Trial of Gilles De Rais (16 page)
Read Trial of Gilles De Rais Online
Authors: George Bataille
Tags: #Non-Fiction, #Cultural Anthropology, #Psychology, #True Crime, #European History, #France, #Social History, #v.5, #Literary Studies, #Medieval History, #Amazon.com, #Criminology, #Retail, #History
(1434)
For Gilles de Rais, the Sillé affair is a personal matter: on the one hand, Sillé is the fief of his stepmother, his grandfather’s widow; and, on the other hand, the most faithful of his companions and accomplices in debauchery — we have spoken of him already (p. 86) — is Gilles de Sillé, Anne’s cousin.
Gilles de Rais was seemingly determined to come out ahead in this affair.
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The Angevins, en route from Maine, could admire his men. From now on he has — perhaps he has enriched the pomp after the death of his grandfather — a military company of excessive splendor. The decline of his career and the consciousness of his crimes doubtlessly invite him to appear with all the more luster, whereas in reality, without his possibly doubting it, his star is on the wane; distress must play a role in his growing magnificence and extravagance.
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The Angevins, en route from Maine, could admire his men. From now on he has — perhaps he has enriched the pomp after the death of his grandfather — a military company of excessive splendor. The decline of his career and the consciousness of his crimes doubtlessly invite him to appear with all the more luster, whereas in reality, without his possibly doubting it, his star is on the wane; distress must play a role in his growing magnificence and extravagance.
Spring … The Burgundy expedition
However, La Tremoille, in disgrace, has retained numerous supports in spite of everything. His influence is now negligible, but it is still of the utmost importance in Gilles de Rais’ life. The town of Grancey in Burgundy belongs to the Duke of Bourbon, who remains on good terms with La Trémoille. This town is being besieged by the Duke of Burgundy’s troops, and La Irémoille has two companies of armed men in the town and region. He wants Marshal de Rais to raise the Siege of Grancey. Gilles needs money. La Trémoille lends him 10,000 royals, with the assurance that Charles VII will compensate him. Gilles collects a sufficient company of men in Brittany, and at Tours obtains from the King the mission to liberate Grancey. Charles VII has ceased calling his old favorite to meetings of council; all the same, he lends him support in this secondary enterprise. But Gilles at least feels he is finished; he knows he can expect nothing anymore from that quarter. He is confined to keeping up a false front. He places the troops under the direction of his young brother, René de La Suze, then twenty years old. From Tours he does not return to Orléans, as some have said, but to Poitiers.
August 15 Gilles, canon of Saint-Hilaire of Poitiers
The town of Grancey surrenders on August 15th to Philippe le Bon’s army.
The same day, Gilles — who Charles VII has put in charge of liberating the town of its besiegers — prepares to be received as canon of the church of Saint-Hilaire of Poitiers. The abandonment of Grancey and the ceremony of Saint-Hilaire signify the final orientation taken in the life of this singular Marshal of France. Obviously, something in the violence of battle attracts Gilles. Certainly he excels at it. But soon he places the greatest interest in his taste for parades, where his magnificence shines. In the Sillé-le-Guillaume affair, he is noted for the beauty of his company of men-at-arms. From the moment he is Marshal of France, he maintains a splendid military family. He is rich, especially since the death of his grandfather in 1432. He is decidedly lost from the time of his grandfather’s departure. His escort is that of a prince. The triumphant extravagance of great religious ceremonies intoxicates this criminal pederast even more. As on wine and strong drink, he gets drunk on
church hymns
. Liturgical offices have then, despite the ruins of war, an astonishing allure. They still have a fascinating quality diminished today by other spectacles. Jean de Bourdigné interrupts his recital of historic events to demonstrate the excellence of religious services in the cathedral of Angers that, during a stay in the city, Charles VII hears daily: “In France,” says the chronicler, “there is no other church where the Lord’s service could be celebrated more reverently, or the hymns, anthems, or other things one sings in church more deeply pitched and accentuated, or the ecclesiastical ceremonies performed with greater triumph …”
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Assuredly, Gilles de Rais, who stayed frequently in the city, was familiar with these ceremonies in Angers; he must have observed and been fascinated by them, as he later must have been enraptured passing before the costumes of the canons of Lyon.
church hymns
. Liturgical offices have then, despite the ruins of war, an astonishing allure. They still have a fascinating quality diminished today by other spectacles. Jean de Bourdigné interrupts his recital of historic events to demonstrate the excellence of religious services in the cathedral of Angers that, during a stay in the city, Charles VII hears daily: “In France,” says the chronicler, “there is no other church where the Lord’s service could be celebrated more reverently, or the hymns, anthems, or other things one sings in church more deeply pitched and accentuated, or the ecclesiastical ceremonies performed with greater triumph …”
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Assuredly, Gilles de Rais, who stayed frequently in the city, was familiar with these ceremonies in Angers; he must have observed and been fascinated by them, as he later must have been enraptured passing before the costumes of the canons of Lyon.
