Grand-nephew of Constable Bertrand du Guesclin, Gilles de Rais is certainly the most troubling of Jeanne d' Bow. He gets the marshal's baton after Patay's landslide victory. He retired to his lands after the failure of Paris, it was there that he committed his crimes. He is accused of having raped, tortured and murdered 140 children, in particular within the framework of satanic rites, during eight years. The charges are the most serious of the time:“sodomy, witchcraft and murder”. Gilles de Rais and his two valets will be hanged and then burned. Gilles de Rais inspired literature, notably the characters of Bluebeard and Dracula. Devoting himself to alchemy, he embodies all that is darkest about the Middle Ages. His legendary figure is surrounded by anecdotes.
Born in Rotterdam in Holland, his father is a priest. He himself was ordained in 1492. In 1499, he made a trip to England during which he met Thomas More. It is to this philosopher that Erasmus dedicates one of his major works:Eloge de la folie , published in 1511, a true satire of social classes.