bishop released his findings, and subsequently obtained the cooperation of Rais' former supporter, the Duke of Brittany. Action was now finally taken against Rais: on 24 August, Jean le Ferron was freed by Royal troops led by Arthur de Richemont. Rais himself and his accomplices were arrested on 15 September, after a secular investigation reached the same conclusions as the earlier investigation by the Bishop of Nantes. Rais' trials would likewise be conducted by both secular and ecclesiastic courts, on charges of murder, sodomy, and heresy. Jump to: navigation, search May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search For alternative meanings, see number 1440. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... Jump to: navigation, search City motto: Favet Neptunus eunti. ... Jump to: navigation, search July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... Jump to: navigation, search August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ... This article is about the Christian buildings of worship. ... Jump to: navigation, search Sodomy is a term of religious origin to characterise certain sexual acts. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ...

The transcript, which included testimony from the parents of many of the missing children as well as graphic descriptions of the murders provided by Rais' accomplices, was so lurid that the judges ordered the worst portions to be stricken from the record. Rais was accused of luring young boys to his residences, where he would rape, torture and mutilate them, often masturbating while sitting upon the dying body. He and his accomplices would set up the severed heads of the children afterwards, in order to judge which was the most beautiful. How many victims Rais killed is not known exactly, as most of the bodies were burned or buried. It is thought to be between 80 and 200; estimates of up to 600 are almost certainly exaggerated. The victims were aged between six and eighteen and were of both sexes; although Rais preferred boys, he would settle for young girls if they were all that his servants could manage to kidnap. Mutilation is an act or injury that degrades the appearance or function of the (human) body, usually without causing death. ... Masturbation is the manual excitation of the sexual organs, most often to the point of orgasm. ...

The extensive witness testimony convinced the judges that there was adequate grounds for establishing the guilt of the accused. Rais confessed voluntarily to the murders (as well as to his pedophilia and homosexuality, both considered crimes in 15th century France) on October 21, and the court therefore canceled a plan to have him tortured. On October 23, the secular court condemned Rais' accomplices, Henriet and Poitou; on the 25th the ecclesiastical court handed down a sentence of excommunication against Rais, followed by condemnation by the secular court on the same day. After tearfully expressing remorse for his crimes, Rais was freed of the sentence of excommunication and granted a request to confess to a priest, although the secular penalty still remained in effect. Rais, Henriet, and Poitou were executed at Nantes on October 26, 1440. Jump to: navigation, search Un précepteur et son élève, Claude Lefevbre Pedophilia (American English), pædophilia/paedophilia (Commonwealth English), is the paraphilia of being sexually attracted primarily or exclusively to prepubescent children. ... Jump to: navigation, search Since its coining, the term homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... Jump to: navigation, search Events and Trends Categories: 1400s ... Jump to: navigation, search October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 69 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search Excommunication is a religious censure which is used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ... People feel remorse when reflecting on their actions that they believe are wrong. ... Jump to: navigation, search Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... Jump to: navigation, search October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 66 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search For alternative meanings, see number 1440. ...

Some authors have alleged that Rais was framed for murder and heresy by the Roman Catholic Church as part of a plot to acquire his lands, although historians dispute this theory by pointing out that the Church did not in fact gain his lands, as these instead devolved to the Duke of Brittany, who then doled them out to nobles such as the Count of Richemont. Moreover, Rais was convicted by both ecclesiastic and secular courts based upon extensive evidence - such as eyewitness accounts from his accomplices describing the murders in precise detail, and the testimony from the parents of missing children in villages near De Rais' estate. A conspiracy to frame him would have had to involve numerous individuals and the cooperation of both Ducal and Church officials. Most historians similarly regard the Duke of Brittany (the chief beneficiary) as an unlikely suspect in such a plot, as he had long been an ally and protector of Rais, and only consented to the prosecution after two investigations had uncovered damning evidence. Jump to: navigation, search The Catholic Church, known also as the Roman Catholic Church, is the Christian Church whose visible head is the Pope, currently Benedict XVI. It teaches that it is the one holy catholic and apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ, and that the sole Church of Christ... This is a list of historians. ... The Ancient Greek term aristocracy meant a system of government with rule by the best. This is the first definition given in most dictionaries. ...

Rais appears by name as a character in the play Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw, as a young man of 25 who is set up to impersonate the Dauphin, in which such an attempt is unsuccessful. His profile and notoriety inspired many modern French thinkers and authors, such as Michel Tournier, Pierre Klossowski and one-time Surrealist Georges Bataille. Saint Joan is a 1923 play by George Bernard Shaw that he wrote shortly after the Roman Catholic Church canonized Joan of Arc. ... Jump to: navigation, search George Bernard Shaw (July 26, 1856 – November 2, 1950) was an Irish playwright and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. ... Michel Tournier (born 1924) is a French writer who was born in Paris. ... Surrealism is an artistic movement and an aesthetic philosophy that aims for the liberation of the mind by emphasizing the critical and imaginative powers of the subconscious. ... George Bataille Georges Bataille (September 16, 1897 – July 9, 1962) was a French writer, anthropologist and philosopher, though he avoided the latter term himself. ...

References

• Bataille, Georges. The Trial of Gilles de Rais Amok Books. ISBN 1878923021
• Benedetti, Jean. Gilles de Rais. Stein and Day. ISBN 0812814509
• Bordonove, Georges. Gilles de Rais. Pygmalion. ISBN 2857046944
• Hyatte, Reginald. Laughter for the Devil: The Trials of Gilles De Rais, Companion-In-Arms of Joan of Arc (1440). Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. ISBN 0838631908
• Morgan, Val. The Legend of Gilles De Rais (1404-1440) in the Writings of Huysmans, Bataille, Plancon and Tournier (Studies in French Civilization, 29) Edwin Mellen Press. ISBN 0773466193
• Nye, Robert. The Life and Death of My Lord, Gilles de Rais. Time Warner Books. ISBN 0349102503
• Wolf, Leonard. Bluebeard: The Life and Times of Gilles De Rais. Potter. ISBN 0517540614

External links

• Gilles de Rais
• De Rais at the Crime Library
• The Book of Were-wolves (Chapters XI to XIII contain an abridged, yet somewhat detailed version of de Rais' trial.)

• French Web Site: Musée du Pays de Retz (This site includes the story of de Rais' life as well as photos of his castles, seal and trial documents)