I previously wrote about Bertrand de Guequin One of France's forgotten war heroes (who was actually Breton). But today I want to tell you an even more amazing life story about a man who fought in the ranks of the French army (even though the King of France beheaded his father) and was responsible for the madness of another French king. This is not just a biography but a journey that will take us from Brittany To the Marais district in ParisToday we will talk about Olivier de Clisson, known as “the butcher,” so let’s get started!
The life story of Olivia de Clisson
Olivier de Clisson was born in the Château de Clisson, which would later be called the “Warring Family” in 1336. His father, Olivier IV de Clisson, served in the army of the King of France and fought alongside the Count of Blois during the War of the Breton Succession (4-1341). When Olivier was 1365 years old, his father lost the city of Vannes to the English after a siege and was taken prisoner.
However, to the surprise of the French king, Olivier was released by the English a relatively short time later for a relatively low ransom. This led him to conclude that de Clisson had betrayed him and after a swift trial, Olivier was beheaded, his body hung on the gallows at Montfaucon, while his head was impaled on a pillar at one of the city gates. Nantes.
Olivier's mother Jeanne fled with him and the rest of the family to England and persuaded him to avenge the King of France for killing his father. She didn't just talk the talk, she built a fleet of three ships painted black with red sails at her own expense, which she called "My Revenge," and with them she began attacking French ships in the English Channel. When she managed to capture a ship French She would slaughter the entire crew except for one or two, whom she would send to the King of France to tell what happened. We already mentioned the warring family, didn't we?
His mother's pirate career eventually came to an end when her ships were sunk by the French navy. Since she was on one of these ships with her children Guillaume and Olivier, she was forced to cling to one of the ship's offices and so they floated on the water for 5 days until Bretons who supported the English rescued Aix Jeanne and Olivier (brother Guillaume died of cold and lack of fresh water).
De Clisson defeats the French and then joins them
After years of growing up in England, de Clisson joined the English camp that supported Count Jean de Montfort in his struggle for the duchy of Normandy. BrittanyIn 1365, Olivier de Clisson managed to defeat the Count of Blois at the Battle of Auray, despite his army being outnumbered. During the battle, Charles de was killed. Blois, Bertrand de Gueclain falls captive while Jean de Montfort becomes Duke of Brittany and takes the name Jean IV.
Olivier de Clisson continued to serve the English in the following years as their ambassador to the King of France and even as a military commander when in 1367 he defeated Bertrand de Gueclan at the Battle of Najera in Castile and took him prisoner for the second time. However, it was then that his relations with the English and the Duke of Brittany began to deteriorate. It all began a few years earlier when the new Duke of Brittany decided to grant the forest and castle of Gavre, which de Clisson coveted, to an English nobleman. De Clisson diplomatically said, “I would rather serve the devil than have an English neighbor” (an interesting statement because my neighbors on the island Guernsey There were actually lovely people.
Relations with England continued to slowly deteriorate in the following years, while relations with France actually strengthened until, in 1370, de Clisson decided to move to the French camp in exchange for lands in Normandy and the castle of Joscelin (Josselin) Which greatly angers the King of England and the Duke of Brittany.
Honey, the king has gone mad.
During the 70s, Olivier de Clisson fought alongside his former rival Bertrand de Gueclain against the English. His brutal treatment of prisoners (he liked to personally torture them and cut off various body parts) led de Gueclain to give him the title “The Butcher,” a title that stuck with him until the day he died.
In 1380, the French king Charles V and Breton de Gueclen died and the new French king, Charles VI, decided to appoint de Clisson as Count of France (a position equivalent to a Minister of Defense or Chief of Staff in our country). During the 5s, relations between Olivier de Clisson and the Duke of Brittany, which had not been wonderful before, deteriorated. In 6, the Duke of Brittany took advantage of de Clisson's arrival at the Parliament of Vannes to kidnap him, put him in a sack and throw him into the water. However, fortunately for the Count of the French army, the Duke's servants did not agree to do this and after a stint in a Breton prison, de Clisson was ransomed by the King of France and released.
In 1392, de Clisson was attacked in Paris by Pierre de Craon. Fortunately, the armor he was wearing saved him from certain death, and de Craon fled Paris to Brittany to seek refuge with the duke, who apparently ordered the murder. King Charles VI of France was furious at the attempted assassination and set out with Olivier and a large army to punish the duke of Brittany.
