Joanna of Flanders

Joanna
Personal details
Born	c. 1295
Died	September 1374 (aged 79-78)
Spouse(s)	John IV
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Joanna of Flanders (c. 1295 – September 1374), also known as Countess Jeanne, Jehanne de Montfort, and Jeanne la Flamme (Fiery Joan), was consort Duchess of Brittany by her marriage to John IV, Duke of Brittany. She was the daughter of Louis I, Count of Nevers and Joan, Countess of Rethel, and the sister of Louis I, Count of Flanders.

Life

She married Jean de Monfort (John of Monfort) in March 1329. Jean de Monfort claimed the title of Duke of Brittany, although his claim was contested by the House of Blois led by Charles of Blois. They had two children:

• John V, Duke of Brittany (1339–1399)
• Joan of Brittany, Baroness of Drayton (1341 – aft. 20 October 1399), married before 21 October 1385 to Ralph Basset, 4th Baron Basset de Drayton - born at the onset of the Breton War of Succession

Breton War of Succession

When John's half-brother died in 1341, his niece Joanna of Penthièvre and her husband, the afore-mentioned Charles of Blois claimed Brittany. John went to Paris to be heard by King Philip VI of France. Philip was an uncle of Charles, and he imprisoned John, despite having given him a promise of safe conduct.

Joanna of Flanders at the relief of Hennebont, 1342
Illus.from François Guizot's, History of France, 1869

Joanna then announced her infant son leader. She mustered an army and captured Redon. From there she went to Hennebont, to prepare it for a siege. She then asked King Edward III of England for aid. This, Edward was eager to give, since he had been claiming the French crown for himself, and he was therefore at odds with Philip. If he could get Brittany as an ally, this would be of great advantage for future campaigns. In the siege of Hennebont by Charles of Blois in 1342, she took up arms and, dressed in armour, conducted the defence of the town, encouraging the people to fight, and urging the women to "cut their skirts and take their safety in their own hands". When she took a look from a tower and saw that the enemy camp was almost unguarded, she led three hundred men on a charge, burned down his supplies and destroyed his tents. After this she became known as "Jeanne la Flamme". Charles of Blois tried to starve the people in Hennebont. During a long meeting the bishop of Leon tried to persuade Joanna to surrender, but from the window she saw the ships of Sir Walter Manny's ships from England sailing up. Hennebont was strengthened with English forces and held out. By the treaty of Malestroit in 1343, her husband John was released and hostilities ceased. When her husband died in 1345 in the midst of the Breton War of Succession, she again became the leader of the Montfort party to protect the rights of her son John V against the party led by Charles of Blois and Joanna of Penthièvre. In 1347, Joanna's forces captured Charles of Blois in battle. She was, however, forced to retreat to England. In England, she succumbed to a mental illness, and spent the rest of her life in confinement at Tickhill Castle.

Legacy

Joanna was later celebrated for her exploits in Breton folklore, in particular in a ballad collected in Barzaz Breiz.

She was later known as an earlier patron for women in Brittany, and a possible influence to Joan of Arc of France.

Ancestry

Joanna's ancestors in three generations

8. Guy of Dampierre

4. Robert III, Count of Flanders

9. Matilda of Bethune

2. Louis, Count of Nevers

10. Odo, Count of Nevers

5. Yolande of Burgundy

11. Matilda II, Countess of Nevers

1. Joanna of Flanders

12. Manassès V, Count of Rethel

6. Hugh IV, Count of Rethel

13. Elizabeth d'Ecry

3. Joan, Countess of Rethel

7. Isabelle de Grandpré

See also

• Timeline of women's participation in warfare
• List of women warriors in folklore