Woogwoo Wren wrote:Do you guys mind reading a thing I've done for school and picking it apart really critically? I would really appreciate it as I'm struggling a little to get this to how I want it... Or should I say how my teacher's want it -_-Jeanne de Clisson.
Not long ago I was reading about the Persian war and learned about Artemisia – a female Greek general. This got me thinking – how many other women warriors were there in history I hadn’t heard about? I did some digging and found quite a few, but decided to focus on Jeanne de Clisson – the Lioness of Brittany – her life and namely her days as a pirate in the English Channel. After learning a bit about her I focused on three questions – why is Jeanne de Clisson known today, what was her early life like and how did her death contribute to her pirating career, and what trials did she overcome.
Why is Jeanne de Clisson known today?
She was called the Lioness of Brittany, or the Bloody Lioness. During the 100 years’ war, she sailed the English channel for 13 years, attacking any French ships she came across – leaving only a few survivors to spread the word. This crusade began when her husband – Oliver de Clisson – was killed by the French king under suspicion of treason. This pushed Jeanne de Clisson to attack the French into revenge driven piracy. She is said to have attacked French forts owned by those who executed her husband, massacring them all. Then she took to the seas with a fleet of ships she bought – painted black with red flags.
I think she’s known today for a few reasons – the most obvious one being her bloody reign for revenge and her violence – she would often behead nobles she had captured – penance for her husband’s death. But I think she’s also known for her determination – she spent thirteen years striking out against the people who killed her husband, sailing the channel and keeping it clear of French ships. Another reason I think she’s still known is because of her blood line. An article on Britannica.com says her son – Olivier – went to war against France, and like his mother took no prisoners. He did make his peace with France and ended up the second in command to all of the country – dying as quite possibly the richest man there. His bloodline continued to be a very influential one – something that his mother no doubt helped along.
What was Jeanne de Clisson’s early life like and how did her death contribute to her pirating career?
Jeanne de Clisson was born in 1300 to a rather wealthy family – the de Belleville family. According to an article on headstuff title ‘Jeanne De Clisson, The Bloody Lioness of Britany’ she was the last of this family – her father dying when she was young. This wealthy upbringing would help her later, when she needed money to buy ships – she had enough things to sell to get the money needed. She was married twice before she began pirating – according to an article on upclose three times, though her second marriage didn’t last long – her first marriage when she was only twelve years old. The loss of three husbands and being married as such a young age would have forced her to grow up quickly, perhaps added to her bloodthirsty and callused nature.
Her death was not what ended her pirating – no, she died peacefully in retirement. She married again, for the fourth time, to an English noble man – Sir Walter Bentley. She died peacefully, three years later. It’s fitting, really, that her revenge driven crusade was ended by love similar to what had started it.
What trails did Jeanne de Clisson overcome?
The most obvious one would be the death of her beloved. This obviously affected her greatly – why else would she go on a revenge spree! But to get the ships to go on the revenge spree she needed money – money she didn’t have. Some sources say she sold her body as a prostitute, while others say she had enough by selling all her belongings and her home.
But her troubles weren’t over yet. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to do much on her own, she headed across the Channel. There are some varieties of what actually happened – some sources say her ship was sunk and she went to the English for help, some say she headed over the channel on her own accord. Whatever the case, her son, Guillaume, died as they crossed the English Channel. The death of her husband and a son in such a short time – maybe even pushing her into insanity. That would explain her bloodthirsty nature and headlong peruse of revenge.
It is certain she would have faced other challenges – she was a woman doing what many at the time may have seen as man’s business – but she didn’t back down. She didn’t stop, she kept fighting, keep sailing, kept killing. And she ended up having a happy ending, despite the hundreds of lives she was responsible for ending.
I don’t agree with a lot of what she did – she killed many people. But Jeanne de Clisson is still known today for her bloody and violent rule of the English Channel. She began the life of a pirate when her husband was executed under suspicion of treason and attacked any ship flying a French flag on the English Channel. She overcame many challenges and was a fierce and terrifying woman. The French called her the Boody Lioness – a title she well deserved.
Bibliography.
https://www.headstuff.org/history/jeann ... -brittany/ https://upclosed.com/people/jeanne-de-clisson/
http://www.annebonnypirate.com/famous-f ... e-clisson/
(useful overviews of her life)
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Olivier-de-Clisson
(Information on Olivier de Clisson)
http://www.history.com/topics/hundred-years-war
(Overview of the 100 years war)
Maybe talk a bit more about how violent she was in the first chapter to hook the reader. Paragraph 5 "The death of her husband and a son in such a short time - maybe even pushing her into insanity."
It might just be me but the grammar in this sentence seems off. Also maybe you might want to format this more like an opinion piece?