As the army passed through the forest near the city of Le Mans, the king was told that he was being betrayed and that he should turn back. Shortly afterwards, one of the king's servants dropped a spear and the noise frightened the king and he began to attack his soldiers in a fit of rage. Finally, the people around him managed to overpower the king, who went into a coma and lay motionless on the ground for a long time. Eventually, the king woke up and slowly came to himself, but this was the first in a series of attacks of mental illness that lasted until the end of the king's life and earned him the nickname "the madman."
Back to Brittany
De Clisson's enemies at the court of the King of France (and he had many of them) took advantage of the King's madness and accused him of corruption. At the trial, de Clisson was fined a huge sum of money and removed from the position of Count. De Clisson, who saw this as an insult to his honor, refused to return the Count's sword and fled to the castle of Joslin, where he barricaded himself. Fortunately for him, in 1394 the King of France decided to grant de Clisson the right to carry the Count's sword (although he no longer carried the position itself).
Luck continued to smile on Olivier de Clisson and in 1396 he managed to reach a peace agreement with the Duke of Brittany that ended a conflict that had lasted for about 30 years. In the following years he continued to stir up Breton politics and even almost became regent for the young Duke Jean V (Jean IV died in 5). At the same time, de Clisson continued to accumulate money and property and when he died in 4 his fortune was estimated at the equivalent of about 1399 million euros today. Not bad for a butcher…
A tour of France in the footsteps of Olivier de Clisson
As mentioned, Olivier de Clisson amassed quite a bit of money and power during his lifetime, so it is not surprising that his “architectural fingerprints” are found in France even though more than 600 years have passed since his death. Here are a number of places associated with him that are highly recommended to visit when you Travelers in France.
The town of Clisson
This is a charming small town located about a 40-minute drive fromNantes Which gave its name to the Clisson family. Here you will find the castle where Olivier de Clisson was born, which began to be built in the 13th century. It is possible to visit the castle, but I can honestly tell you that since parts of it have been destroyed, there is not much to see and it is recommended to simply look at it from the bridge over the Sèvre River from the castle courtyard.
To me, the beauty of Clisson stems less from its medieval past than from what happened there in the 19th century. During the first half of that century, the Cacault brothers built a series of neo-Renaissance buildings in the Tuscan style to replace older buildings that had been destroyed during the French Revolution.
The most beautiful example of this architecture is the Garenne Lemot (the name can be translated as Lemot's hunting lodge). It is a charming Italian villa, which is located not far from the eastern exit of Clisson. You will find a lovely garden, interesting sculptures and even temporary art exhibitions.
Another thing that made Clisson famous are the wineries that are located a very short distance from it and where they produce the famous Breton Moscatel wine. If you would like to visit them yourself and taste the famous Breton wine, you are welcome to come in. לNext link.
And one last thing, if you want to live not far from Clisson, it is recommended to live in Nantes. If you decide to do so, you can find great hotels in the article Hotels in Nantes Or excellent apartments in the article dealing with בApartments in Nantes.
Hotel de Clisson in Paris
Of the Hôtel de Clisson, which was built in the 14th century, only two towers and a gate facing rue des Archives remain. שIn the 3th arrondissement בParisThis palace, which is now called the Hôtel de Sauvage, has a very interesting history and you can read about it in the article Hôtel de Sauvage – When Lovers Began to Fly.
If you would like to live near the Hôtel de Soubise, I recommend reading the article Recommended hotels in the 3st district. If you prefer an apartment, you are welcome to read the article. Recommended apartments in the 3st district.
Josselin
Olivier de Clisson was responsible for the construction of the towers of the Château de Joslin, but its name is more closely associated with the Rohan family, who inherited it from the descendants of de Clisson. On the other hand, the Basilica of Notre Dame de Roncier is directly linked to him because it is where he is buried. His tombstone and that of his wife are one of the most magnificent in Brittany, second perhaps only to that of François II, Duke of Brittany, which was built by Anne of Brittany.
If you wish, after visiting the church, you are welcome to climb its bell tower (the entrance is behind the entrance) and see a magnificent view of Joslin and the surrounding area as can be seen in this video made by Drone.
If you want to get to Joslin, I highly recommend you stay at Manoir de la Chausee, a charming castle run by Israelis and located about a half-hour drive away.
Want to read more about Olivier de Clisson's mother?
As you read in this article, Olivier de Clisson's mother was a fascinating historical figure. In this article, which deals mainly with her son Olivier, I touched on her story in a nutshell. Anyone who wants to delve deeper and get to know him better is invited to read Dr. Orna Lieberman's article Jeanne de Belleville, a lioness in love thirsting for revenge.