Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc was born around 1412 to a tenant farmer in northeastern France. She wasn’t taught to read or write, but her mother instilled in her a deep love for the Church. At this point in history, France had been in a long, bitter conflict with England known as the Hundred Years’ War. During Joan’s childhood, England had gained the upper hand.
At the age of 13, Joan began to hear God’s voice. She said that God gave her the mission of saving France by defeating its enemies. She also believed it was her divine duty to see an embattled crown prince named Charles installed as the rightful king.
At the age of 16, Joan cut her hair and dressed in men’s clothes to make an 11-day journey across enemy territory to meet the crown prince. Joan promised Charles she would see him crowned king of France and asked him to give her an army to lead to the city of Orléans, then under siege by the English. Against the advice of most of his advisors, Charles granted her request. In March of 1429, Joan of Arc led an army to Orléans dressed in white armor and riding a white horse. After leading several assaults, she ultimately forced the English and its allies to retreat.
In July of 1429, Joan and her troops escorted Charles across enemy territory to Reims, where he was crowned King Charles VII. It turns out, Joan’s reputation inspired French forces far and wide. A short time later, Joan was thrown from her horse during a battle and captured by the enemy. She was imprisoned in the tower at Rouen Castle for about a year. After a trial, Joan was found guilty of a variety of crimes, including witchcraft, heresy, and dressing like a man. At the age of 19, she was burned at the stake in the marketplace of Rouen.
Once her ashes were dumped in the River Seine, Joan’s enemies figured her name would be erased from history, but her fame only grew. The humble farm girl turned the tide for the French in the closing years of the Hundred Years’ War. Her claim that God’s voice led France to victory made her one of the most celebrated figures of late medieval history. In 1920, Pope Benedict XV officially canonized Joan of Arc as a patron saint of France.
Joan of Arc
Randall acts as the lead writer for ColdWater’s Drive Thru History® TV series and Drive Thru History® “Adventures” curriculum.
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