Gilles de Rais

Gilles de Rais, Baron de Rais ( French: [ʒil də ʁɛ]; also spelled "Retz"; c. 1405 – 26 October 1440) was a French knight and lord who possessed extensive estates in Brittany, Anjou and Poitou. He served as one of the captains in the French royal army during the Hundred Years' War, notably taking part in the same military campaigns as Joan of Arc in 1429, up until the failed siege of Paris. He remains chiefly known for his conviction on charges of the rape and murder of several children.

An important lord as heir to several great noble lineages of western France, he rallied to the cause of King Charles VII of France and waged war against the English. In 1429, he entered into an alliance with his influential cousin Georges de La Trémoille, Grand Chamberlain of France, and was elevated to the rank of Marshal of France that same year, following his participation in the victorious campaigns of Joan of Arc. Little is known about his relationship with her, unlike the privileged association between two comrades-in-arms portrayed by various works of fiction. He gradually withdrew from the war during the 1430s.