SAINT JOAN OF ARC

The Maid Of France

  Saint Joan of Arc (1412-1431)                     

  Saint Joan of Arc was born in Domremy in Lorraine (France), in 1412.                      

Until the age of seventeen years she lived the life of a simple shepherdess. At this time she was commanded by Heavenly Voices to lead the French armies against the English forces which had invaded France. She did so with great success. Betrayed, she was tried by civil and ecclesiastical courts and condemned to death. She was burned alive at the stake in Rouen, May 31, 1431. A later trial established her innocence and after due process she was declared a Saint in 1920.  

The Hundred Years War The French Monarchy fell into extremely difficult days – the country was divided in purpose and leadership.  In 1328, the last of the Captain kings of France died.  Succession to France was gained by a different family, The Valois.  Ten years later, Edward III of England, chose to challenge the way in which the Valois had come to control the French Throne.  Edward III sent an invading army to enforce his own claims to the French crown.  And so began the Hundred Years war, the famous struggle for power between the English and the French.  This war was a on-again, off-again war.  With long periods military inactivity from 1338 until 1453, a total of 115 years. These long years of war, brought ruin to France.  The English Kings had to hire mercenaries to fight in France.  The French King also found it to lend itself, to hire professional archers and other men-at-arms to support his efforts to win the war. In order to understand the mission of Jeanne d'Arc, it is necessary to understand the history of France up to birth of Jeanne. The French were divided amongst themselves and the kingdom was torn by two different countries.  War, civil and abroad, had been in progress for over 70 years. The position which led up to the Hundred Years War is as follows:

Because of the King of England's family ties to William the Conqueror he always enjoyed an amicable relationship to France.  Normandy belonged to the King of England, and through Matilda, William the Conqueror's granddaughter, who married Georffrey of Anjou, they ruled and maintained  Maine, Anjou, and Touraine.  Matilda's son, Henry II of England, owned Gascony, the Limousin, Poitou, the Angoummois, and other areas through his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine.  Also, there was the constant interference of the French in Scottish affairs and the county of Flanders.  Obviously,  it was impossible for Edward III of England to allow the French troops to stay in Scotland; Also, intolerable, was the trade between the English and the Flemings.  The Flemings under, Jacob van Artevelde, asked for help to the English King, and he even insinuated that he should claim to the French crown.  It would have been beneficial for the Flemings to become the servant country of the England instead of France. The English were concerned with their own problems and they were having a hard time supporting the king of England against the King of France.

The Flemings gave Edward III a invitation for addressing his own Parliament.  Which was a foolish move. With the support of the German Emperor, the Duke of Brabant, and others - the Hundred Years' War between France and England began in 1337.

In brief, the Hundred Years' War meant that for a hundred years the Kings of England tried to united France and England. The battles of Poitiers, Crecy, and Agincourt were only the beginning of the complications.  The treaties of Tournai (1340), Bretigny (1360), Auxerre (1412), Arras (1414), the truces of Calais (1347), Bruges (1371), became mere interruptions in a larger conflict.  These events only set the stage for the day that Jeanne arrived at Chinon.

Allow me to discuss the Treaty of Troyes.

I found it extremely interesting to learn what happened up to this point: Henry V of England married Catherine of France in June 1420. Henry V died two years later in August 1422.  Charles VI died within months of his son-in-law in October 1422. Both left very young son's who were completely incapable of leading a country.  Henry VI, was only nine months old, Charles VII of France, only nineteen years old.  Charles was a coward and had "a weakness in character."   It is not 100% certain but believed that Charles VII was possibly a bastard child.  Isabeau de Baviere, Charles mothter, according the the Treaty of Troyes, implied that her son was not the son of Charles VI.  We are uncertain.  Isabeau implied in the Treaty of Troyes that the lineage of her son was questionable.  ( Wow, how cruel of Isabeau to publicly announce these things – it's hard to imagine this happening in the 14th century and even more hard to believe this to have been written in a public document.)

Because of the questions as to if Charles VI was the son of the mad Charles VI, the young Dauphin was left out from public life - one feels sorry for the boy.  What a lot in life!  One is at awe at the brazenness of Charles' mother.  Charles shouldered insults during his life.  In a letter, the Duke of Bedford invited Charles to meet him in an open field.  In the letter it reads:

  The Childhood of Jeanne d'Arc

Domremy was a small village in the Meuse valley.  Jacques d'Arc, Jeanne's father and mother, Isabelle (Zabillet) were described by their neighbors, " They were good and faithful Catholics; good working-people (laboratores) of good repute, leading an honest life according to their condition."

No contemporary picture exhists of Jeanne d'Arc.  She denied ever sitting for a portrait. What did this female soldier of the 14th century look like?  The Princess of Hungary, Eugelide, led us to believe that 'Joan had a short neck and a little bright red mark behind her right ear.'  Jeanne begins to be mentioned in history, as a young girl of 12 – 13 years old.  Jeanne was born into a family of healthy parents, she did her housework, worked in the fields, tended the cattle and took part as a member of a country family.  With these tasks, one might expect Jeanne to have rough hands, dark skin from spending so much time in the sun, and strong muscles.  It would be expected that a future soldier must be tough and sturdy in order to lead the life which she led for herself.

