Apparently, she meekly approached the castle’s gates in tears, expecting that the owners would recognize her as Olivier de Clisson’s grieving widow and admit her entry. Those family dinners must have been awkward, but things were about to get much worse. Here’s a power-move. Instead, his family might have been in on breaking up Guy and Jeanne, apparently because Jeanne dared to want in on her new hubby’s fancy title. If she wanted to survive, she’d have to act fast. This is where the real story of Jeanne de Clisson begins: when she swore to avenge her husband’s murder. That same year, she married Olivier de Clisson IV of Brittany (now part of France). A Frenchwoman name Jeanne de Clisson became a pirate in the 1300s to... revenge her husband's death, who was beheaded for treason. She proceeded to harry French ships--militaristic and merchant--on behalf of the English crown for 13 years before settling down into another happy … She didn’t weep uncontrollably, pop some alprazolam and put on all of her Morrisey albums. There had been black ships on the horizon. She remarried Guy de Penthièvre less than two years after her first husband kicked the bucket. There she married for the third time to lieutenant to the English King Edward III, Sir Walter Bentley. During the Middle Ages, France and England were constantly fighting each other over territories like Brittany. May 11, 2019 - When her husband was unjustly executed, this French noblewoman-turned-pirate became the terror of France. According to legend, the few survivors of these massacres always told the same story. After pulling some strings with the Pope in 1330, de Clisson’s second marriage was suddenly and scandalously annulled. In 1342, during the Hundred Years War, Jeanne’s husband was military commander of a town that was captured by the English, and he was taken prisoner. She repaid his debt by ferrying supplies, men, and arrows from England to France to help support the English during the Battle of Crecy. Jeanne ordered her forces to attack the castle of Touffou, which was loyal to de Blois. Jeanne de Clisson’s husband was killed following a sham trial in 1343; however, this betrayal by the French nobility led Jeanne to take extraordinary action. After all, at the trial, Olivier’s naysayers didn’t produce any evidence to prove that he was guilty. Olivier’s captors had a plan: They’d contact Olivier’s boss, Charles de Blois, and demand that he pay a ransom to get his soldier back. She was a mother and a good and happy wife, especially with … The coincidence really seems too fitting to dismiss. It has been argued frequently that such a figure as de Clisson couldn’t possibly have existed. She took them with her as she sailed the high seas and dominated the king’s men. It’s uncertain how long the Tigress of Brittany (Sorry dudes, I know she’s known as the “Lioness of Brittany”, but that’s not the correct translation of the word tigresse, which means “tigress” and/or “fierce, passionate woman”) marauded, pillaged, raped, murdered, decapitated and otherwise horrifically massacred every French vessel in the Channel. Now that de Clisson was single and ready to mingle (read: desperately in need of a guardian and cash), she made another quick trip down the aisle. She spent most of her life as a noblewoman and was married to a wealthy man, Geoffrey de Chateaubriand at the age of 12 and had two children named Louise and Geoffrey. King Philip the Fortunate probably would have been wise to consider that before illegally arresting and executing Lady Jeanne de Clisson’s husband, confiscating her land, and declaring her an outlaw to the French crown. With a heavy sigh, and the urging of the Baron, the two exhausted French sailors began relating their story. With his huge army, de Blois thought he couldn’t lose–but he was wrong. Finally in 1356, after 13 years of piracy, Jeanne de Clisson retired and went to live in England. Charles de Blois assembled an enormous army of 5,000 soldiers and laid siege to the town of La Roche-Derrien, hoping to draw out the small English army left behind in Brittany while the main English forces were occupied elsewhere in France. De Clisson used her warships to trawl the English Channel and wipe out any ships owned by French nobles who were still loyal to the king. When she got there, she had her kids come out and see their father’s head mounted on the walls of the city. Charles de Blois’ fight against John of Montfort was the talk of the town in 14th-century Brittany and, as always, Jeanne de Clisson dove right into the action. