Jeanne de Divion (c. 1293 – 6 October 1331) was a French forger.
Jeanne was the daughter of the impoverished noble Havet de Divion and Sara Louchard, and married the knight Pierre de Broyes.[1] She was known for her knowledge of astrology, and made a scandal by living openly with her lover, Thierry Larchier d'Hirson.[1] When d'Hirson, then the bishop of Arras, died, he left Jeanne 3000 livres.[1] The executor of his will, Countess Mahaut of Artois, paid the inheritance but later challenged it as being based on an adulterous liaison with a bishop, and obtained the restitution.[1]
In 1331, Countess Mahaut's nephew Robert used a forgery created by Jeanne attesting to the will of his father as a means to reclaim the County of Artois from Mahaut.[1] This deception was discovered, and Robert lost any hope of acquiring Artois.[1] Jeanne was condemned and burned at the stake for forgery on 6 October 1331,[1] at the Place aux Pourceaux in Paris.[2]
Jeanne de Divion is a minor character in Les Rois maudits (The Accursed Kings), a series of French historical novels by Maurice Druon which includes a retelling of her forgery. She was played by Annie Bertin in the 1972 French miniseries adaptation of the series, and by in the 2005 adaptation.[3]