Born in the year 1300, Jeanne de Clisson was the daughter of Maurice IV of Belleville-Montaigu and Létice de Parthenay. Her father passed away when she was four years old.
In 1312, when she was around 12 years old, she was married to a 19-year-old nobleman named Geoffrey de Chateaubriant VIII. They had a son and a daughter together before Geoffrey passed away in 1326.
Two years later, Jeanne married Guy, the Count of Penthièvre and the second son of Arthur II, Duke of Brittany. Her presence in the family was controversial.
They thought she was too low-class to marry the son of a duke. They complained and ordered an investigation into the marriage. Pope John XXII ended up annulling the marriage in 1330. Guy died the following year.
Jeanne married again before the end of 1330. Her third husband was Olivier IV de Clisson. They had five children together. In 1337, Jeanne received her family’s land after her half-brother passed away without having any children. She was 37 years old.
The couple was powerful political figures due to all the properties they owned. The family was wealthy and secure. There was seemingly nothing to worry about.
But then, they got wrapped up in the Breton War of Succession. The kings of France and England could not agree on which two available French or English candidates should be the duke.
In 1342, the English captured the Breton city of Vannes. Jeanne’s husband, Olivier, was one of the commanders within the city, and he was taken hostage.
When Olivier was freed, the French candidate for duke whom Olivier had supported, accused him of being a traitor and conspiring with the king of England.
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Olivier was immediately arrested upon arriving at a tournament to celebrate the Treaty of Malestroit, which planned for a three-and-a-half-year period of peace. He was taken to Paris and tried as a traitor.
Jeanne did everything she could to get Olivier his freedom back, but she was unsuccessful. On August 2, 1343, Olivier was executed for treason and other crimes against the king of France.
Jeanne swore to have her vengeance. She sold everything she could for war supplies, gathered about 400 men, and attacked Touffou Castle and Chateau-Thebaud.
The king of England quietly helped Jeanne by offering her three ships. Jeanne had the ships painted black, and the sails dyed red. She named the fleet “My Revenge.”
She started harassing French ships and became known as a female pirate with a terrifying reputation. She even used her ships to supply the English army in 1346 and was named an English ally in 1347.
Eventually, the French navy managed to sink her fleet. One of her sons did not survive the attack. Jeanne and her other son reached shore on a small boat after five days. Her thirst for revenge was stronger than ever.
She resumed her piracy and continued attacking French ships over the course of 20 years. She stole their goods, captured the crews, and had them all put to death.
She would spare one crew member on each vessel so that he could tell the king of France that Jeanne de Clisson was still out to get him.
In the 1350s, Jeanne married Sir Walter Bentley, the lieutenant to the king of France. She was still an enemy of the king of France, and Walter had to remind the king of that.
The issue became less pressing, though, as the Black Plague swept across Europe. In December 1359, Walter died, and Jeanne followed a few weeks later. At the time of her death, she was around 60.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
