François Villon was saved from prison by a three-year-old child

François Villon is the famous French poet whose major work was marked by a life of bohemianism and prison. He was released from his jail in 1460 thanks to the entry into Orléans of Marie d'Orléans, the daughter of the duke. She was then only three years old, which prompted Villon to dedicate a thank-you epistle to her.