Cast of Characters

Cast of Characters

Characters are sorted by their homes. Characters deceased at the beginning of the novel are marked with an asterisk, while those who are particularly unimportant or important solely for historical reasons are italicized.

Pouzauges

Milet de Thouars.........Seigneur de Pouzauges et Tiffauges, two chateaux in the North of France adjoining the Pays de Retz on the western side. He is a vassal of the Vicomte de Thouars, with whom he is related, but is good friends.

Béatrice de Montjean.........His second wife. She is the daughter of Anne de Sillé. Twin sister of Jean II de Montjean.

*Céline de Montjean..........His first wife. Deceased. She is Béatrice’s younger sister.

Catherine de Thouars...........“Cendrillon.” The daughter of Milet and Céline.

Justine de Thouars..............The elder daughter of Milet and Béatrice.

Juliette de Thouars.............The younger daughter of Milet and Béatrice.

Madame Fournier..............The cook.

Agnès..............Beatrice’ lady’s maid.

Thérèse.............Justine and Juliette’s lady’s maid.

Denis Kergoat..............A stable hand.

Capitaine Hardy...............Captain of the Guard at Pouzauges.

Jean le Petit...............The stable master.

Francez................A footman.

Erwann................A footman.

Maëlle..................A scullery maid.

The Sexton..........The caretaker of the graveyard of l’Église Saint-Georges.

The Sexton’s Wife.........His wife.

Christophe..............His grandson.

Isabelle................His granddaughter.

Perrote………….The children’s absent mother.

Champtocé-sur-Loire

*Jeanne Chabot la Suze.........Deceased. Grandmother of Jean d’Craon and great-grandmother of Gilles de Rais. Amassed a great fortune, which bypassed d’Craon and went to de Rais’ father due to inheritance laws.

*Catherine de Machecoul...........Deceased. Mother of Jean d’Craon.

Jean d’Craon.........Seigneur de Champtocé-sur-Loire. He is also the guardian of Gilles de Rais, and acts as executor of his estate, the Pays de Retz, until the baron is twenty-four. He is having an extra-marital affair with Anne de Sillé.

Béatrix de Rochefort.........His wife.

*Amoury d’Craon.................His son. Died at Agincourt 1415.

Gilles de Montmorency-Laval.........Baron de Rais. Maternal grandson of Jean d’Craon.

René de Montmorency-Laval............The baron’s younger brother.

Roger de Briqueville..............The Baron de Rais’ friend.

Henriet..................The Baron de Rais’ manservant, and childhood friend.

Thomas...............The Baron de Rais’ squire.

Bertrand...............A servant.

André.................d’Craon’s manservant.

M. Dufour..........the head cook.

Arnaud de Cholet “la bête”..............A criminal and loan shark.

M. Massenet...........A minstrel.

Giambattista Basile...........A foreign merchant.

Yannick...................a priest.

Pierrick Fauré.................a blacksmith and member of the night watch.

Capitaine Michel..............Captain of the Guard at Champtocé.

l’Abbaye de Femmes Notre Dame d’Étival-en-Charnie

Sister Bernard..............A nun.

Amboise

Pierre II d’Amboise...........Vicomte de Thouars. Seigneur d’Amboise and Berrie. Milet de Thouars’ seigneur.

Ingelger d’Amboise.............Deceased. Seigneur d’Amboise and Berrie. Pierre II d’Amboise’s father.

Péronnelle d’Craon............Deceased. Former Vicomte de Thouars. Pierre II d’Amboise’s aunt.

Sieur Hugues de Limouges.........A soldier in the Vicomte de Thouars’ army.

Père Barnabé.................The Vicomte de Thouars’ confessor.

Brittany

Jean V le Sage..........The Duke of Brittany, Count of Montfort. (called Jean VI in France, Jean V in Brittany.)

Béatrice de Rohan...........Brittany’s niece.

Alain X de Rohan............Her brother.

Claire..................Béatrice de Rohan’s maid.

Cayalou

*Guy de Montmorency-Laval..............Deceased. Gilles de Rais’ father. Jeanne Chabot la Suze’s grandson.

*Marie d’Craon.......................Deceased. Guy de Montmorency-Laval’s wife. Jean d’Craon’s daughter.

Châteauceaux

Marguerite de Clisson........Comtesse de Penthiévre. A claimant on the Duchy of Brittany.

Olivier de Blois.............Her son.

Chinon

Yolande of Aragon...........So called Queen of the Four Kingdoms. Queen Regnant of Aragon. Queen Regnant of Naples. Duchess of Anjou. Countess of Provence. Raised the dauphin.

Marie d’Anjou..........Yolande’s daughter. Engaged to the dauphin.

Charles VII de Valoise..........The dauphin (crown prince). Isabeau’s son, but rumored to be the son of the former Duke of Orléans.

Guînes

Georges de la Trémouille.......The Comte de Guînes. Personal friend of the dauphin.

Hambye

Nicholas Paynel........Seigneur de Hambye.

Jeanne Paynel..........His daughter, betrothed to the Baron de Rais at the beginning of the book.

London

Henry V Plantagenet.......King of England.

Montfaucon

Herbert de Sillé.............Anne de Sillé’s cousin.

Gilles de Sillé...............His son. Roger de Briqueville’s cousin.

Philippe..............Herbert’s servant.

Orléans

*Louis I de Orléans..................Deceased. Brother of Charles VI. Putative father of Charles VII.

Charles de Orléans..................Duke of Orleans. Imprisoned in Wallingford Castle in England during the events of the novel.

Paris

Charles VI................King of France. Insane.

Isabeau of Bavaria............Queen of France. De facto ruler of France.

Sancerre

Jean de Bueil..........The Comte de Sancerre. The same age as Gilles de Rais, the two find themselves often in competition.

Jeanne de Montjean........His much older wife. The eldest daughter of Anne de Sillé.

Sillé-le-Guillaume

*Jean de Montjean...............Deceased. Seigneur of Montjean. Father of Jeanne, Jean, Béatrice and Céline de Montjean.

Jean II de Montjean...........The Baron de Sillé. Béatrice’s twin brother.

*Marie de Chartres........................Deceased. The wife of Jean II.

Anne de Sillé............Baronne Douairière (dowager) de Sillé. The mother of Jeanne, Jean, Béatrice, and Céline de Montjean. In an extra-marital relationship with Jean d’Craon.

*Guillaume VII de Sillé.....................Deceased. Former Baron de Sillé. Anne’s father.

Caval.....................Anne de Sillé’s dog.

Inès......................Anne’s maid

Tiffauges

Jean de la Noe…...........The Captain of the Guard in Tiffauges.

Girard de la Noe...............His son, and one of Milet’s soldiers. In a relationship with Agnès.