Gilles de Rais, medieval noble and alleged serial killer, was once a war hero who fought beside Joan of Arc. In 1440, a missing boy in Nantes led investigators to the baron’s estates, where rumors of vanished children surrounded one of the richest men in France. This dark history podcast episode follows his rise from hero of Orléans to infamous killer, walks through the trials and testimony, and asks how his story helped shape the later Bluebeard legend.

..........................................................

Episode Sources (No Order):

Primary records & contemporary compilations

• Ecclesiastical & secular proceedings (Nantes, 1440) – translated excerpts (indictment; Henriet & Poitou confessions). Famous Trials (Douglas O.  ...