We explain who Joan of Arc was and what her military life was like. In addition, we explain her general characteristics and her tragic death.
Joan of Arc managed to lead the French army at just 17 years of age.
Who was Joan of Arc?
Joan of Arc (in French, Jeanne d’Arc), also known as the Maid of Orleans or Saint Joan of Arc among Catholics, was a Christian peasant woman from the Middle Ages who became a national heroine of FranceHe led troops of the French army against the English and the Burgundians in decisive episodes of the Hundred Years’ War. With his help, Charles VII of Valois managed to crown himself King of France.
Her story is well known because, despite being a woman and a peasant in a time when war was conducted by men of the nobility, He managed to lead important forces of the French army at just 17 years of ageShe claimed to be guided by voices and visions of angels and saints. Over time, various explanations have been proposed for these visions, ranging from schizophrenia and cunning to sincere religious belief. When she was 19, she was burned at the stake on charges of heresy.
Today Joan of Arc is remembered as a national heroine in France.as a Christian martyr or as an example of women’s emancipation from conventional social roles. Her image was used as a symbol of national unity and as an inspiration for French troops during military episodes such as the Franco-Prussian War and the First and Second World Wars. Her life was depicted in numerous theatrical, literary and cinematic works.
Birth and childhood of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc Born in the village of Domrémy, in northeastern Francewhich now bears the name Domrémy-la-Pucelle in her memory (“la Pucelle”, often translated as “the Maiden”, was the nickname given to Joan due to her youth).
The exact date of her birth is unknown, as at that time there was no register of births and baptisms of peasants such as those living in Domrémy. However, at the first session of the interrogation to which she was subjected by an ecclesiastical court, On February 21, 1431, he claimed to be “about nineteen years old”suggesting that he was born in 1412.
Her birth name and the name with which she signed the letters she dictated (because she was illiterate) was Jehanne; this is how Jeanne was written in French at the time. Apparently, in her village she was known as Jeannette (something like “Juanita” in Spanish).
She was the daughter of a farmer named Jacques Darc.who owned lands and held public offices in Domrémy but was not a nobleman (he was ennobled along with his family by King Charles VII in 1429). His surname appears in historical sources in various ways (for example, Darc, d’Arc, Tarc), but the surname by which Joan was known was d’Arc (Spanishized as “de Arco”). The origin of this surname is a matter of debate: some researchers suggest that it is a reference to the nearby village of Arc-en-Barroisbut there is no consensus on this matter.
Joan’s mother was Isabelle Roméewhose birth name appears to have been Isabelle de Vouthon, and who married Jacques around the time they settled in Domrémy.
As far as could be reconstructed, Juana was the fourth of five siblings (three older brothers and a younger sister, although there is no clear information about her). Although Juana had to take care of domestic and farming tasks, her family did not suffer financial hardship thanks to her father’s social position in the village.
The Hundred Years War
The Hundred Years’ War left much of French territory devastated.
The rivalry between France and England dates back to at least 1066, when William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, conquered the English throne after being victorious in the Battle of Hastings.
Onwards, The Norman dukes, who were vassals of the King of France on the continentbecame more powerful than this, especially when Henry Plantagenet (Duke of Normandy since 1150) also became Count of Anjou in 1151, Duke of Aquitaine in 1152 (by marrying Eleanor, who had just divorced King Louis VII of France) and King of England in 1154. In this way, the King of England was lord of a large part of French territory, which caused conflicts over the following years.
The Hundred Years’ War broke out at a time when the King of France had regained authority over most of the territory and confiscated the English-held Duchy of Guyana in 1337. Added to this situation was a succession conflictsince upon the death without heirs of King Charles IV of France in 1328, both Count Philip of Valois, nephew of Philip IV of France, and King Edward III of England, son of Elizabeth (Charles IV’s sister), claimed the throne.
At the time in which Joan of Arc lived, the English had won battles such as Agincourt (1415) and had allied themselves with the Burgundians of France who defended the right to the French throne of the King of England (Henry VI since 1422). The English and the Burgundians dominated southwestern and northern France, including Paris.. The Dauphin Charles, heir to the throne of France by right of primogeniture, controlled most of the centre and south with the support of the Armagnacs, rivals of the Burgundians, but his position was increasingly compromised. The intervention of Joan of Arc in 1429 tipped the balance in his favour.
