Jeanne Hachette

Jeanne Laisné, also known as Jeanne Fourquet in the 16th century and better known as Jeanne Hachette is an emblematic figure in the history of the French city of Beauvais' resistance to the siege laid by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. She is said to have helped to repel a Burgundian attack on the town of Beauvais with a hatchet and, in popular history, has been elevated to the rank of French heroine. She was born in Beauvais, around 1454, and died on an unknown date. The details of her life and even the fact of her existence, have been the subject of debate among historians, although several contemporaneous documents refer to her existence.

Life story and the siege of Beauvais
Jeanne Laisné is said to have been born in what is now rue Jeanne-Hachette in the city of Beauvais. She was the daughter of Mathieu Laisnéa, a bourgeois  and, according to some historians, a former senior officer of the palace guards of Louis XI who was killed at the battle of Montlhéry. However, popular tradition has it that Jeanne used her mother's name.

The siege of Beauvais in 1472 was a military operation launched by Charles the Bold against the King of France, Louis XI, following the latter's breach of the agreements concluded at Péronne in 1468. Charles had superior financial resources, more soldiers and better artillery than Louis XI, but his troops were harassed by the royal army and exhausted themselves by attacking small strongholds before turning to the much larger town of Beauvais.

Charles laid siege to Beauvais on June 27, 1472. During a Burgundian attack on July 22, Jeanne Laisné is said to have wielded an ax in order to push back a Burgundian who had planted a flag upon the battlements. Axe in hand, Jeanne flung herself upon him, hurled him into the moat, tore down the flag, and revived the flagging courage of the defenders. Emboldened, the women of the city brought powder and weapons to the fighters and may also have fought on the ramparts. Thus the 80,000 Burgundian attackers were repulsed on July 22, and the advance of Charles the Bold was prevented outright.

Louis XI's well organised army had already succeeded in cutting the Burgundians' supply lines. Nevertheless, the citizens of Beauvais were forced to defend their city for almost a month and, in the end, forced the enemy to retreat. This success demonstrated that the bourgeoisie, including women, could organise a defense of a royal city without the support of the royal army.

In gratitude for this heroic deed, Louis XI allowed the city of Beauvais to form a municipal corporation and exempted it from taxes. He also praised the heroic efforts of the women of Beauvais and allowed them to wear whatever clothes and ornaments they liked, regardless of rank (despite the laws that permitted certain attire to be worn only by noble women). He also instituted a procession in Beauvais to celebrate its victory over the Burgundians. On this occasion, women were to precede men in the procession. These authorisations were directly given, first in June 1473, by order of Louis XI. He also authorised the marriage of Jeanne to her chosen lover, Colin Pilon, while also bestowing favours on them.

Debate about the existence of Jeanne Hachette
At the time of the canonisation of Joan of Arc in 1920, interest in the deeds of Jeanne Hachette was reactivated by republicans wishing to promote secularism – Jeanne Hachette offered a non-denominational counterpart to Joan of Arc. Historians agreed that the action of the women of Beauvais was decisive in obtaining victory, but, beginning in the 19th century, some historians (mainly those with religious leanings ) questioned the authenticity of the exploits attributed specifically to Jeanne Hachette. In an article entitled "The rumors of history. Jeanne Hachette" and appearing in the newspaper L'Assemblée nationale on February 19, 1850, the scholar, Paulin Paris, denied the existence of Jeanne Hachette. He asserted, incorrectly, that no 15th century author spoke of her and that the first work to reporting on her exploits was the History of Navarre by André Favin, published in 1612.

In reality, the name of Jeanne Laisné and descriptions of her exploits are found in several authoritative documents from the 15th century. These include historical accounts written soon after the siege of Beauvais and, in particular, the reliable chronicle by Robert Gaguin, Compendium super Francorum gestis (1497). In addition, several royal proclamations (lettres patentes) attest to the reality of the military exploits of the women of Beauvais and, indeed, to Jeanne's very existence. The most pertinent of these are the letters patent of Louis XI sent in 1474 that explicitly refer to Jeanne Laisné, laud her exploits and authorize her marriage to Colin Pilon. A decree by Louis XI's financial officials, issued a short time later, gives substance to this royal proclamation by exempting the couple (both of whom are named explicitly) from present or future royal taxes.

Legacy



 * A statue of Jeanne Hachette was unveiled on July 6, 1851. During the inauguration ceremony, the Beauvais poet, Fanny Dénoix des Vergnes (1798-1879) read her poem, Jeanne Hachette, or the siege of Beauvais.


 * Famous transformation playing cards decks are named after Jeanne Hachette and feature her as the queen of spade: The blue version printed by Grimaud in 1860 and the red version printed by Formmann in 1872.


 * Every year, on the last weekend of June, the Jeanne Hachette Festival (or Assault Festivals) are organized, which consist of parades in period costumes, organized by the association Les Amis des Fêtes Jeanne Hachette.
 * She is the tragic figure in the play by the Marquis de Sade, Jeanne Laisné ou le siège de Beauvais published in 1813. It has never been performed.
 * She was portrayed in the French film Le Miracle des loups (1924) of Raymond Bernard.
 * Max Ernst made a collage Jeanne Hachette et Charles le Téméraire in 1927, now in the Cleveland Museum of Art (as Jean Hatchet and Charles the Bold).
 * The knight Jenavelle Rolantir who appears in Elf Saga: Doomsday (2014) by Joseph Robert Lewis is inspired by various French heroes, including Roland and Jeanne Hachette.