Jeanne de Belleville, a lioness in love thirsting for revenge

Jeanne de Belleville, the world's first female pirate, sowed terror and death in the mid-14th century, against the backdrop of the War of the Breton Succession , which was coveted and contested by the two great enemies of the time, France and England. After the King of France, Philip VI, executed her husband, Olivier IV de Clisson, for treason in favor of the English crown, the woman in love sold her jewelry and set out on a costly and lengthy journey of revenge by land and sea. This is the story of the one who was called the "Tigress of Brittany" or the "Bloodthirsty Lioness."

Jeanne de Belleville, daughter of nobles, a devoted wife and mother

Jeanne de Belleville, the daughter of nobles, was born around 1300 in Poitou to a landowner there and in Brittany. Her family, as was customary in those days, betrothed her at the age of 13 to Baron Geoffroy VIII de Châteaubriant , a member of the House of Châteaubriant , whose father had built the eponymous castle in Brittany in the early 11th century. The couple had two children.

Her first husband died in 1326, and Jeanne married Guy de Penthiebère, son of Arthur II, Duke of Brittany, about two years later, apparently to secure the future of her two fatherless children. This marriage was annulled shortly after by the Pope, at the request of the ducal family, who feared for the fate of their inheritance.

In 1329, Jeanne married Olivier IV de Clisson, also a nobleman from Brittany, who owned castles and lands: Château de Clisson, Château de Blain, and an estate in the city of Nantes.

Jeanne inherited lands in Poitou and Brittany from her family, and the couple's joint assets further strengthened Olivier's position as an influential nobleman, one of the most prominent and important in Brittany. Jeanne was the ideal woman for Olivier, Olivier was the ideal man for Jeanne.

This was not a forced match or a marriage of convenience. This time, Jeanne celebrated a marriage out of choice, passion, and love. Even before their marriage, Jeanne and Olivier had been carrying on a passionate love affair, for a long time, in secret, in the shadow of Olivier's house in the city of Nantes. Olivier was married to a noblewoman named Blanche de Bouvi. Isabeau, Olivier and Jeanne's first daughter, was therefore born out of wedlock around 1325.

In 1329, Olivier's wife, Blanche de Bouvier, died, and in the same year the widower hastened to legalize his secret love and married Jeanne. The couple had four more children later. The couple's wealth and happiness were enviable. A beautiful and gentle lady married to a fearless warrior, under the blessing of God who granted them offspring, not only daughters, but also sons (very important at that time).

The gentle and gentle Jeanne de Belleville, “the most beautiful of the women of France,” could have continued her days in peace and tranquility, in happiness and wealth, with her beloved husband and her many children, in their fortified and magnificent castles, in the magnificent wild landscape of her childhood. The beaches, the sea, the waves, the currents, the tides, the islands, Jeanne knows their secrets well and masters the art of sailing. But this life of hers was cut short in an instant. The chain of events of the War of the Breton Succession changed her fate from end to end. The point of no return, at which Jeanne transformed her character and life, was the execution of her husband Olivier.

Olivier IV de Clisson's role in the War of the Breton Succession

In 1341, Duke Jean III of Brittany died without direct heirs. Two camps fought over his inheritance, the Duchy of Brittany: one led by Jeanne de Penthieve, daughter of the late Duke's brother and wife of Charles de Blois, nephew of Philip VI of France. Jeanne de Penthieve was the daughter of Guy de Penthieve, second husband of Jeanne de Belleville. The other led by Jeanne de Montfort, half-brother of the late Duke and husband of Jeanne de Flanders.

England and France have been in conflict since 1337, the Hundred Years' War , with Charles de Blois on the side of the French king, his uncle Philip VI, while Jean de Montfort is on the side of the English king, Edward III, son of Isabelle de France and Edward II. The two powers, England and France, covet Brittany, a strategic region, and fight for it fiercely, not giving up. And in Brittany itself, a civil war.

Olivier de Clisson chose the French crown while his brother, Amaury de Clisson, chose the English crown! The War of the Breton Succession lasted twenty-three years, from 1341 to 1364, a war within a war.

Jeanne's husband, Olivier, a Breton nobleman, swore allegiance to the King of France, Philip VI, and fought for him. The two camps, that of Charles de Blois, supported by Philip VI, King of France, and that of Jean de Montfort, supported by Edward III, King of England, fought for the city of Vannes, the second largest in Brittany after Nantes, in a series of sieges, four in number (1342).

