A History of Gilles de Rais and Joan of Arc - An Evil Alchemist and a Godly Witch
Gilles de Rais is a fascinating villain that I discovered in Colin Wilson's history Witches who, while an evil man with ties to alchemy and demon summoning, fought beside the legendary Joan of Arc - a woman deemed divine for speaking with archangels but damned as a witch. Such was the stark difference between the peasant, godly Joan, and the monarching 'wizard' (in a sense of the word) that I thought I would tie their histories together for an in-depth look at the unfair and misogynistic times of 14th Century France.
Born in the 14th Century, Gilles de Rais was a wealthy and intelligent youngin' who practiced military disciplines, siding with the House of Montfort during the Breton War of Succession in the late 13th Century. During this time frame, the Dukes of the House of Montfort refused to relinquish their claim over the area of Brittany and defeated Count of Penthievre, Olivier de Blois, continued to plot against them. Gilles de Rais was able to secure the Duke's release from the Count and was given generous monetary gifts in return, rising in his status in the court. In 1427 to 1435, de Rais served as a commander in the Royal Army and fought alongside Joan of Arc in the battles waged against the English and their Burgundian allies in the Hundred Years' War.
The Hundred Years' War started in 1337 due to an inheritance dispute over the French throne, which was in peril due to the Black Death in the mid 14th century. Joan of Arc was born a farming peasant in Domremy, France and it was described that Joan often received visions of the archangel Michael, Saint Margaret and Saint Catherine of Alexandria when she was about 13 years old, instructing her to support Charles VII and recover France from English domination. Working hard over the years, Joan became an armed escort to the Garrison Commander of Vaucouleurs, Robert de Baudricourt, and began to work her way to the king's side in response to her visions from the archangels. She made a prediction to the king regarding a military reversal at the Battle of Rouvray and when the prediction came true she was allowed permission to travel with the army in full protective armour, her disguise as a male solider later leading to charges of cross-dressing.
Soon Joan of Arc became a beacon of hope for the French who were losing the war, and her divine intervention from the Gods turned the longstanding conflict into a religious war. However, the king was still concerned her gifts of speaking with angels could be later established as heretic or as a sorceress and declared an inquiry into her life, which found her possessed of "virtues of humility, honesty and simplicity".
As Joan of Arc's good fortune in battle continued, and the French began to win multiple battles, the English regarded the ability of this peasant girl to defeat their armies as proof that she was possessed by the Devil. Joan's eventual capture by the English came in 1430 and she was imprisoned, though many attempts were made to escape, rescue her, and negotiate her return. Joan of Arc was eventually put on trial for heresy in a political move against the French, but as it was a capital crime only for a repeat offense she was instead tried for cross-dressing - a layer of protection that aided her in battle and when she was targeted for rape while in prison - and for having short hair that she maintained for ease in battle. She was unfairly condemned and burnt at the stake in May 1431.
While the body of Joan of Arc was burnt three times and then cast into the River Seine, the executioner Geoffroy Therage later stated that he feared being damned for he has "burned a holy woman". It is said that Gilles de Rais was present at Joan of Arc's execution and that he watched on with no assistance and agreed with the trials of Joan - a woman who could be seen as one of the first feminist icons in history.
Around 1435, de Raise withdrew from military life and started the construction of a Chapel of the Holy Innocents where he officiated ceremonies in robes of his own designs, and put on elaborate plays that eventually bankrupted him. In 1438 de Rais began investigating demon summoning and alchemy - the magical practice that branches from natural philosophy. Alchemy is an attempt to purify, mature and perfect certain materials such as base metals (eg lead) and transmute the original item into a more noble material (eg. gold). It was also a scientific magic that attempted the creation of an elixir of immortality, which could cure any disease, and the philosopher's stone.
Cleric Francois Prelati, an Italian Priest and alchemist, began serving under de Rais and assisted him initiating alchemist experiments, attempting to summon a demon named Barron. When three attempts at demon summoning were unsuccessful, Prelati suggested an offering of a child, which de Rais was able to provide. In his confessions, de Rais began kidnapping and killing children starting from the spring of 1432 and the testimonies are rather gruesome - eventually the descriptions of the deaths being stricken from the record due to their terrible nature, but it was highlight that de Rais took great pleasure in their deaths. When de Rais kidnapped a cleric in 1440, he began to be investigated by the Bishop of Nantes, who uncovered de Rais' crimes and sentenced de Rais to death in October 1440 by hanging, burning, and then burying.
In the early 20th Century, Gilles de Rais' history was raised by the famed occultist Alestair Crowley, who described Rais as "in almost every respect...the male equivalent of Joan of Arc", whose main crime was "the pursuit of knowledge". A witch-cult hypothesis anthropologist Margaret Murray also claimed that Rais really was a witch that worshiped Diana - a statement that was somewhat refuted by other historians.
No matter his entanglement with the interesting subject of alchemy, it stays remanded that this dark history has allowed de Rais his rightful place in Hell for his crimes. Meanwhile the life of Joan of Arc was cut short due to political statements against the French. There is no doubt the fierce parallel in the shared history of Joan and de Rais - one a feminist, divine, godly woman, and the other a misogynistic murderer. Both would be considered heretics for the work they have done, communing with spirits and summoning demons, but through very different means to an end.