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. Back in the 14th century, the average person had a very short lifespan, which meant that people started adulting at an appallingly young age. Jeanne and her merry band of disgruntled noblemen trawled through France, brutally destroying anyone who still supported the king. Get ’em, Jeanne. What a woman. It seems like one of Jeanne’s kids inherited her bloodthirsty personality in a big way. We like to think that she pirated one year for every year that she’d been married to her beloved third husband Olivier, for whom she’d turned towards a pirate’s life in the first place. Angry at King Philip VI for being such a colossal shithead and presumably for also cutting off her husband’s head, Clisson sold off every inch of her families land and bought the three biggest warships she could find. The Lord and Lady Clisson were obviously pretty happy in their Brittany villa, because they had five kids, didn’t end up having to butcher anyone with an axe, and don’t really do anything historically noteworthy between 1326 and 1343. According to the note, the occasion was to celebrate France’s truce with England. Scandal! Along with 40 other supposed “traitors,” Olivier de Clisson was executed in Paris that year. Thanks for your help! Back in the Middle Ages, lots of women lost their husbands. The spirits of the tortured lovers are said to haunt the ruins to this day. It was a close call, but she made it. Once they opened the gates, though, Jeanne whipped her forces into gear and stormed the castle. Photo by Caracal Rooikat CC BY SA 4.0. In modern times, the idea of spending time in the French area of Brittany sounds like a dream vacation. She grabbed her axe, a suit of armor, ordered her chamberlain to sell every valuable thing she had, packed her seven kids up in a ship, and sailed it right to the fucking gates of Nantes. She picked out these two men by hand, pointing to them seemingly at random. Check out Eleanor of Aquitaine, Olga of Kiev, and Empress Wu Zetian. Though they’re much rarer than male swashbucklers, some women sailed the high seas, but no one did it with quite as much style as Jeanne de Clisson. Do not forget this. By all accounts Olivier was as close as I think you’re gonna get … At this part in her life, de Clisson hadn’t turned into an avenging angel just yet, but already, people who betrayed her seemed to suffer unpleasant fates. Allegedly, she wasn’t just born too soon after Jeanne and Olivier’s wedding. After being pushed to the edge, Jeanne was officially out for blood. After his demise, Jeanne’s preferred side, the Montforts, ended up succeeding in its quest to rule the Duchy of Brittany. She was fully born out of wedlock. Jeanne war 30 Jahre alt, ihre Kinder Geoffrey 16 und Louise 14. Madame de Pompadour didn't just share King Louis XV's bed, she also shared his power. Her family sided with Charles de Blois and his cause, even though it meant causing some major family drama. Clisson’s brother-in-law championed Montfort instead. Please let us know if a fact we’ve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect it’s inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. We want our readers to trust us. The hard journey took five long days and nights, and sadly, not everyone made it to the other side. While historians don’t know much about this marriage, we can infer that it was not a happy union. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. The French king’s forces immediately ambushed and arrested their own ex-soldier and quickly put Olivier on trial for treason. As though all the messiness of the Hundred Years War wasn’t enough drama, Jeanne de Clisson’s family went and got involved in a little battle of their own. Instead of finally paying the price for her terrifying killing spree, she actually marries an English Lord in 1349, settles down in a sweet castle somewhere on the coast of Brittany, outlives Philip the Fortunate, and dies peacefully sometime around 1359. But in 1326, after over a decade of marriage, de Clisson got her first taste of tragedy. O livier III de Clisson worked in defending Brittany against the English Forces, but defected over to the English Forces, thus resulting in his execution. It was great news all around. To solidify her allegiance to the English, de Clisson promptly set down roots in her new country with a heartbreaking gesture. In 1312, she walked down the aisle with Geoffrey de Châteaubriant VIII, a 19-year old nobleman in Brittany. Ein reicher bretonischer Edelfreier. The castle resisted de Clisson’s assault for a time, but like everything else who squared off against Jeanne, it eventually fell. After declaring all-out war on France, it’s not too surprising that by 1343, de Clisson had been declared a “traitor.” That label made it hard for de Clisson to gather many more allies, so she said “peace” to fighting on land and took her battle to the high seas. They had two kids together, but he died in 1326, and four years later Jeanne was married again – this time to a dashing, handsome, super-rich French nobleman named Olivier III de Clisson. Olivier eventually re-took the castle that had once belonged to his mother and father, and, as I said, the building still stands to this day (the French Resistance used it as a fortress to fight the Nazis during World War II, which is awesome). Once there, she forced them to see their father’s decapitated head for themselves. Her mission was simple – attack anything with a French flag. Olivier must be working with the enemy. family of Clisson the most famous members are Olivier IV de Clisson and Jeanne de Clisson take their name from their stronghold. Jeanne de Clisson Jeanne Avenges the Death of her Husband Olivier Jeanne-Louise de Belleville was born into an affluent French family in1300 and was the descendent of a British family that lived in Brittany. The fact that no evidence was presented to prove Olivier’s guilt only made her more convinced. