Oct 22, 2026 · 51 min · 21 segments
In today's first Throwback Thursday episode, Vanessa Richardson and Dr. Tristin Engels take you back to medieval France, where Gilles de Rais made his name as Joan of Arc's greatest ally. But now, we…
Vanessa RichardsonHostTristin EngelsGuestIn the fall of 1404, the wail of a newborn baby echoed from the Black Tower at Champtosay Castle in Brittany.
The child was named Gilles, and as the future Baron de Rais, he was destined to possess incredible wealth.
His fortune would shape not just his future, but that of his entire country.
This is going to be a really interesting case to do a deep dive into because we are exploring the mind of a serial killer during medieval times.
With that in mind, I think it's important that we draw attention to the enormous pressure that children and noble families experienced during those times.
It was very classist, which still exists to this day in a lot of ways, but in medieval times, families had children solely to maintain that status and carry on bloodlines.
From the moment children are born back in that era, they're being groomed to do just that at all costs.
So this can affect someone in a number of ways, but mainly if we're being taught in black and white terms that their value as a child is solely based on them furthering the family status and wealth, that can really shape their worldview of other people and value of other people, including children.
This was, as you said, the Middle Ages, when heredity determined everything about your social status.
You were either a peasant, a knight, a noble, or royalty, and that's where you stayed.
Gilles de Rais was born about as high on the social ladder as you could get without being a king.
Meanwhile, his mother could trace her bloodline back to King Robert II, who'd reigned over France around 400 years earlier.
Their union combined vast land holdings throughout the regions of Brittany, Anjou, and western France, making them incredibly rich.
We don't know how Gilles' mother passed away, only that it happened around 1415 when Gilles was 10 or 11.
And that same year, his father was gored by a wild boar during a hunting trip.
Historians have speculated that Gilles may have been present to witness the event.
Even if he wasn't there, he sat by his father's bedside for days afterward, watching him slowly succumb to his injuries.
Losing a parent at an early age can be very traumatic for children, and the effects of that loss will vary based on the age of the child.
In this case, Gilles was 10 or 11, which means it would likely manifest with more poor emotional regulation, specifically with regard to anger and resentment.
In the fall of 1404, the wail of a newborn baby echoed from the Black Tower at Champtosay Castle in Brittany.
The child was named Gilles, and as the future Baron de Rais, he was destined to possess incredible wealth.
His fortune would shape not just his future, but that of his entire country.
This is going to be a really interesting case to do a deep dive into because we are exploring the mind of a serial killer during medieval times.
With that in mind, I think it's important that we draw attention to the enormous pressure that children and noble families experienced during those times.
It was very classist, which still exists to this day in a lot of ways, but in medieval times, families had children solely to maintain that status and carry on bloodlines.
From the moment children are born back in that era, they're being groomed to do just that at all costs.
So this can affect someone in a number of ways, but mainly if we're being taught in black and white terms that their value as a child is solely based on them furthering the family status and wealth, that can really shape their worldview of other people and value of other people, including children.
This was, as you said, the Middle Ages, when heredity determined everything about your social status.
You were either a peasant, a knight, a noble, or royalty, and that's where you stayed.
Gilles de Rais was born about as high on the social ladder as you could get without being a king.
Meanwhile, his mother could trace her bloodline back to King Robert II, who'd reigned over France around 400 years earlier.
Their union combined vast land holdings throughout the regions of Brittany, Anjou, and western France, making them incredibly rich.
We don't know how Gilles' mother passed away, only that it happened around 1415 when Gilles was 10 or 11.
And that same year, his father was gored by a wild boar during a hunting trip.
Historians have speculated that Gilles may have been present to witness the event.
Even if he wasn't there, he sat by his father's bedside for days afterward, watching him slowly succumb to his injuries.
Losing a parent at an early age can be very traumatic for children, and the effects of that loss will vary based on the age of the child.
In this case, Gilles was 10 or 11, which means it would likely manifest with more poor emotional regulation, specifically with regard to anger and resentment.
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