Known as the Lioness of Brittany, Jeanne de Clisson (née de Belleville) (1300-1359) has become somewhat of a legend. A woman of noble birth, it was not until her third husband that her life began to take shape. She married Olivier IV de Clisson in 1330. Together the pair held a sizable area of land; Jeanne controlling areas in Poitou, and Olivier holding a castle at Clisson along with other territories. The couple had five children among them. Despite this auspicious start, the continual rivalries between France and England (specifically the Breton War of Succession) resulted in the shocking and wrongful execution of her husband. Her attempts to free him ultimately brought her into trouble with the law, and with the French King Philip VI. Her fury over her husbands execution led her to embark on a 13-year long career as a pirate and privateer.

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