Gilles de Rais Tried and Hanged
1440
The French marshal who had fought beside Joan of Arc was tried in Nantes for the kidnapping, torture, and murder of scores of peasant children, plus heresy and witchcraft. He confessed under torture, possibly truthfully. Gilles was hanged and his body burned. His case would become a template for centuries of folklore about Bluebeard.
In context
Also in 1440 (3 other events on record)
- Moctezuma I Crowned in Tenochtitlan · North America · Politics
- Frederick III Elected King of Germany · Europe · Politics
- Moctezuma I Expands Aztec Reach · North America · War
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Culture
Era
Late Middle Ages (1301–1500), one of 874 events from that era on Saeculum.
Sources