“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”
― H.L. Mencken
Judith with the Head of Holofernes by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1530
The Lioness of Brittany
Jeanne de Clisson lived a storied life of ease and wealth in Brittany, that is until the Truce of Malestroit in 1343…
Under the protection of the truce the French King Philip VI, and Charles de Blois loured 16 Lords, including Jeanne’s husband Olivier de Clisson IV, to a tournament to be held on French soil. King Philip VI then arrested the lords and drug them back to Paris for a quick trial and found guilty, were all publicly beheaded…
Not enough, the king staked the bodies high above Paris for all to see…
Still not enough, he sent the severed heads back to Olivier’s hometown, Nantes in Brittany, to be put on a lance high over the Sauvetout gate as a warning to others in the city…
“Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned; Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.”
-William Congreve c.1697
Enraged Jeanne swears Vengeance for her husband against King Philip VI and Charles de Blois.
First, she sells off all of the families lands and possessions. She then takes this money and buys the 3 biggest warships she can find. Next needing a army she hires a pirate crew to man her ships of death…
Not enough Jeanne paints all her ships jet black and dye’s the sails blood red. Hoisting the pirate flag,… Jeanne and her pirate crew go to war with the French…
Jeanne and her pirate fleet hunted down and crushed all French ships who dare to sail her waters. Capturing ships in a bloody vengeance her pirate crew was ordered to take no quarter, killing all aboard with 2 exceptions…
The first exemption to the slaughter was noble French men, the Lioness of Brittany (as Jeanne became to be feared by) insisted on boarding the captured ship. Grabbing her trusty battle axe, she took the same mercy as shown to her husband beheading all French noble on board… Herself… With her axe…
The second to escape the bloody wrath?… One soul on board the ship was spared, not to spare their life but to strike fear in another…
The lone survivor was told to tell King Philip VI who was responsible for destroying his ship and laid waste to his crew having been made to watch the carnage…
Jorge Velarde
The Lioness of Brittany and her pirate crew laid waste to everyone who crossed their path between 1346 and 1356. Following King Philip VI death, the undefeated Lioness of Brittany sold her ships and settled down in the countryside… Of Paris!
Hoist the Colours
-Hans Zimmer
The King and his men
stole the Queen from her bed
and bound her in her bones
the seas be ours and by the powers
where we will we’ll roam
Yo ho, all hands
Hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die
Now some have died
and some are alive
and others sail on sea
with the keys to the cage
and the Devil to pay
we lay to Fiddler’s Green.
Yo ho, haul together
Hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die
The bell has been raised
from it’s watery grave
Hear it’s sepulchral tone?
A call to all
pay heed the squall
and turn yourself to home
Yo ho, haul together
Hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die
Peter Paul Rubens’ “Judith with the Head of Holofernes”