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Investigation and execution
On May 15, 1440, Rais kidnapped a clergyman named
Jean le Ferron during a dispute at the Church of Saint-Étienne-de-Mer-Morte.
This prompted an investigation by the Bishop of Nantes,
during which the investigators uncovered evidence of Rais' crimes. On July 29, the Bishop released his
findings, and subsequently obtained the prosecutorial
cooperation of Rais' former protector, the Duke of
Brittany.
On August 24, Jean le Ferron was freed by
ducal troops led by Arthur de Richemont. Rais and his
accomplices were arrested on September 15, following a
secular investigation which paralleled the findings of
the Bishop of Nantes' earlier investigation. Rais'
prosecution would likewise be conducted by both secular
and ecclesiastical courts, on charges which included
murder, sodomy, and heresy.
Gilles de Rais - Church's punishment
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