In November, the city of Vannes fell to the Anglo-Breton camp. Olivier went all out, raised a force of 12,600 men and expelled the English. Thus ended the third siege with the victory of the French camp. Thanks to Olivier IV de Clisson.

Edward III, King of England, hearing of the defeat of his forces, also went out of his way and personally attacked Vannes. During the siege he imposed on the city, the two commanders of the city's army on behalf of the French crown, Olivier IV de Clisson and Herve VII de Leon, were captured and taken prisoner.

The fourth siege ended with the capture of Vannes by the English, who occupied it for twenty years until 1365. Olivier de Clisson was held captive by the English for some time until, as part of the agreement for a three-year cessation of hostilities, signed by Philip VI and Edward III on 19 January 1343, he returned home in exchange for the release of the Earl of Stanford and the payment of a ransom.

Philip VI demanded the release of Herve de León, but Edward III did not agree and insisted on the immediate release of Olivier de Clisson. Herve de León remained in captivity for the time being and was later released for a large sum of money.

Olivier IV de Clisson is accused of treason and executed.

The English king's insistence on the immediate release of Olivier instead of Hervey and the low ransom demanded raised the suspicions of Philip VI and his advisors. They concluded that Olivier had betrayed the crown and collaborated with the English enemy in exchange for a promise given to him by Edward III to appoint him as viceroy of Brittany. During his captivity, Olivier spoke with Edward III and made an alliance with him!

The suspicions against Olivier were aroused and fueled by Philip VI's eldest son, Jean de France, Duke of Normandy , who would ascend the throne in 1350 and take the name Jean II. Jean de France hesitated to come with his troops to the aid of Olivier de Clisson during the fourth siege of Vannes. After arriving late in the city, he told the king that Olivier had surrendered to the English too early and deliberately. Charles de Blois also joined Jean de France's accusations and considered Olivier a traitor.

Jean de France and Olivier de Callison were mortal enemies. The king's eldest son harbored feelings of jealousy towards Olivier, a powerful warrior, an independent and popular ruler, bold and proud, hot-tempered. This is why Jean incited his father against Olivier, taking advantage of every opportunity to turn the king's heart against his Breton ally.

Even before Olivier was taken prisoner, Jean de France, who was with his troops in the city of Angers, went on a reconnaissance in force in Nantes, which was then under siege by the troops of Edward III. His men spotted thirty of the Nantes, from Jean de Montfort's camp, secretly leaving the city to join the English. The unfortunates were beheaded and Jean told his father that their departure from the city, to aid the enemy forces, had been arranged under Olivier's auspices.

Olivier, who had returned to the bosom of his beloved wife and children, was invited by Philip VI to a knightly competition in the capital, which was held in honor of the marriage of the king's second son. Olivier suspected nothing, on the contrary, he even saw in this invitation a sign that the king would soon appoint him to the position of commander-in-chief of the army, which he desired with all his heart. Thus he chose fourteen Breton nobles, his closest friends, and together with them he set out for the capital with a light and happy heart. He would most likely win the competition and once again prove to the king his strength, courage, and supremacy!

The great nobles from all over the kingdom were invited to the competition, but a death trap was set for Olivier and his Breton colleagues, who were arrested in the midst of the festivities. Olivier was executed, for all to see, along with his fourteen friends, the next day. The play was staged in a horrific manner.

On August 3, 1343, Olivier was beheaded, by order of the king, without trial, in the execution tower in the central market of Paris at that time, Les Halles, an incomparable disgrace, in full view of all. The condemned man's body was hung by the armpits from a gallows intended for major criminals on Montpocong Hill in the 19th arrondissement of Paris (now Rue Albert Camus ). His head was displayed, impaled, atop the Souvet Gate in Nantes, and what remained of his corpse was scattered around the gates of Paris.

The hasty execution of Olivier de Clisson without trial and his public humiliation, as if he were a criminal, aroused great indignation among the nobles, the chroniclers and many of his contemporaries. Olivier's guilt had not been proven, the nobles argued, and even if he had betrayed the king, he had the right to choose to whom he would give his allegiance (according to the code of the day), as did those who supported Jean de Montfort.