The war ended in 1453 with the withdrawal of the English from France. (except for Calais). Although it lasted for 116 years, the war episodes occurred intermittently. Even so, they left a large part of the French territory devastated, whose feudal nobility was greatly weakened.
Divine inspiration
Joan claimed to feel the divine calling to liberate the kingdom of France.
In the trial to which she was subjected by an ecclesiastical court, Joan of Arc He stated that he had heard the voice of God for the first time when he was thirteen years old.in her father’s garden. According to her testimony, the voice came from the side of the church and was accompanied by a powerful light, and although at first she was overcome with fear, she later understood that it came from an angel sent by God.
In his statement He said that this voice belonged to the Archangel Michael. and that he appeared to her later so that she could see him with her own eyes. She also identified the voices and apparitions of two other figures from the Catholic calendar: Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Saint Margaret of Antioch, two saints highly venerated by Catholics at the time. According to her account, the voices and apparitions were repeated over a period of three years. Initially they urged her to behave in a pious manner and then they insisted that she should go to central France, lift the siege of Orleans (which began in October 1428) and allow the Dauphin Charles to be crowned king.
The voices and visions of Joan of Arc received various explanations: from a medical condition (such as schizophrenia) or the cleverness to convince a good number of people, to a sincere belief based on a way of interpreting the world or, for some Christian believers, true divine inspiration.
One experience that seems to have influenced Joan’s decision to meet the Dauphin Charles, regardless of whether or not she believed she had been summoned by God, was the military raid led by a Burgundian ruler against the town of Vaucouleurs in 1428.
At the time, Domrémy was located on the border between France and the Holy Roman Empire.Its inhabitants were apparently loyal to the Armagnacs who defended the right to the throne of France of the Dauphin Charles and, therefore, were in conflict with the Burgundians who, allies of the English, dominated most of the region.
The town of Vaucouleurs, also loyal to Charles, could be defended, but the attack affected Some nearby villages were burned down, including Domrémy. Joan and her family managed to escape, but this event seems to have been what motivated her interview with Captain Robert de Braudicourt in Vaucouleurs and what determined her intention to travel to Chinon to meet Charles and fight against the English.
The siege of Orleans
Joan of Arc led her troops with a banner with the names Jesus and Mary.
Orleans was a city of strategic importance. Some believed that if it fell into English hands, they could definitively defeat the French loyal to the Dauphin Charles. The English siege of the city began in October 1428. and Joan later declared that the voices of the Archangel Michael and Saints Catherine and Margaret convinced her that she should help Charles lift the siege of Orleans.
To this end, she went to Robert de Baudricourt, captain of a French garrison in Vaucouleurs, and asked him for a small escort to travel to the castle of Chinon. The aim was to meet the Dauphin and convince him that divine voices had sent her to help him lift the siege of Orleans.
At that time There were prophecies about a young girl or virgin who would save the kingdom of France.Possibly thanks to these popular beliefs and to her own insistence, Joan achieved her goal: dressed as a man and accompanied by an escort, she crossed hostile territory on horseback and arrived at Chinon at the end of February 1429.
According to the testimonies, Carlos received Juana and she told him that she wanted to confront the English militarily.. She also told him that the voices had assured her that he would be crowned king in Reims (the city where the kings of France were supposed to be consecrated but which, at that time, was in the hands of the Burgundians). After theologians and other religious figures examined her to ensure that she was a good Christian, the Dauphin decided to trust her.
This decision was possibly due to the desperate situation in which Orleans found itself after months of siege, which justified the recourse to an inspiring figure who would raise the morale of the French. Thus it was that Carlos put her at the head of an army wearing armor, a sword and a banner with the names of Jesus and Mary..
With his troops and provisions for the besieged, he reached the outskirts of Orleans and managed to penetrate the city. During the following days, attacks were launched against the fortresses maintained by the English in the surrounding area until, On the ninth day, the English withdrew..
Historians disagree on Joan’s role in the defense of Orleans.. Some argue that her presence was decisive, either because of her courage alongside the troops or because of the effect of her figure on the morale of the defenders. Others suggest that the success was due to a change of tactics unrelated to Joan’s decisions, which, however, allowed her to be perceived as the heroine of the…