Gilles de Rais was a Breton nobleman, a soldier with a distinguished career in the Hundred Years’ War and as Joan of Arc’s comrade in arms. Today, however, those accomplishments are only viewed in the context of the secret life he led while committing more than a hundred horrifying child killings, a spree that may have made him the first serial murderer in history.

Source Materials:

 Gilles de Rais: The Authentic Bluebeard by Jean Benedetti

Bluebeard: The Life and Crimes of Gilles de Rais by Leonard Wolf

https://allthatsinteresting.com/gilles-de-rais

https://www.britannica.com/story/gilles-de-rais-historys-first-serial-killer

https://explorethearchive.com/gilles-de-rais