She was the daughter of Mathieu Laisnéa,[2] a bourgeois[3][4][5] and, according to some historians, a former senior officer of the palace guards of Louis XI who was killed at the Battle of Montlhéry in 1465.

The siege of Beauvais in 1472[9] 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.

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).

[19] 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.

[17] The most pertinent of these are the letters patent of Louis XI sent in 1474[17] that explicitly refer to Jeanne Laisné, laud her exploits and authorize her marriage to Colin Pilon.