Hachette, Jeanne (c. 1454–?)
Hachette, Jeanne (c. 1454–?)
French military hero. Name variations: Jeanne Laisne, Lainé, Laine; Jeanne Fourquet. Born Jeanne Laisne, Lainé, or Fourquet on November 14, around 1454, in Beauvais, France; flourished in 1472; date of death unknown; there is no precise information about her family or origin; married Colin Pilon, a French bourgeois.
A townswoman of Beauvais, Jeanne Laisne gained the sobriquet "Hachette" when, on June 27, 1472, she led a troop of French women armed with hatchets and swords against the Burgundian soldiers of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, who were besieging Beauvais. The town was being defended by only 300 soldiers commanded by Louise de Balagny, when the women surprised the enemy. As the Burgundians made their assault, one of them planted a flag upon the battlements, when Jeanne, axe in hand, attacked him, hurled him into the moat, tore down the flag, and revived the garrison's faltering courage. For this act of bravery, Jeanne was rewarded by the grateful King Louis XI. He married her to her chosen lover Colin Pilon, and in compensation the couple was exempt from paying taxes. Jeanne gained national fame for her exploit. For the next 400 years, the town of Beauvais remembered the brave "Hachette" by holding an annual march, the Procession of the Assault, in her honor.
suggested reading:
Vallat, Georges. Jeanne Hachette. Abbeville, 1898.
Laura York , Riverside, California