In any event, the visit to Poitiers sheds light on essential aspects of Gilles de Rais’ life. The formation of his ecclesiastical entourage and office greatly preoccupies him. Now he travels in the company of men from his chapel, who follow on horseback. This must be the case, particularly on the day he is awarded an ecclesiastical dignity previously only awarded, among the laity, to the dukes of Aquitaine. Moreover, at Poitiers he keeps company with two young men whose voices he finds enchanting, whom he leads into his debauchery: André Buchet of Vannes, who at least twice procures for him two young victims; and Jean Rossignol of La Rochelle. Dressed as a canon, Gilles institutes on that day in the Saint-Hilaire church two stipends for these young men.
September 27 Stay at Orléans
From Poitiers the Marshal-Canon returns to Orléans where, publicly, his extravagance runs away with him. He is in Orléans as early as September 27th, when we know that certain of his servants stand guard for him. At this point, the impossibility of regulating his enormous expenditures has become banal.
(1434)
Documents preserved in the notarial archives of Orléans, until the fires of 1940, provided precise information on these expenditures, with which Abbot Bossard’s work
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in part familiarizes us.
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in part familiarizes us.
During his stay (or stays) at Orléans, Gilles de Rais is accompanied by his ecclesiastical entourage and his men-at-arms. He himself resides at the “Croix d‘Or” Hotel which, rather than being a resting place for guests en route, must be put at his disposal as a private home. According to the bill of indictment of 1440, he and his cronies tried invoking evil spirits in this house (p. 174). His brother, René de La Suze, is lodged at the “Petit Saumon.” His “college,” which includes the ecclesiastic dignitaries of his chapel, is at the “Écu de Saint Georges,” Guillaume, Antes’ place; his “cantor” at the “Enseigne de l’Épée,” Jean Fournier’s place; his men-at-arms and, among them, his herald, whom he has called Rais-le-Heraut, at the “Tête Noire,” Agnes Grosvillain’s place; his captain of the guard, Louis I‘Angevin, called Louynot, at the “Grand Saumon,” Guyot Denis’ place; as well as other companions, among them the frightful Gilles de Sillé; his knights, Monsignors de Martigné and Foulques Blasmes, Jean de Rains, and Bauléis at the “Image de Sainte Marie-Madeleine” ; Jean de Montecler at Colin le Godelier’s place; his gunsmith, Hector Broisset, at the “Coupe,” Mace Dubois’ place; his and René’s horses at the “Roche-Boulet” Hotel, run by Marguerite, Thévenon Hué’s widow; his college’s horses, the vicar of his chapel, Ollinet, a man named Petit-Jean, Father Le Blond, and his barber, at the “Enseigne du Fourbisseur,” run by Jean Couturier, called Jeudi; Lord Jean de Vieille, his provost Boisoulier, a trumpeter named Georges, at Jeannette la Pionne’s; Thomas, his “illuminator,” at “Dieu d’Amour,” Marguerite’s place; still other servants are divided among the “Cheval Blanc,” Charles de Halot’s place, the “Homme Sauvage,” Sébille la Trasilonne’s place, and the “Écu d‘Orléans,” Foulques d’Estrapon’s place.
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October
Scandalized by a life of dissipation, to which he attributes the capitulation of Grancey, La Trémoille fetches Gilles at Orléans. He wants them to go together to the aid of the Duke of Bourbon. The old favorite apparently has influence over the Marshal; together they reach Issoudun. From there they head toward the Bourbons, where the war continues between Charles VII’s supporters and the Burgundians.
The Orléans documents utilized by Abbot Bossard
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inform us of Gilles’ passage to Montluçon in October. We know that he stays there until December, at the “Écu de France.” There he signs a note for eight hundred and ten gold royals, of which he can only pay four hundred and ninety-five when leaving. He continues to travel with his troops, not to mention a considerable body of retainers. His expenditures have become such that he is in constant difficulty. Georges de La Trémoille continues to travel with him.
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inform us of Gilles’ passage to Montluçon in October. We know that he stays there until December, at the “Écu de France.” There he signs a note for eight hundred and ten gold royals, of which he can only pay four hundred and ninety-five when leaving. He continues to travel with his troops, not to mention a considerable body of retainers. His expenditures have become such that he is in constant difficulty. Georges de La Trémoille continues to travel with him.
December 28 Roger de Briqueville’s procuration
On this date, Gilles returns to Orléans for an indefinite length of stay. He signs a deed on December 28th. He was at Montluçon in October and stays in the region for a while with La Trémoille. He was able to return to Orléans as of November, where he remains until January.
