Jan
9
2010
Tales of the Castle at Tiffauges
Author: adminWith a number of historical sites to visit nearby, the campsites in the Vendée are great for exploring the beautiful surroundings of this region of western France. A popular attraction to visit while camping in the Vendée is the Castle at Tiffauges, one of several medieval castles you can find here. The Castle at Tiffauges is about an hour’s drive inland from the quality campsites in the Vendée that line the picturesque coastline. As you explore the 400-year-old fortified hilltop castle, you may hear two scary stories about a man who lived in the castle. Both stories make perfect tales to tell as night falls while camping in the Vendée. The Story of Gilles de Rais Gilles de Rais committed many gruesome crimes in the Castle at Tiffauges. He was a fearsome serial killer, who lived there during the 15th Century. At first, Gilles de Rais lived an outwardly honourable life. He was a knight and a deeply religious man who lived at the castle with his wealthy wife, Catherine de Thouars. Gilles was also a platonic lover of the heroine Joan of Arc, so when she was captured and burnt at the stake it affected him deeply. Rais left his wife, lost his faith in God and started to dabble in sorcery to support himself financially. Soon sorcerers from all over Europe came to visit him and he turned a wing of the castle into a laboratory in the hope of perfecting the dark art of alchemy. His life unravelled further when he fell under the influence of a sorcerer who persuaded him to commit the worst sins imaginable. Gilles was lead to believe that if he committed these sins he would be empowered to turn metal into gold. Crazed with gold lust, de Rais went on a killing spree which, it is thought, claimed the lives of 800 young boys. The unhappy life of Gilles de Rais came to an end when he was sentenced to death by a French court. The Story of Bluebeard Some people claim that Bluebeard and Gilles de Rais were the same person, and others will claim that Bluebeard never even existed. Whatever you believe, the story of Bluebeard is sure to send you screaming from the castle and hurrying back to the peaceful surroundings of your campsite in the Vendée. Legend has it that many years ago a man with a blue beard used to walk the corridors of the Castle at Tiffauges. He was a horrible, ugly man, who nonetheless married several times. His wives always seemed to disappear mysteriously. All the girls in the village would try to avoid him, scared he would want to marry again. Bluebeard’s next wife was a young woman who would discover his awful secret. Bluebeard entrusted his new wife with a key to the castle’s forbidden room, warning her never to use it. One fateful day, the young woman and her sister gave into temptation and opened the door of a dark room at the top of the castle. They saw that the room was covered with blood and the bodies of all Bluebeard’s missing wives were hanging from the ceiling. The girls were alarmed when Bluebeard came back to the castle to discover his dark secret exposed. Just as he was about to deliver a fatal blow to his wife, her brothers came in and killed him. Those in the know will tell you that the story of Bluebeard was in fact a fictional fairy tale, written by Charles Perrault and based on the true story of Gilles de Rais. Nonetheless, if you are camping in the Vendée, the Castle at Tiffauges makes an interesting day out, where you can discover the settings for these stories first hand. The castle offers beautiful views and a chance to see the medieval enactments and weaponry. It’s an attraction that will give you plenty to talk about when you get back to your Vendée campsite.
