France After her husband was executed by King Philip VI, Jeanne de Clisson decided to become a pirate and wage bloody revenge.

Jeanne de Clisson was born in 1300 in the Brittany region, France in a wealthy aristocratic family. Like many other noble women, she was arranged to marry and have children with powerful people to strengthen the wealth and reputation of the family, and then remarried when her husband died.

When he turned 30, Jeanne married a third time to the nobleman Olivier de Clission. Unlike previous marriages, they really love each other and build a happy family with 5 children.

However, their peaceful life was disrupted when the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France broke out in 1337, stemming from the French king Philip VI's request to reclaim Gascony from England, while King Edward III responded. pay by questioning the right to inherit the throne of France.

By 1341, the Duke of John III of Brittany, the owner of Jeanne's hometown, died suddenly without a son. This territory became the focus of a dispute between Britain and France to provide a strategic advantage in the war.

Olivier fought with Charles de Blois, the new duke of Brittany, against John Montfort, who was supported by the British to become the duke of this region. However, de Blois argued that Olivier was unfaithful, resulting in Jeanne's husband being executed by King Philip VI for treason.

Pirate woman Jeanne de Clisson. Artwork: Cultura Colectiva.

Before the death that she considered unjustly her husband, Jeanne became indignant and vowed to take revenge on de Blois and King Philip VI. According to some accounts, she took her children to the top of Olivier in Nantes, capital of Brittany, to incite hatred.

Because the family land was confiscated, Jeanne sold jewelry, furniture, and even some documents that she sold sex, to raise enough money to set up a small army, with the goal of chasing. The French left Brittany, seeking revenge for her husband.

The group's first attack took place at the castle of Galois de la Heuse, a friend of de Blois. Jeanne took the children with her son, offered to enter the city and succeeded. By the next morning, most of the people in the castle were killed, except for a few who were released by Jeanne so they could spread the massacre they witnessed.

Jeanne's army then continued to attack the other castles in France. However, acting on land became dangerous when France declared Jeanne guilty of treason, making her decide to become a pirate in 1343.

Jeanne bought three ships, ordered them to be painted in black, and dyed their sails to crimson. From 1943 to 1356, her "Black Fleet" raged "in Normandy waters, destroying supply ships and warships of King Philip VI and the French nobility, making Jeanne dubbed the" Lion ". the region of Brittany ".

The sailors who saw the red sail appearing in the mist seemed to have predicted their death. Unlike the other pirates, Jeanne did not ask for ransom but was said to execute each sailor himself. However, just like the previous action, she spared a few people so that they could tell this terrible story to King Philip VI.

Not stopping at the murders, Jeanne and his army joined the British forces, providing supplies for them to defeat France. The death of King Philip VI in 1350 did not make her "relieved" but continued to maintain an alliance with Britain. Thanks to Jeanne's support, the Montfort had captured the Brittany region. Charles de Blois was later killed in battle in 1364.

However, Jeanne had given up on being a pirate ever since. Around 1353, a Jeanne pirate ship sank, causing her and her sons Guillaume and Olivier to drift in the middle of the sea in a small boat. Guillaume did not last long, but Jeanne did not give up and continued sailing. Eventually, she and Olivier were saved by Montfort's forces.

Jeanne and her son later came to live in England, where an unexpected turning point happened to her. The female pirate once again found love when she met Walter Bentley, an aristocrat who was knighted by the English Knights. For the first time in many years, Jeanne felt the happiness that she thought had been lost forever.

After marrying Bentley in 1356, Jeanne left behind days at sea and returned to quiet family life in Honnebont Castle in Brittany, under the protection of the Montfort. She died in 1359, but for unknown reasons.