Women+of+the+Middle+Ages

**__ Women of the Middle Ages __** **__  By Katherine Hong  __**    Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc was born in Domremy, France around 1412. She was a French hero and became a saint of the Catholic Church. Her real name was Jeanette. Her father, a peasant farmer, was named Jacques d’ Arc, and was the village leader. Her mother, Isabelle, raised Joan as a strict Catholic and taught her all of the Catholic prayers when she was little. When Joan was growing up, the Hundred Years War, between the English and French, was happening. England invaded France and took over many cities. The Domremy villagers were very loyal to the French King, Charles VII. Joan’s village was in-between Burgandian (enemy) lands and English lands. The small town was cut off from the rest of France, so the enemies frequently robbed the people of Domremy. One day, when Joan was 13 years old, she was in her garden and suddenly saw a bright light. She was frightened, but then realized it was a vision of Saint Michael the Archangel. She later saw more saints like Margaret and Catherine. All of them told her to be good and go to church every day. Joan learned to love these visions. Eventually she and her family became distressed and worried about the English invading France. Her visions did not help relieve her worry. The saints said that God had a mission for her. He wanted Joan to help King Charles VII to defeat the invaders. The visions told her to go lead Charles and his army to a safe city so that he could be properly crowned. She decided to do as she was told, and at 17 she went to the court of King Charles. Once she had explained her visions to him, he gave her soldiers to command. In April, 1429, Joan set out with her army to recapture the city of Orleans from the English. In only ten days, they had won the city back. When Joan returned, she led Charles to Riems, France where he was properly crowned on July 17, 1429. After she had completed that mission, she went to Paris with her soldiers to reclaim it for France. Joan and her troops fought hard, but they could not take the city and she was captured by the English- supporting Burgandians and given to the enemy. She was given a trial and accused of witchcraft and not believing in the proper religion. Joan was sentenced to death, and burned alive in Rouen, France on May 30, 1431. Around 20 years later in 1455, her family asked for a second trial. Only then, was Joan proved innocent. She was made a saint in 1920. Her feast day is May 30, the day she was martyred. Even today, people honor this brave woman as a religious saint who fought for her religion. ** Eleanor of Aquitaine ** Eleanor of Aquitaine was born in Aquitaine, Land of the Waters, around 1122. She was Duchess of Aquitaine, then Queen of France, and finally Queen of England. She was granddaughter of Duke William IX, daughter of Duke William X. Her father ruled from the Louise River to the Pyrenees Mountains (between France and Spain.) Her father was not usually home because he was often at war with other Dukes. She had dark hair and eyes. Eleanor enjoyed music and had an imagination. She loved poetry, especially poetry of the troubadours, who were a singer/poets who composed in the language of southern France called Langue d’oc. Her grandfather, William IX, was the earliest known troubadour. She had a comfortable, happy life, until her mother, Aenor, died when she was 8 years old. In 1137, after Aenor died, her father decided that Eleanor needed a stepmother. He set out to find a new wife, but soon became deathly ill. Right before his death, he sent a message to his friend, the King of France, Louis VI. Louis was a very greedy, scheming man, who spent large amounts of money on a lot of banquets and feasts. He was known as Louis the Fat. The King wanted the Aquitaine lands, so he had his son, Louis VII, marry Eleanor. Two weeks after their wedding, Louis the Fat died, leaving his son the throne. Eleanor was very independent and was not completely happy with the marriage because her husband was a very sensitive man and she thought him weak. Eleanor was very involved in the government. She was always consulted before any big decisions were made because her husband had no experience with ruling a country. As Queen of France, Eleanor had 2 daughters with Louis VII, named Marie and Alix. Later, in their marriage they had an argument about government which led to the end of their marriage. Only two months after the annulment, Eleanor married Henry Plantagenet. Her husband became King Henry II, in 1154, which made Eleanor, Queen of England. She helped Henry create his empire, the Angivin Empire, which stretched from the borders of Scotland to the Pyrenees Mountains. She was married to the king for 15 years and had five sons- William, Henry, Geoffrey, John, and Richard, who later became Richard the Lion Hearted. She also had three daughters called Matilda, Eleanor, and Joan. King Henry II died in 1189, followed by her son, Richard the Lion Hearted, in 1199. Eleanor herself died on April 1, 1204 at age 82. She was buried close to her husband and son. Her grave can still be seen today, along with her husband’s and son’s in a small area called Fontevrault, Aquitaine. She was a legendary independent woman and a great leader. She was a great example to women in the Middle Ages.

**__ Works Cited  __**  A. “Saint Joan of Arc.” World Book Kids Online. 2008. April 21 2008 http://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/Article?id=ar831071&st=joan+of+arc B. “Eleanor of Aquitaine.” Grolier Online. 2008. April 21 2008. http://go.grolier.com/ C. Leon, Vicki. __Outrageous Women of the Middle Ages__. Canada: John Wiley and Sons, 1982 D. Stanley, Diane. __Joan of Arc__. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1998.