Original Blue-Beard - The History of Gilles De Retz

"e;The Original Blue-Beard - The History of Gilles De Retz"e; is Thomas Wilson's 1899 biography of Gilles de Rais (1405-1440), a French knight and lord who led the French army and was one of Joan of Arc's companion-in-arms. Rais lived an extravagant life and even dabbled in the occult before being hanged for a series of child murders in 1440 in Nantes. It is believed that Rais was the inspiration for "e;Bluebeard"e;, a French folktale of a wealthy man who murders all of his wives but his last, whose brothers finally put an end to him and his terrible crimes. Contents include: "e;Gilles De Retz"e;, "e;Gilles as a Soldier"e;, "e;Gille's Life at Home in Brittany"e;, "e;Gilles's Crimes"e;, "e;Gilles's Trial Before the Ecclesiastical Tribunal"e;, "e;The Trial Before the Civil Court"e;, "e;The Execution"e;, "e;Mother Goose Publications"e;, "e;Bluebeard Stories"e;, "e;Mystery of the Siege of Orleans"e;, etc. Read & Co. History is proudly republishing this classic biography now in a brand new edition complete with an introductory biography from "e;Encyclopaedia Britannica"e; (1911).