There were no women in war: Joanna of Flanders
[illustration from LâHistoire de Notre Bretagne, 1922]
Joanna of Flanders (1295-1374) was countess of Brittany and Monfort. She was married to John of Flanders, who was involved in a war over the succession to the dukedom of Brittany.
When her husband was captured by his enemies on November 21st 1341, Joanna refused to stop fighting, and claimed the dukedom in the name of her 2 years old son John.
From that moment on, she led the fight for her side of the war. Her moment of glory is the siege of Hennebont. There, she would wear an armour and fight: â[Elle] tenait un glaive moult roide et bien tranchantâ/â[She] held a very straight and sharp two-edged swordâ (Jean Froissart)
On the 6th of June 1342, she led a charge of 300 men to burn down the camp of her enemies who had laid siege to the city of Hennebont. This earned her the nickname âJeanne la Flammeâ, Fiery Joanna. She was then forced to retreat to Brest, before coming back to Hennebont.
She eventually obtained the help of the English in fighting, after a visit to King Edward the Third. While returning from England, her ship was attacked by the Spanish, and she once more fought along her men.
She spent the end of her life in England, having become mentally ill, and died there. Her exact date of death is unknown.
Joanna was greatly admired by Jean Froissart, a French chronicler whose main work concerns the Hundred Years War. He described Joanna as having âthe heart of a lionâ and âbeing worth a man in a fightâ.
To this day, she is still a celebrated figure of the history of Brittany.
Jeanne de Flandre, lâhĂ©roĂŻne dâHennebont - Tudchentil
Jean Baptiste Lesbroussart, PrĂ©cis historique sur Jeanne de Flandre, mĂšre de Jean IV, Duc de Bretagne, surnommĂ© le conquĂ©rant, P. J. De Mat, 1820Â
Joanna of Flanders - wikipedia
Butler, Pierce, Women of Medieval France, Chapter IX, Barrie, London 1907
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