TO-DAY IN HISTORY

Southland Times, Issue 20675, 22 December 1928, Page 6

TO-DAY IN HISTORY

DECEMBER 22. Died: Emperor ViteHius, beheaded at Rome, 69 A.D.; Richard Plantagenet, alleged son of Richard HL, East well, 1550; Richard Allein, Nonconformist divine, 1681; Michael Baron, actor, Paris, 1729; Sir Philip Francis, reputed author of “Junius,” London, 1818; Dr. James Cowles Prichard, ethnologist, London, 1848; Rev. M. J. Routh, D.D., President of Magdalen College, Oxford, in his 100th year, Oxford, 1854. The Original Bluebeard. Giles de Laval, Seigneur de Retz, better known in French history as Marshal de Retz, was born in or about th* year 1396. Losing his father in 1416 Giles entered the service of his sovereign-prince, the Due de Bretagne; and his name is found mentioned in connection with events in 1420 and 1425. He next entered the service of the French king, Charles VII., and was actively engaged in the defensive war maintained by that monarch against the English, distinguishing himself in many engagements. In 1429 he was one of the captains under the celebrated Joan of Arc; and aided her in bringing provisions into Orleans. We then hear of Giles and his brother Rene, accompanying the king to Rheims; and it is supposed that on this occasion he was created Marshal of France in recognition of his military merits. It was he who carried the holy ‘ampoule” at the consecration of the king from the Abbey of St. Remi to the cathedral. He appears also at this time to have been counsellor and chamberlain to the king. Again we hear of him commanding troops against the English in 1430 and 1433, in which last named year his martial services appear to have terminated.

Now, there is nothing whatever in this career to denote a cruel or depraved taste: on the contrary Giles de Laval presents himself to us as the Marshal de Retz, a man of high birth, successful as a military commander, • and in high favour at the court of the king of France. Yet the French annals tell us that this man at the age of thirty-seven, commenced the course of life which has brought such infamy on his name. When twenty years of age he had inherited large estates from his father; at twenty-four he had married Catherine de Thouars, who brought him still larger property; and when his maternal grandfather, Jean de Craon, died in 1432, another set of estates fell to him; insomuch that Giles became the richest subject in France. He plunged into a course of profligacy and debauchery which diminished his wealth rapidly; and he sold one estate after another to defray his lavish expenses. He maintained a guard of honour of two hundred horsemen and a suite of fifty persons, yet withal he affected great pomp in religious ceremonies, he even sending to the Pope for permission to have the cross car ried before him! These and other extravagances made such inroads into his estates that his family obtained a decree from parliament forbidding him to make further alienations of his property.

Even at this stage we do not recognize Giles de Retz as a monster; but worse was approaching. He turned his attention to magic and sorcery, under the guidance of an Englishman named Messire Jean, and an Italian named Francisco Drelati. He is reported to have made a compact with Satan, offering to give, in return for boundless wealth, everything except his own life and soul. It was at this time that he began to immolate children even while fulfilling his religious duties in his chapel with careful precision. The poor creatures made the victims of his iniquities in various ways, were finally put to death and their blood and hearts used as charms in diabolical rites. The number of missing children at last became so large as to bring the matter before the authorities. In 1440 the Marshal was arrested together with two of his men Henri and Etienne Corillant. Confronted with his two accomplices Giles at first denied all knowledge of them but under threat of torture he revealed everything. The judges were frozen with horror at the obscene and atrocious recital which he made, though what his miserable victims suffered before death cannot be written here. In most cases he burned the bodies, but sufficient remains were found tn indicate forty-six victims at Chantoce and eighty at Machecoul. Giles did not boast of his atrocities. He confeseed them and publicly asked pardon of the parents of the murdered innocents. Condemned to be strangled he exhibited once more a characteristic of his strange nature, begging thta the bishop of Nantes would head the procession. His execution took place in 1440 about or a little before Christmas Day, some say December 22.

Probably on account of some personal peculiarity Giles de Laval became remembered as Barbe-bleue, whence our name Bluebeard was derived, and his written story was translated from the original French of Perrault into nearly every language in Europe.