Eturuvie Erebor
JOAN OF ARC
B
orn around 1412, Jeanne d’Arc, which
translated to English is Joan of Arc was
a peasant girl and the daughter of a
farmer. Growing up in medieval France,
she never learnt to read or write but
her mother, a devout Catholic, taught
her about God, the Catholic church and
its doctrines. During this period, France was at war
with England and England had the upper hand. A
peace treaty introduced in 1420 meant that the French
crown prince, Charles of Valois, was disinherited
and King Henry V became ruler of both England
and France with his son, Henry VI, succeeding him
in 1422. England (along with its French allies, the
Burgundians) occupied much of northern France, and
many in Joan’s village, Domrémy, were forced to flee
their homes under threat of invasion. When she was
13, Joan began to hear voices and was resolute they
were from God giving her a mission to save France
by ousting its enemies, and installing Charles as its
rightful king. In order to fulfil this divine mission, Joan
took a vow of chastity and refused to be married off
by her father at the age of 16. She believed that she
had been chosen by God to lead France to victory in
its war with England and that mission was of utmost
importance to her. Although she had no military
training, she persuaded the embattled crown prince
Charles of Valois to permit her to lead a French army
to the besieged city of Orléans. Against the advice of
the majority of his counselors and generals, he granted
her request. Joan set off for Orléans in March of 1429
dressed in white armor and riding a white horse.
DOZ Magazine | April 2019
After sending off a defiant letter to the enemy, Joan led
several assaults against them, and drove the Anglo-
Burgundians from their bastion. This was a significant
victory over the English and their French allies. Joan’s
reputation instantly spread far and wide among
French forces. She and her followers accompanied
Charles across enemy territory to Reims, taking towns
that resisted by force and enabling his coronation as
King Charles VII in July 1429. Joan wanted the French
to press their advantage with an attempt to retake
Paris, but Charles wavered perhaps because he was
warned by Georges de La Trémoille, his favourite
at court, that Joan was becoming too powerful. The
wavering of Charles VII had consequences. The Anglo-
Burgundians were able to fortify their positions in
Paris, and turned back an attack led by Joan months
later. In the spring of 1430, Joan, on the king’s orders,
confronted a Burgundian assault on Compiégne.
In a bid to defend the town and its inhabitants, she
was thrown from her horse, and seized by Anglo-
Burgundian forces. Following her capture, she was
put on trial for witchcraft and heresy and burned at
the stake in 1431. She was only nineteen. Her fame
increased after her death, and 20 years later a new
trial ordered by Charles VII cleared her name. Pope
Benedict XV canonized her in 1920, but before then,
Joan of Arc had attained mythic stature, inspiring
numerous works of art and literature over the
centuries and becoming the patron saint of France.
She is considered one of history’s greatest saints, and
an enduring symbol of French unity and nationalism.
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