An Examination of the History of Joan of Arc

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Joan of Arc was born in the village of Domremy, France in 1412.(Medieval Sourcebook: The Trial of Jean d’Arc 2010) At that time there was a struggle for the throne between the Bergundians and the Dauphin who eventually became Charles VII. At the time of her birth, Charles VI, the King, was not reliable, possibly insane and the Hundred Years’ War was lingering on between France and England, nearly wreaking total destruction with the scorched earth policy of the English following upon the previous century’s ravage of the bubonic plague.

Henry V invaded France again, winning the victory at Agincourt and the dauphin signed a treaty with the Duke of Burgundy. The truce was broken when Charles’ followers murdered John the Fearless under a flag of truce. After the death of Henry V and Charles VI Lancaster became regent for the new infant King who had been named heir to the French throne in preference to Charles.

Joan later said that when she was twelve, Saint Michael, Saint Catherine, and Saint Margaret revealed themselves to her in a field and told her to drive out the English and bring the Dauphin to Reims for his coronation. (Lowell 28-29) Joan kept hearing her voices until finally they told her exactly what to do. She persuaded her cousin to take her to Valcouleurs to see beaudricourt and get an escort to the Dauphin to have him crowned. She reminded him of the prophesy that “France should be ruined by a woman, and restored by a maid from the borders of Lorraine. ³ The woman, as most people were ready to agree, was Isabeau of Bavaria, the wretched mother of Charles VII.”

To many who have heard this tale, it seems as if Joan heard voices and instantly became the fierce Maid of Orleans, especially if the movies are to be believed. However, it took years from the first onset of voices at age 12 to her leading the army against the English at Orleans. She gained a reputation locally and with some soldiers, and was examined for weeks by the clergy for her faith. Finally convinced that she was sent by God, the Dauphin allowed her to go with the army to raise the siege of Orleans in May 1429.Not only did she lead the army, but she did fundraising too for the support of Charles VII. (Joan of Arc’s Letters 2010)

By July she was able to lead the Dauphin to Reims to be crowned.

Joan led several more campaigns, but was finally captured at Choisy-du-Bac and sold to the English. The English were unable to find any fault with her, though they accused her of witchcraft. She was finally convicted of cross-dressing and convinced to give up the male garments which had protected her from rape as she had laced the breeches tightly and wear a dress, And the soldiers plus on lord tried harder to rape her, After failing this they took away her dress and threw her the male clothing she was not allowed to wear,, She finally put it on, having nothing else to wear and was promptly condemned to death as a relapsed heretic and executed on My 30, 1431, even though nobody seems to have believed in her guilt.

Twenty-five years later, however, on July 7, 1456, the archbishop of Rouen promulgated the decree of the Inquisition that annulled her condemnation. Yet the humanist, Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, who was to become Pope Pius II ( 14581464), wrote in his commentary on the memorable events of the period: “Thus Jeanne died, an admirable and astonishing virgin who restored the collapsed and nearly wiped out kingdom of the Franks…. Whether this was a divine or a human event I would settle with difficulty.” 20 Aeneas Sylvius could not make up his mind on the question. (57)

Joan of Arc has been studied for years and from her history we can only deduce that she sincerely believed in her voices and was neither self centered or anything but a young, modest and pious peasant girl, who could not even read or write. By modern standards, hre voices could easily indicate that she was a victim of schizophrenia. However, that does not account for the prophesy, unless she possibly heard it before the voices started.

Today when would be confined to a mental facility with such diagnosis as fits, perhaps schizophrenia with delusions of grandeur. However, it really does not matter, since the things which she accomplished would still make her a heroine and a martyr worthy of remembrance. The Catholic Church has seen fit to canonize her as a saint, attributing miracles to her intercession with God. Whether or not this is merely the result of the power of belief on the part of the recipients of the miracle. However, none of this changes history and she was a courageous girl who helped to end the Hundred Years’ War and free France.

Whatever the reason, Saint Joan is one figure which soldiers have claimed to have seen on the battlefield and said it gave them hope. (Clarke) The sense of embodying prophetic capacity. Joan of Arc, Ghandi, Krishnamurti, are individuals who have a place in soul’s classroom. The cosmos can be known as the immensely creative, ongoing work of art that it is. (Reynolds, and Piirto) So, whether real or not, realistically portrayed or exaggerated, we will preserve our legends and saints.

References

Medieval Sourcebook: The Trial of Jean d’Arc. 2010. p36. Web.

Joan of Arc’s Letters. 2010. Joan of Arc’s letter to Charles VII (c. 20 1429). Web.

Clarke, David. “Rumours of Angels: A Legend of the First World War.” Folklore 113.2 (2002): 151+.

Joan of Arc at the University. Ed. Mary Elizabeth Tallon. Milwaukee: Marquette University Press, 1997.

Lowell, Francis C. Joan of Arc. Boston: Houghton Mifflin and Company, 1896. Questia. Web.

Reynolds, F. Christopher, and Jane Piirto. “Depth Psychology and Giftedness: Bringing Soul to the Field of Talent Development and Giftedness.” Roeper Review 27.3 (2005): 164+.

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An Examination of the History of Joan of Arc

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