Maritime Madams: Jeanne de Clisson

Jeanne de Clisson (1300-1359) is known as the “Lioness of Brittany.” She was a 14th-century French/Breton noblewoman who turned to piracy in order to avenge her husband’s death. 

For Further Reading:

• Jeanne de Clisson - French Women & Feminists in History: A Resource Guide 
• Jeanne de Clisson, The Lioness of Brittany - The Hundred Years War 

This month, we’re talking about Maritime Madams. Whether through scientific study, aquatic exploration, or legendary prowess, they harnessed the power of the bodies of waters that cover our earth. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
is Wamanica. This month we're talking about maritime Madams. Whether
through scientific study, aquatic exploration, or legendary prowess, these women
harness the power of the bodies of water that cover
our earth. Today we're talking about the story of a
woman who took to the seas, riding the waves of
revenge in fourteenth century Europe. Please welcome the Lioness of Brittany,

(00:31):
Jean de Clisson. Jean was born into nobility in thirteen
hundred in Brittany, a then independent medieval feudal state in
modern day France. By the age of twelve, she was
married off to a nobleman seven years her senior. Her
husband died not long after, and Jehn remarried the Baron

(00:54):
Olivier de Clisson in thirteen thirty. Jean and Olivier's union
would changed the trajectory of her life. When the Duke
of Brittany died without an heir, there was a scramble
for power in the region, a conflict we now know
as the War of bretass Succession. France and England each
trying to stake claim to the region backed rival factions. Olivier,

(01:18):
as a Brittany nobleman, was forced to take a side.
The French crown misunderstood Olivier's political leanings, and subsequently Olivier
was wrongfully executed in thirteen forty three. Jean de Clissaus
came to be known as the Tragic Widow in Paris.
Following efforts to free her husband, the French crown ordered

(01:39):
Jean captured as well. But Jean was not going quietly. Instead,
she took her grief steadfastly into her own hands. She
drastically spun her allegiance to king and country from France
over to England. She sold off all her lands and possessions,
and with a bit of help from the English crown,
she raised a fleet of three war ships and four

(02:00):
hundred men to her cause. The ships were painted an
ominous black and waved blood red sails. Her flagship vessel
was known as My Revenge. Jean spent the next thirteen
years sailing her black fleet throughout the English Channel, her
desire for vengeance now fueling her new pirate lifestyle. Her

(02:22):
fleet would seek out and overtake commercial French ships. Jean
and her crew plundered and sank these vessels. Wielding axes,
they executed the crew save for a select few. Some
reports say that her children also participated in these violent ambushes.
The men that were spared were instructed to report on
their ship's brutal ransacking back in France. Despite her moxie,

(02:47):
Jean's luck eventually ran out. One day, a French naval
ship appeared on the horizon, careening towards Jean's fleet. Finally,
the frenchmen were able to get close enough to attack
Jean's fleet. After years of her ships evading them, the
French navy destroyed the entire fleet and storm John's flagship. Somehow,

(03:09):
so the story goes, Jean, her sons, and a few
crew members escaped among the chaos. They drifted to the
shores of Brittany. Over several days. The group survived, despite
being without food, water, or shelter on the English Channel.
When the group's small dinghy made it to shore, Jean
knew she had to continue to evade the French, so

(03:30):
she moved to England for safety. There she met an
English military leader named Walter Bentley. A night in One
Hundred Years War. This was Jehan's final marriage and marked
the end of her days as a pirate on the
high seas. The pair would eventually return to Brittany, where
Jean lived until she died in thirteen fifty nine at

(03:51):
the age of fifty nine. All month, we're talking about
Maritime Madams. For more information, find us on Facebook and
Instagram at Wamanica Podcast special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my
favorite sister and co creator. Talk to you tomorrow.