Maillé, Jeanne-Marie de (1331–1414)
Maillé, Jeanne-Marie de (1331–1414)
French prophet. Born 1331 into aristocratic family in Touraine region; died 1414.
Grew up under the guidance of an erudite Franciscan monk; influenced by the lives of the saints, obtained an agreement from husband at the time of their marriage (1347 or 1348), that the union would not be consummated; after husband's death (1362), lived as a recluse, 1st settling in Tours and then moving near a Franciscan monastery (1386); in a life divided between prayer and care of the poor and sick, had visions and apparitions of Mary the Virgin and St. Francis; prophesied that the Great Schism would be brought to an end by a Franciscan (1396), a prophecy that came true in 1409, with the election of Pope Alexander V; despite hermit's life, kept close links with aristocratic families of Touraine and Vendée, exerting spiritual influence on the members of the same aristocratic circle who were later supporters of Joan of Arc; met Charles VI privately and also reproached Queen Isabeau of Bavaria, who was mistress of the king's brother, Louis of Orleans.