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[illustration from L’Histoire 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: “[Elle] tenait un glaive moult roide et bien tranchant”/”[She] held a very straight and sharp two-edged sword” (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 “Jeanne la Flamme”, 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 “the heart of a lion” and “being worth a man in a fight”.

To this day, she is still a celebrated figure of the history of Brittany.

Further reading:

Jeanne de Flandre, l’héroïne d’Hennebont - Tudchentil

Jean Baptiste Lesbroussart, Précis historique sur Jeanne de Flandre, mère de Jean IV, Duc de Bretagne, surnommé le conquérant, P. J. De Mat, 1820 

Joanna of Flanders - wikipedia