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? Now that we’ve established that she’s real, may we ask: Where is the movie based on her life?! Olivier IV de Clisson (1264–1343) was married to Jeanne when he was beheaded on orders from King Philippe VI the Fortunate (I suppose Olivier wasn’t as fortunate as the king). How do we know this? If de Clisson didn’t go into full-time vengeance-hunting, she could have made a pretty penny in the world of personal branding. After her second marriage got cancelled, she found herself a new man that very same year. But best of all, Joanna of Flanders, known as Jeanne la Flamme (“the flame”), was ALSO A FEMALE PIRATE in this war. Tragically, of de Clisson’s seven children, she had to bury five. Next, she sold the de Clisson estates, raised a force of loyal men, switched allegiances to the English, and started attacking the French forces in Brittany. They were overrun in minutes. Doch der Erbfolgekrieg zerriss die Familie de Clisson. Over the course of Jeanne’s desperate trip to England, her son Guillaume tragically perished of exposure. She was ticked at any French noble who was still loyal to the King. Soon after Olivier’s triumphant return, the de Clisson patriarch received an invitation to a tournament outside of Brittany. Jeanne de Clisson was the hot girl on the Middle Ages dating market. Jeanne’s beloved third husband Olivier also joined the battle by defending the Breton town of Vannes. Armored marines came to grapples with sword, spear, and axe. Case in point? Additionally, he is an accomplished scriptwriter, having written the successful AA Meeting series for the stage and the award-winning film Depth of Pyaar. When Lady Clisson received word of her husband’s death, the 43 year-old widow didn’t break down. After her second marriage got cancelled, she found herself a new man that very same year. You have been left alive, she said, to tell your King that La Tigresse Bretonne has claimed another of his ships. As her nickname suggests, De Clisson loved to raid villages or towns and slaughter their populations, leaving only a few survivors to spread the word that her wrath was not to be trifled with. She picked out the leader, her men pushed him down to the deck, and she lopped off the man’s head like she was prepping a fucking pineapple for a badass pirate pina colada. Strap in, it’s about to get nasty. The local de Blois family wanted Penthièvre to marry their daughter Marie, and they would do anything to make it happen. After Olivier de Clisson met his maker, the executioners decided to add insult to injury. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. Do not forgive this. By: María Isabel Carrasco Cara Chards - January 4, 2018. They both hated the French king and everything he stood for. Keep in mind that she would also have outlived the worst of the Black Death, making the fact that she survived to nearly 60 a downright miracle! Certain that Olivier had unjustly perished, Jeanne took action. Thanks in part to Jeanne’s contributions during multiple battles, England now controlled the territory. A pair of guards quickly escorted two badly-wounded men out of the rain into the darkly-lit Great Hall, hurrying them forward with a sense of urgency. Jeanne de Clisson, also known as the Lioness of Brittany, ... She sold her husband’s remaining land so that she could buy three warships, which she had painted black with red sails. Feb 15, 2017 Ian Harvey. Not only did the English soldiers defeat his men, they captured de Blois himself. Only two of her sons and daughters outlived their mother. Sie heirate Olivier von Clisson. Jeanne de Clisson wasn’t just mad at Charles de Blois. The two of them retired to Brittany for the rest of de Clisson’s life. Little Geoffrey wasn’t the only de Clisson to join the fight. Jeanne de Clisson, the Lioness of Brittany, was one of the most notorious pirates in history. In another version of Jeanne’s attack on Touffou, she doesn’t just ambush the castle. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways…. Jeanne wasn’t just a cutthroat pirate, she was also an incredibly useful partner for English forces. Looking for more kick-butt women in history? Game of Thrones’ Cersei has nothing on this vengeful woman. 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