1er épisode : L'affaire Gilles de Rais
L’histoire d’un serial Killer…
Le 15 septembre 1440, le Maréchal de France Gilles de Rais est arrêté
chez lui dans son château de
Machecoul par les hommes de Jean V du Duc de Bretagne. On l’accuse
d’incantations diaboliques, de magie noire, de délires alchimiques et
surtout de crimes abominables d'enfants ! Comment et pourquoi, Gilles de
Rais ancien compagnon de Jeanne d'Arc a-t-il pu commettre de tels actes
? Pourrat-il échapper à la justice du Duc ? C'est tout le mystère et
l'enjeu du procès de Gilles de Rais, l’une des plus sanglantes affaires
criminelles de l’Histoire de France.
. . a contemporary discussion about Gilles' guilt, by
morbid morag I am a failed-although-published poet,
currently engaged upon a Quixotic project to fully rehabilitate Gilles
de Rais. He was retried and acquitted in 1992; too few people know that.
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 Court
of Cassation to re-try the case, which sensationally resulted in an
acquittal. As of 1992, Gilles de Rais is officially 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)
" He was certainly not the basis for Bluebeard, this is a very old story which appears all over the world in different forms" well this person cannot possibly be sure so they should be careful. Of course we know there are varying arguments about the origin of bluebeard, we cannot rule his influence out, I would say.
" He was certainly not the basis for Bluebeard, this is a very old story which appears all over the world in different forms" well this person cannot possibly be sure so they should be careful. Of course we know there are varying arguments about the origin of bluebeard, we cannot rule his influence out, I would say.
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