The case for the defence

Born 1404
Executed 1440
Exonerated 1992

It is now widely accepted that the trial of Gilles de Rais was a miscarriage of justice. He was a great war hero on the French side; his judges were pro-English and had an interest in blackening his name and, possibly, by association, that of Jehanne d'Arc. His confession was obtained under threat of torture and also excommunication, which he dreaded. A close examination of the testimony of his associates, in particular that of Poitou and Henriet, reveals that they are almost identical and were clearly extracted by means of torture. Even the statements of outsiders, alleging the disappearance of children, mostly boil down to hearsay; the very few cases where named children have vanished can be traced back to the testimony of just eight witnesses. There was no physical evidence to back up this testimony, not a body or even a fragment of bone. His judges also stood to gain from his death: in fact, Jean V Duke of Brittany, who enabled his prosecution, disposed of his share of the loot before de Rais was even arrested.

In France, the subject of his probable innocence is far more freely discussed than it is in the English-speaking world. In 1992 a Vendéen author named Gilbert Prouteau was hired by the Breton tourist board to write a new biography. Prouteau was not quite the tame biographer that was wanted and his book, Gilles de Rais ou la gueule du loup, argued that Gilles de Rais was not guilty. Moreover, he summoned a special court to re-try the case, which sensationally resulted in an acquittal. As of 1992, Gilles de Rais is an innocent man.

In the mid-1920s he was even put forward for beatification, by persons unknown. He was certainly not the basis for Bluebeard, this is a very old story which appears all over the world in different forms.

Le 3 janvier 1443... le roi de France dénonçait le verdict du tribunal piloté par l'Inquisition.
Charles VII adressait au duc de Bretagne les lettres patentes dénonçant la machination du procès du maréchal: "Indûment condamné", tranche le souverain. Cette démarche a été finalement étouffée par l'Inquisition et les intrigues des grands féodaux. (Gilbert Prouteau)

Two years after the execution the King granted letters of rehabilitation for that 'the said Gilles, unduly and without cause, was condemned and put to death'. (Margaret Murray)



Sunday 11 June 2017

Article: "The Modern Movement to Exonerate a Notorious Medieval Serial Killer"



Atlas Obscura recently published an article by Sonya Vatomsky about my forthcoming book. The piece is intelligent and sympathetic; there is even an academic, John D. Hosler, supporting the view that Gilles' trial was merely one of many similar fakeries - “Personally, it all looks highly suspicious to me” - which is pretty much Reinach's position. Interesting that this is now seen as a rather standard opinion.
I hope to publish the book towards the end of the year, all being well. And then the true story of Gilles de Rais will finally be told. 
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2 comments:

  1. DC in Detroit12 June 2017 at 19:09

    I am just finishing Wolf's "Bluebeard," so the Atlas Obscura article caught my eye. I actually had no idea there was any controversy about the guilt of Gilles de Rais! After reading the article, I am very much looking forward to your book.

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  2. morbid morag16 June 2017 at 03:59

    There's a very short section at the end that deals with the matter. Blink & you'll miss it! But most biographers do ignore it altogether.

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