Bluebeard; Brave Warrior, Brutal Psychopath

Palisades, New York: History Publishing Company, 2014. First Edition [stated]. Special edition [stated on the front cover]. Trade paperback. Good/No dust jacket issued. 283, [1] pages. Foreword by Michael Kane, former Special Prosecutor, JonBenet Ramsey Murder Case. Chronology. Cast of Characters. Relevant Sites. Notes. Bibliography. Sticker residue on front cover. Inscribed by the author inside the front cover. Inscription reads For Ken--To the end of cannonballs! Best Love, Valerie. Bluebeard is a fast paced, well-written story documenting the history behind the reign of terror imposed on Europe by Gilles de Rais, the infamous Bluebeard. Valerie Ogden accidentally found out about Bluebeard when her nephew married his descendant, and the family hushed all her sudden questions. Nevertheless, absorbed by his story, she decided to research his life with an extensive visit to the Bibliotheque de Nantes in Brittany, France, and the site of many of his massacres. She is an American actor who formerly worked in many diverse jobs: New York security analyst, editor of the Best Bets column in House & Garden, etc. The author focuses on the man s life and the foundation set for his mental and intellectual development, then explores his life subsequent to the sword clashing, blood-letting battles alongside Joan of Arc. She raises questions, presents hypotheses from genetic disposition to PTSD to explain the demonic action of the man. It is a book that gives the reader a breath-taking experience and presents thought-provoking possibilities as to why a man who led a life of valor as a brave warrior could descend into the dark depths of depravity, a man who descended into the dark depths of sexual exploitation of children which made him an historical monster. Gilles de Rais (c. 1405 - 26 October 1440), Baron de Rais was a knight and lord from Brittany, Anjou and Poitou, a leader in the French army, and a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He is best known for his reputation and later conviction as a confessed serial killer of children. A member of the House of Montmorency-Laval, Gilles de Rais grew up under the tutelage of his maternal grandfather and increased his fortune by marriage. He earned the favor of the Duke of Brittany and was admitted to the French court. From 1427 to 1435, Rais served as a commander in the French army, and fought alongside Joan of Arc against the English and their Burgundian allies during the Hundred Years' War, for which he was appointed Marshal of France. In 1434 or 1435, he retired from military life, depleted his wealth by staging an extravagant theatrical spectacle of his own composition, and was accused of dabbling in the occult. After 1432, Rais was accused of engaging in a series of child murders, with victims possibly numbering in the hundreds. The killings came to an end in 1440, when a violent dispute with a clergyman led to an ecclesiastical investigation that brought the crimes to light, and attributed them to Rais. At his trial, the parents of missing children in the surrounding area and Rais's own confederates in crime testified against him. He was condemned to death and hanged at Nantes on 26 October 1440. Rais is sometimes believed to be the inspiration for the French folktale "Bluebeard" ("Barbe bleue"), but this assumption is controversial.