It must be emphasized again that many Breton nobles, such as Olivier's own brother, Amaury de Clisson, chose to fight on the side of the English crown. What is the truth? Did Olivier de Clisson betray the French crown in favor of Edward III? Today's historians do not know how to answer this question definitively.

A journey of revenge on land

The widow of Olivier IV de Clisson, Jeanne de Belleville, consumed with grief and rage, decided to embark on a journey of revenge. Jeanne brought her two sons Olivier and Guillaume to see their father's head impaled on the top of the Souboutin Gate in Nantes and vowed to avenge their father's vile murder by Philip VI and Charles de Blois.

Her castles and lands were confiscated by the crown, but Joan sold other assets to raise an army, joined by many Breton nobles, appalled by the king's actions. Together they waged a war of attrition against the claimant to the Duchy of Brittany, Charles of Blois, and his supporter, Philip VI, King of France.

The force of about four hundred men led by John first turned to Château-Thébaud, which was owned by Galois de la Heuse, a loyal supporter of Charles de Blois. Captain Galois de la Heuse fought on Charles de Blois' side and was even taken prisoner by the English regiments at the Battle of Cadore (1345).

In this battle, Charles de Blois' forces fought the English regiments, who rained arrows on their enemies for an entire afternoon, causing them heavy losses. Despite many French casualties, the English emerged victorious. How could Captain Galois de la Haze have known that after surviving such a difficult battle and returning from captivity to the safety of his castle, he would fall under the sword of a vengeful woman, for no wrong he had done?

Jeanne resorted to a cunning ploy, a trap similar to the one her husband had fallen into: the beautiful lady pretended to be returning, tired, from a long hunting trip and asked the owner of the castle, Galois de la Eze, to let her in as a guest for a short hour, just for the time needed to warm up a little.

Galois de la Eze, who knew nothing of Olivier's execution and suspected nothing, received the lady as befits her rank and opened his doors to her and her company. As he came to greet the beautiful huntress, while he was standing on the threshold, Jeanne fell upon him and cut him with her sword. The unfortunate nobleman collapsed and fell, wallowing in his own blood. That was the signal. The lady's companions burst into the castle and murdered in cold blood all its inhabitants, men, women, and children, as they passed from room to room, without sparing even the last of the servants and the last of the craftsmen.

Thus, Jeanne, with the help of her loyalists, plundered and destroyed at least six more castles, mercilessly murdered all their inhabitants, soldiers and civilians, women and children, and without batting an eyelid eliminated all the supporters of the French crown who happened to be unlucky and who happened to be in her path. It was not for nothing that she was known as a predatory, bloodthirsty beast. When the information reached the king, he ordered the parliament to send the widow a summons. But Jeanne understood well what would happen to her if she reached the capital and did not fall into the royal trap.

This woman, after defiantly going out against the King of France and rebelling against him, turns against him! Philip VI, furious and sullen, had no choice but to send military forces to Brittany to stop the daring warrior, but Jeanne outran her pursuer, purchased a ship and escaped with her troops to the English court. “Give me three warships and I will severely damage the French fleet,” she demanded of Edward III.

A voyage of revenge at sea

Thus, Jeanne replaced killing on land with killing at sea. Equipped with three warships, painted black as a symbol of mourning for Olivier's death, with sails of red cloth as a symbol of his blood spilled in vain, she set out to continue her journey of revenge.

She and her crew systematically pursued all French ships, merchant and warships. Jeanne and her men robbed, plundered, and sank every ship flying the French flag they saw in the area. The sailors and passengers were beheaded, but two eyewitnesses were left alive on each ship so that they could recount the atrocities firsthand.

And so, for nine whole months, Joan and her men terrorized the English Channel and the Atlantic coast, inflicting heavy blows on their enemies. Joan's warships were more powerful and sophisticated than the warships of the French navy, and the merchant fleet was also severely damaged.

It was said that from time to time the beautiful pirate would set foot on the shores of Normandy to plunder and destroy more castles, emptying them of their mercilessly slaughtered inhabitants. Then she would disappear into the mist again to command her ships and continue to strike at the loyalists of Charles de Blois and Philip VI.

It was said that the fearless warrior would stand at the bow of her ship, her skirts tucked into her belt, a sword drawn in her hand, waiting for the right moment to pounce on the enemy and plunge him into the abyss, to the astonished and admiring eyes of the sea warriors, given the cruelty and determination of the beautiful commander.

