The Lioness of Brittany
Jeanne de Clisson’s husband, Olivier, devoted years to defending his land of Brittany against the English, but was still beheaded by King Phillip VI of France when the royal suspected him of defecting to the English side. Olivier’s head was reportedly displayed on a pole outside the castle of Bouffay, which was more than enough to spark a vengeful fire in Jeanne.
Desperate for revenge, Jeanne gathered a small force and took down the pro-French forces of Brittany in the name of her husband. Then she sold all their land, bought three warships, and took to the seas as a kind of pirate searching the English Channel for French ships owned by King Phillip. She would kill nearly the whole crew but left a few alive to alert the king of what she’d done. Her ships became known as “The Black Fleet” and herself “The Lioness of Brittany.”
