Ep. 135 Gilles de Rais: How Joan of Arc’s Co-Champion Became One of the Most Shocking Serial Killers of All Time
Update: 2025-10-19
Description
This one is not for the faint of heart! This week, in honor of Spooktober, I'm digging in to the story of Gilles de Rais, a French noblemen and military leader who fought alongside Joan of Arc to lift the siege of Orleans during the Hundred Years War. But that, turns out, isn't Gilles' only claim to fame. In the years following, he was responsible for kidnapping and then brutally assaulting, torturing, and murdering upwards of 140 children, making Gilles the first recorded and possibly most horrifying serial killer of all time. His bear all confessions are chilling, his acts unthinkable. There truly are no words. You've been warned.
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Sources:
- UMKC School of Law "The Trial of Gilles de Rais (1440): An Account"
- UMKC School of Law "Confession of Gilles de Rais"
- The Trial of Gilles de Rais by Georges Batailles
- Encyclopedia Britannica "Gilles de Rais: History's First Serial Killer?"
- History Extra "Was Gilles de Rais really history's first recorded serial killer?"
- UMKC School of Law "Was Gilles de Rais Actually Innocent?"
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