A Brief History
On September 15, 1440, Gilles de Rais, a knight, baron, and lord of France that had been a military leader for the French during the Hundred Years’ War that had fought alongside French saint, Joan of Arc, was arrested by Catholic Church authorities for the suspected crime of being a serial killer of children.
Digging Deeper
Baron de Rais had earned the criticism of his family by squandering his inheritance on an extravagant lifestyle. He continued to irritate authorities by assaulting a church official and seizing a castle, resulting in his arrest.
Charged with heresy and sodomy, more shocking was the charge of murdering “one hundred and forty or more children.” Gilles was convicted and sentenced to be hanged and burned at the stake, along with two of his servants that were accused of being complicit in his crimes.
Despite some modern effort to clear his name, Gilles stands as one of the first documented serial killers.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Who was the worst serial killer?
If you liked this article and would like to receive notifications of new articles, please feel welcome to follow History and Headlines on Facebook and X!
Your readership is much appreciated!
Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Black, Candace. Satanic Alchemy: Atrocities Of Gilles de Rais. Sun Vision Press, 2012.
Dix, Tennille. The Black Baron: The Strange Life of Gilles de Rais. Braunfell Books, 2023.