The deed he has drawn up on December 28th is strange, to say the least. He receives a very young cousin whose Norman family, loyal to Charles VII, was ruined by the English; the testimonies of Machecoul concerning 1432 or 1433 already mention this Roger de Briqueville. From 1432 onwards he gets his livelihood from Lord de Rais; with Gilles de Sillé, he becomes Gilles de Rais’ counselor and companion in debauchery. According to the Marshal’s own confession, it is not long after Gilles de Sillé that Briqueville is initiated into his secrets. On December 28, 1434, Gilles gives him an outrageous power of attorney. From then on Briqueville can act in his name; according to as he sees fit, he can sell his master’s castles and lands in Brittany; what is more, he is fully empowered to negotiate and conclude the marriage of his master’s daughter! Marie is then about four years old. According to Abbot Bourdeaut, it would be necessary to assume a night of debauchery and drunkenness in order to explain this scandalous power of attorney. At the least, the child’s birthday at the end of 1429 coincides with the subsequent absence of a father who seems to no longer have relations with his wife …
1435Beginning of February Expedition against Jean de Luxembourg
Gilles de Rais strives one last time, at least apparently, to keep his position in the game he began playing with La Trémoille. Traveling together, the cousins arrive at Forez just when peace is signed between Charles VII and Philippe of Burgundy.
This peace, long desired by the King, puts an end to that war between the French that the assassination of Jean sans Peur on Montereau bridge had decidedly aggravated. Duke Philippe decided after seventeen years to forgive his father’s murder, in which Charles VII must have been an accomplice. It was only a great lord’s desire for personal vengeance that had mattered; the sufferings of the people did not. The peace treaty is finally signed at Nevers, February 5 and 6, 1435.
(1435)
We have already said that La Trémoille and Gilles are in Forez. They decide to go together to Langres, then to Laon, where the fighting continues ; Jean de Luxembourg, Phillip le Bon’s ally, refuses peace. He persists in menacing Laon. Evidently La Trémoille hopes that by attacking him, and possibly liberating Laon., he can recover a little of the influence lost viés-a-vis Charles VII.
The two cronies’ troops could have occupied themselves in the area, but money is short. Gilles, evidently in order to rid himself of La Tremoille, accepts going to Lyon and using his influence there to borrow money from bankers to pay the soldiers’ back pay. Gilles returns to Langres with some resources, but as soon as it is a question of marching on Laon he comes up against the captains’ refusal; the distributed money does not suffice. Gilles did not actually know how to handle money matters; he was swindled regularly. It would have been “clear in the eyes of many” that La Trémoille took advantage of his cousin’s credulity and mad extravagance. La Trémoille is reproached for it, but he only laughs; “it is good,” he said, “to encourage him to be bad …”
“A cynical phrase that shows in what degree of esteem Marshal de Rais was held by Charles VII’s former minister and many others.”
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The fact remains that at Langres, Gilles once again abandons the affair in progress, leaving his brother the responsibility of leading the troops, if possible, to Laon. He leaves for Orléans under the pretext of seeking the wanted money. He even signs a declaration at Langres in which Champtocé will go to Georges de La “Trémoille should he and his brother die heiress.
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It is impossible to conclude from this, as Abbot Bourdeaut has done, that Gilles’ intention was to bind himself more closely to Georges de La Trémoille. The clause is purely conventional. At the same time, Gilles decidedly abandons the path on which La Trémoille had started him.
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The fact remains that at Langres, Gilles once again abandons the affair in progress, leaving his brother the responsibility of leading the troops, if possible, to Laon. He leaves for Orléans under the pretext of seeking the wanted money. He even signs a declaration at Langres in which Champtocé will go to Georges de La “Trémoille should he and his brother die heiress.
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It is impossible to conclude from this, as Abbot Bourdeaut has done, that Gilles’ intention was to bind himself more closely to Georges de La Trémoille. The clause is purely conventional. At the same time, Gilles decidedly abandons the path on which La Trémoille had started him.
February 26 Second stay at Orléans
At Ortéans Gilles sells, or pawns, a silver head of Saint-Honoré.
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This transaction appears connected to the pretext given to La Trémoille, but in fact it inaugurates a series of transactions having no other explanation than a life of unbridled dissipation, which from here on out alone interests the Marshal.
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This transaction appears connected to the pretext given to La Trémoille, but in fact it inaugurates a series of transactions having no other explanation than a life of unbridled dissipation, which from here on out alone interests the Marshal.
March 26 Endowment of the Holy Innocents Chapel at Machecoul
Paradoxically, it is a pious endowment for the chapel at Machecoul that we ought to cite first in this dissipated life. Gilles has two Orléans notaries, Jean Caseau and Jean de Réconin, draw up a deed confirming the endowment of this chapel that, by the splendor of its ceremonies and the wealth of its clergy, rivaled a collegiate church and even a cathedral. The minute of this deed existed prior to 1940 in Orléans. Abbot Bossard reproduced a portion of it that we think we ought to cite here.
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