The people of Domremy, testified that Jeanne 'had moral character and a sweet nature.'  Consistent accounts are given that Jeanne's hair was short and black, that she had brown eyes and her complexion was dark and sun-burnt.  As Jeanne arrived in Chinon, Philip of Bergamo said, ‘she was short as to her stature.'

As early as thirteen years of age, Jeanne heard voices " from God."  These voices frightened Jeanne, at first but later she referred to these voices as Angels.  Joan was commanded to attend church, to go to France and to raise the siege in the city of Orleans.  She was instructed to find Robert de Baudricourt, Vaucouleurs, (the captain Vaucouleurs) and that he would give her people to go with her.

May 1428, at the age of 16, she made her first effort to find the Dauphin.   Without word to her parents, Joan left Domremy. She visited her uncle for 8 days and then went onto Vaucouleurs, when she connected with Robert de Baudricourt.  Joan told Robert that she was a servant of the Lord, sent to bring the Dauphin back into power as King of France. Joan also told Robert that the Kingdom of France belonged to the Lord, and the Lord wished the Dauphin to be the king.  Joan went to Robert 3 times before she received men to take her along the way.
 
As Joan left Vaucouleurs,  she said:

On March 6, Joan arrived in Chinon, as she finally met the king she had 2 reasons for coming:

To the people of the Council, the King said that it had been decided that Joan should be interrogated.   Theologians and other men questioned Joan.  This questioning period lasted one month.  Which, of course, frustrated Joan. It was decided that Joan was a 'devoted Christian and a good person.'  ‘ According to the Poitiers interrogatories,' that in her is found no evil, but only good, humility, virginity, devotion (devoutness), honesty, simplicity."

One of the Piotier interrogators lived to be at the Trial of Rehabilitation, which Joan was brought to, at the close of her young life.  Brother Sequin Sequin of the Order of Preaching Friars, Professor of Theology and Dean of the Faculty of at Poitiers University said:

Joan became frustrated with the delay.  Before her departure, the King made Joan body armour.  Louis de Coitus, was ordered to be the paige of Joan and he served her from Blouse  to Orleans and on to Paris.  Louis said that ‘ Joan had great confidence as a leader;  she continually exhorted her soldiers that they trust altogether in God and confess their sins.'

When Joan arrived in Vaucouleurs, she was only a very young peasant girl. The king was very much at awe by some of Joan's revelations.  As history tells us,  Joan was successful and she did acquire an army and she proceeded on to the City of Orleans.
  Jeanne - God's Soldier As Joan arrived at the City of Orleans, what a courageous letter of summons was sent to the English Duke of Bedford:

Jeanne had said that she would take the City of Orleans, which indeed she did on May 8, 1429.  The soldiers and people of Orleans, alike, rejoiced at their defeat of the English.  Jeanne continued to fight the English in various locations along the Loire.  Finally, the King was to go to the town of his sacring, Rheims.

The Dauphin traveled from Troyes, with his army to Chalons and then on to Rheims, and of course he expressed his anxiety to resistance.  At which time, Joan said to him, 'Doubt not; for the burgesses of Rheims will come out to meet you'; and before they drew near to the city of Rheims, the burgesses came over to him and surrendered.  Joan continued to admonish the King, 'to advance boldly and fear nothing, for if he would advance courageously he would recover all his kingdom.'

On July 17, the coronation and sacring of King Charles VIII was performed.  During the coronation, a chronicler described Joan kneeling before the King, "and embracing him round the legs, said to him whilst shedding copious tears:

The Capture of the Maid of Orleans

In 1430, Jeanne was captured by the Burgundians while she was fighting for Compiegne near Paris. Sold to the English, Jeanne d'Arc was turned over to be put on trial for witchcraft, heresy and for wearing male clothing.  This trial was to become known as the Trial of Condemnation.

May 30, 1431, Jeanne d'Arc was convicted.  She was burned at the stake in the Rouen marketplace.  Sadly, Charles VII, whom Jeanne had fought so hard for in her short lifetime, did not come to her aid.

In 1456, Jeanne was pronounced innocent of the charges of witchcraft, heresy and the male attire which she wore. She was beatified in 1909 and canonized as a Saint in 1920

The life of Jeanne d'Arc is amazing.  She was devoted and loyal to her God, her King and noble calling which was to restore the French king, Charles VII to the throne.  With that goal in mind, she lived and died for what she believed in.  Her last words, as she was swallowed up with fire, was that of her God.
 
 
Revelations of Joan of Arc   More Revelations of Joan of Arc      

 

Jeanne D'Arc at the Stake 30th May, 1431 At the Place du Vieux Marche' in Rouen   Films made in Jeanne D'Arc's honour    

REFERENCES:

JEANNE D' ARC
    HER LIFE AND DEATH . Mrs. Oliphant Garden City Publishing Company (1926)

SAINT JOAN OF ARC
    V. SACKVILLE-WEST. Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc.

JOAN OF ARC - BY HERSELF AND HER WITNESSES
    REGINE PERNOUD.
    Translated from the French by Edward Hymans. Scarborough House