The end of the journey of revenge

In 1345, Philip VI decided to put an end to his defeats and sent six warships to stop the killing spree. Fierce naval battles took place between the two camps, and one winter day, when the sea was particularly rough, Jeanne’s flagship, the “Vengeance,” was captured by the king’s men. Jeanne went down to her cabin, where her two sons, Olivier and Guillaume, trembled with fear, terrified by the roar of the waves on all sides and the snoring of the dying on board.

The king's men shouted at her to surrender, but the lioness did not give up, she would not abandon her children to the enemy army that had been pursuing her for years! With her resourcefulness that was always hers, she took advantage of the commotion around her to get down with her sons and a few other sailors to a lifeboat. Quietly, quietly and out of sight, they escaped the massacre.

For six days the boat drifted in the stormy and icy waters, almost capsizing, a arduous journey in cold, hunger and thirst. Jean's little son, Guillaume, did not survive the days of horror and died in the arms of his older brother, Olivier, from exhaustion. In vain did 8-year-old Olivier try to warm his 4-year-old brother and continued to hug him desperately, even after he had breathed his last. Jean and his sailors rowed and rowed, the oars so heavy, and now they finally saw the shore in the distance.

Exhausted, defeated and starving, the survivors descended to the port of Morlaix, the stronghold of the loyalists of Jean de Montfort, followers of the English king. Jean de Flanders, the widow of Jean de Montfort, “Jean the Flame”, a daring warrior herself, who, after her husband’s imprisonment, went out at night with a company of soldiers and set fire to the enemy’s tents, took Jean and Olivier under her protection and gave them refuge in her castle, Château de Hennebont.

Calm final years until the end of the race at the age of 59

Jeanne found refuge in a safe place, and life returned to its peaceful course. A few years later, around 1349, Jeanne married the commander of the English forces in Brittany, Gauthier de Bentley. The English nobleman, who was also a brave warrior, received castles and lands in the area from King Edward III as a token of appreciation for his excellence in the War of the Breton Succession.

Jeanne sent her 12-year-old son Olivier to the English court, where he was educated for ten years, along with the son of Jean de Montfort. The sturdy Olivier, gifted for a military career like his father, excelled under his uncle, Amaury de Clisson, an advisor to King Edward III. Amaury de Clisson, brother of Olivier IV de Clisson, was entrusted with the education of Jean de Montfort's son and, when his nephew joined the court, also participated in his education.

In 1359, the 23-year-old Olivier arrived in Brittany with Edward III to continue the War of the Breton Succession. That same year, his mother Jeanne died. The cruel avenger, the world's first female pirate, a lover, for whom history did not grant her much fame outside the borders of Brittany, left the world at the age of 59. Olivier inherited the family property and became a wealthy landowner and nobleman.

A year later, in 1360, King John II of France cleared the name of Olivier IV de Clisson. And who was this John II if not John of France, Duke of Normandy, commander of the army of his father, Philip VI, at the beginning of the War of the Breton Succession, Olivier's personal rival, the one who disgraced him and brought about his death! Jeanne, who had died a year earlier, did not get to see the restoration of her beloved husband's lost honor.

She also did not witness the rise to prominence of her son Olivier V, who continued the tradition of his father, Olivier IV, with a glorious military career. Olivier V fell out with the son of Jean de Montfort. His soul was torn from the English and their allies. Therefore, after fighting in the service of the English, he changed sides and moved to fight in the service of the French crown.

In 1380, Charles VI, King of France, promoted Olivier V de Clisson to the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the army. A position his father had coveted before he was executed! But Jeanne was no longer alive, as mentioned, and could not have witnessed her son's rise to the position of head of the army, nor the extravagant adventures, it would be hard to believe, that he experienced afterwards.

Want to read more about the exploits of Olivier V de Clisson?

You are invited to read the article Clisson – the butcher, the muscadine wine and the madness of King Charles and on the way to discover a charming small town not far from Nantes.

And if you are interested in the history of the Hundred Years' War, you are welcome to read the following articles:

• The Migdal Nell Affair: Acts of Adultery in the Royal Court – An article by Dr. Orna Lieberman, which will explain to you the reasons that led to the outbreak of the 100 Years War.
• Joan of Arc, witch or saint? – An excellent lecture by Alon Klibanov on the life of Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years' War.