SPEAKER_01: Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. This month we're highlighting ragers, women who use their anger, often righteous though not always, to accomplish extraordinary things. Today we're talking about a woman who turned her despair into a vengeful nautical rampage against French nobility. Let's talk about Jean de Clisson. Jean de Clisson was born into a noble family in western France in 1300. Her childhood was short-lived. By the age of 12, she was married to a nobleman named Jeffrey de Chateaubriand VIII. They had two children together before Jeffrey passed away. Jean was widowed with two kids by 1326. She married the brother of the Duke of Brittany in 1328, but her new husband's family didn't approve. The pope annulled the marriage two years later. Jean's first two marriages were most likely out of tradition or circumstance, but her third marriage was one of love. In 1330, Jean married Olivier IV de Clisson. Olivier was a wealthy nobleman, also from Brittany. He owned various territories throughout France. That land, added to what Jean had inherited from her first marriage, made them senior nobles in Brittany. And together, they had five children. Jean knew how husbands could come and go, so she did all she could to protect herself and her children. Jean took Olivier to court to ensure that their marriage contract would be upheld. This was not uncommon for medieval noblewomen. They knew their rights and were not afraid to exercise them. The court ruled in Jean's favor. Even with the marriage contract all squared away, Jean would not know peace for long. Part of that was because of where she lived, Brittany. Brittany had long been a place of contention. Was it independent? Was it English? Was it French? In 1341, it all came to a head. The Duke of Brittany died and left no heirs. The uncertainty with regards to who would ascend power kicked off a conflict known as the War of the Breton Succession, which would become an early part of the Hundred Years War. Two men were vying for power. On one side, there was Charles de Blois, supported by the French king, Philip VI. On the other, Jean de Montfort, supported by the English. They were both tangentially related to the late Duke. Where did Jean and Olivier fit into all of this? Well, Olivier had an allegiance to Charles, and so he joined the war to fight with the French forces. In 1342, English soldiers attacked Vannes, the town where Olivier was in charge. The English captured him and other French commanders during their siege. Olivier was released in a one-for-one exchange with an English statesman. On January 19, 1343, England and France signed the Truce of Maletois. A grand tournament was held to celebrate the end of the fighting, but Olivier didn't make it to the festivities. By that point, Charles de Blois had let King Philip VI know that he could not trust Olivier and other Breton nobles. It's not totally clear what his motives were. Some claim that Charles wanted control over Olivier's land, while others suggest that Olivier and the other noblemen were accused of having conspired with the English in the capture of Vannes. Either way, Olivier was charged with treason and was sentenced to death by King Philip VI. When Jean venned out about all this, she was furious. She did everything in her power to clear her husband's name. In one account, Jean bribed a French sergeant to delay Olivier's execution. That didn't do much to help. Jean was summoned to court for rebelling against the king, but she ignored the order. In August of 1343, Olivier was executed. The French placed his head on a spike in the capital of Brittany and left it for the public to see what happens to traitors. Jean's rage went from red to white hot. She turned her pain into purpose and vowed to avenge her husband's wrongful death. King Philip VI and the French aristocracy would not know peace as long as Jean was around. Jean sold all of her possessions to raise money for a small army. She was able to assemble a team of about 400 men. They started on land by raiding and ravaging a few French territories. Jean and her army developed a pattern of ransacking enemy property, taking any valuables and killing everyone except one or two people. The survivors went on to share the news of what they'd just witnessed. This was Jean's strategy for instilling fear across the country. The French would not go quietly. King Philip deployed forces to counter Jean's attacks. Instead of retreating, Jean turned to the English for help. She knew if anyone would be eager to take down the French, it would be them. King Edward III helped to acquire three warships. Jean had the ships painted black with red sails. Collectively, the ships were known as the Black Fleet, and her flagship was named My Revenge. Jean was officially a pirate. Jean and her lean and mean army wreaked havoc on the open seas. They started in the Bay of Biscay, capturing French shipping vessels. She then moved on to sailing the English Channel, hunting down French commerce ships. Just like their land strategy, Jean and her army killed all crew members except for a couple who would relay the terror to King Philip. Legend has it that if there were any French aristocrats present, Jean would personally behead them. This is how she became known as the Lioness of Brittany. Jean's bloodthirsty reign of terror lasted for thirteen years. She was determined to destroy any French ships owned by the French king and any noblemen. She was so influential in weakening the French state that she was named an English ally in 1347. Jean even married a commander in King Edward's army in 1356. They enjoyed a short but happy marriage where they lived at the castle of Enebon in Brittany under English protection. Jean de Clisson died in 1359. All month we're talking about ragers. For more information check us out on Facebook and Instagram at Womanica Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow.
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