The eldest son of the late Sir Henri "le blanc" de Normandie and his wife, Louise. His father, Henri, earned the name Leblanc from his reputation for a pure, unblemished soul. He was a fixture at the court in Paris to Charles V, whom he served faithfully and with great distinction. He would continue this devoted service when a young Charles VI ascended to the throne, beset by enemies who would become the power behind the boy-king.

In 1382, Pierre arrived in Paris as a squire to His Majesty, much to Henri's pleasure. These years were difficult for Pierre--his father's blind good nature made him few friends in a court not known for its piety--but he gained a realist's view of how the court operated that his father would never share. He worked hard at his training, but he was by nature weaker than most of the other boys, and so he struggled.

On July 1st, 1392 his father was murdered. Pierre was eighteen and inherited his father's estates, diminished though they had been over the last decade, and the name "Leblanc". His father's murder went unavenged and that would shape much of what he would do as the years moved on.