Joan Of Arc

Joan of Arc

Upon the death of Charles IV, the last of three royal sons of Philip IV, two cousins claimed the crown of France. One of these cousins was Philip of Valois, the son of the king's brother Charles, and the other cousin was Edward III of England, whose mother was Isabella, Phillip IV's daughter. In 1337, Edward challenged Philip of Valois, by then King Philip IV, to trial by combat. Thus began the Hundred Years' War (Pernoud, p 2).

Joan of Arc, also known as Jeanne d'Arc, was born on January 6th around the year 1412, in the small village of Domremy to prosperous peasants Jacque and Isabelle d'Arc. Around the age of 12 she began having visions that she believed to be from God, these visions led to the liberation of her homeland from English dominance in the Hundred Years' War (Wikipedia, p 2).

Joan and her family lived in an isolated part of the northeastern territory of France which remained loyal to the French crown despite being surrounded by Burgundian lands. Several raids occurred during Joan's childhood, and on one occasion her village was burned (Wikipedia, p 2). Joan experienced her first vision around 1424, at which time St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret told her to drive out the English and bring the dauphin to his rightful throne. Joan was very faithful to her religion and believed that these saints had commanded her to unite France (Wikipedia, p 2).

At the age of 16, determined to carry out her mission from God, Joan of Arc set out for Chinon to meet the dauphin. She petitioned the garrison commander, Count Robert de Baudricourt, for permission to be escorted to visit the royal French court at Chinon. Baudricourt's sarcastic response did not deter her determination, and she returned a second time to Baudicourt at which time she made a miraculous prediction about the military reversal near Orleans. Baudicourt granted her an escort to visit Chinon after news from the front confirmed her prediction. In male disguise, she made the journey through hostile Burgundian territory.

Once at the royal court, she impressed Charles VII during a private conference. Charles VII then ordered a theological examination at Poitiers to verify her morality. The official decision read as follows, "In her, Joan, we find no evil but only good, humility, virginity, devotion, honesty, and simplicity." (Pernoud, p 30). After returning to Chinon from Poitiers, she was then brought to Tours, where the king commissioned for her a suit of armor. She then asked someone to go fetch for her the sword of St. Catherine ( Pernoud, p 40).

Accompanying a relief expedition to Orleans, Joan of Arc arrived at the siege of Orleans on April 29, 1429 and entered Orleans with only a portion of her troops. She rode out to each skirmish, where she placed herself at the extreme front line (Wikipedia, p 3). On May 7, Joan was shot by an arrow and fell from her horse. The troops retreated, unable to fight without Joan leading them. Pulling the arrow from her own shoulder, Joan returned to the battle still wounded, to lead the final charge (Wikipedia, p 4).

The sudden victory at Orleans, led to a resurgence of hope among the people of France. Other commanders became strong supporters of Joan. Subsequent victories followed under the leadership of Joan of Arc. The French army accepted the conditional surrender of the Burgundian-held city of Auxerre on July 3, 1429. Every other town in their path returned to French allegiance without resistance (Wikipedia, p 4).

On July 17, 1429, Charles VII was crowned King of France in Reims Cathedral, with Joan standing beside him with her banner (Pernoud, p 51). Although Joan and the duke of Alencon urged a prompt march on Paris, the royal court pursued

a negotiated truce with the duke of Burgundy. The French army marched towards Paris, accepted many peaceful surrenders along the way. The French assault at Paris began on September 8. Despite a crossbow arrow wound to the leg, Joan of Arc continued directing the troops until the fighting ended for the day. The following morning she received a