Pierronne

Pierronne, also called "Perrinaïc", was a 15th-century Breton woman who said she saw visions of "God dressed in a long white robe with a red tunic underneath". She came into contact with Joan of Arc in 1429, tried to publicly defend Joan's reputation at Corbeil where Pierronne was arrested in March of 1430 and burned at the stake on 3 September 1430.

Origins
Pierronne was said to have come from western Brittany ("Bretagne bretonnante"), but her exact date and place of birth are unknown. The variant name "Perrinaïc" is an attempt to render the French name "Pierronne"/"Perrine" into Breton with the affectionate suffix "-ic".

Adult life
Not much is known about her life aside from brief descriptions in a couple 15th century sources. She was described as a companion of a Franciscan friar named Brother Richard, who was known for his association with several mystics and visionaries including Joan of Arc, and was a favorite preacher of Charles VII's queen, Marie d'Anjou. Brother Richard had first met Joan of Arc at the city of Troyes in early July 1429, but the 15th century sources make no mention of Pierronne's presence at that time. Anatole France thought that Pierronne "had followed [Joan] on her departure from Sully", but the only certainty is that she was with Joan during Christmas of 1429 since the later accusations against her mention both Pierronne and Joan receiving the Eucharist (communion) from Brother Richard at that time.

Arrest and execution
Pierronne was among a group of women who tried to defend Joan of Arc's reputation by publicly proclaiming that Joan "was good, and that what she did was well done and according to God's will." Pro-English authorities arrested Pierronne and the other women at Corbeil in March of 1430. She was taken to English-occupied Paris and put on trial by clergy from the city's university. Threatened with summary execution unless she recanted, she was burned at the stake on 3 September 1430. The stated reason given for the execution was her assertion that God appeared to her "dressed in a long white robe with a scarlet tunic" and "she was never willing to revoke her affirmation that she often saw God dressed in this manner, for which reason she was judged to be burned on that day." Since this is a rather curious accusation, modern historians have speculated that the actual reason for her conviction must have been her statements in support of Joan of Arc : as Pierre Lanéry d'Arc commented, "Perrinaïc had affirmed on a number of occasions Joan's virtues and divine mission : and the English, out of anger, condemned her to die and burned her alive."

Modern literature
Although there isn't much literature about Pierronne / Perrinaïc, one of the most influential modern works was a novel written in 1891 called "Perrinaïc, une compagne de Jeanne d'Arc" by the poet Narcisse Quellien. The historian Henri Daniel-Lacombe commented that Quellien invented almost every detail from his own imagination: "History shows us Pierronne meeting with Joan on only a single day. The poet Quellien places Perrinaïc in Joan's company every day or very nearly so, following her right into battle and, 'after the carnage had ended, weeping with her over the dead', although once again history doesn't attribute a single war-related deed to Pierronne".