Pieronne of Brittany (d. 1430)

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Pieronne of Brittany (d. 1430)

French peasant soldier. Name variations: Pierrone; Pierronne. Burned at the stake in Paris in 1430.

Pieronne of Brittany was a contemporary of Joan of Arc and suffered the same fate as the sainted warrior. Pieronne, a young French peasant woman when France was struggling to free its territories from its English enemies, saw visions of God appearing to her and urging her to fight for her nation. Subsequently, she joined the army. Pieronne fought boldly and gained some renown among her fellow soldiers; yet, like Joan of Arc, she was eventually arrested and condemned to die at the pyre for practicing witchcraft. (See also Women Prophets and Visionaries in France at the End of the Middle Ages.)

Laura York , Riverside, California

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Pieronne of Brittany (d. 1430)

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