Joan+of+Arc

** By Bethany Bryant   ** Joan of Arc, the Heroine of France, was the only woman military leader in French history. Joan saved the city of Orleans from the ruthless English, and saved the young King of France from having his title stolen by the English King. Joan of Arc is an important part of French history. Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’ Arc in French) is sometimes referred to as the Maid of Orleans or La Pucelle (the Maid). Joan of Arc had her own religious beliefs which were not those of the Catholic Church. Surprisingly, she never inured terrible punishment for her beliefs. Never once did she deny her beliefs in God. Joan wasn’t just a girl with strong beliefs; she was also a courageous, outstanding military leader. Mark Twain once wrote a book about Joan in which he wrote that she was the only female soldier in history to hold supreme command of a nation’s army at the age of 17. But Joan didn’t start out that way. Joan of Arc was born in 1412, in the village of Domremy, which is near Vaucouleurs in eastern France. Her parents, Jacques d’Arc and Isabelette, were respectable peasant farmers. They were not very poor, but they were humble and hardworking. Joan was the youngest of five and she led the life of a typical girl in those times. Joan was not given a formal education, so she could not read or write. Nevertheless, she was proud of her skills in sewing and spinning. She boasted that she could beat any women in sewing and spinning competition. She busied herself with work at home. When she was needed, she helped out on the farm by looking after the animals in the fields, and occasionally did some plowing. She was a rough teenager, so she was able to handle a plow. Joan had a devoted love of the church and a strong desire to help the sick or the poor. Her friends and neighbors were impressed with her devout way of life. She often went alone into the village church to pray. Sometimes for doing this, she was teased. A lot about Joan’s life was written in the 1962 book, __Joan of Arc__, by French writer and historian, Régime Pernound. Pernound’s book documents the trial records of Joan. According to Pernound, one of Joan’s neighbors said, “She was so good, simple, and pious that I and the other young girls would tell her that she was too pious.” Joan enjoyed taking part in local games and customs with the other girls in the village. Near Domremy, there was a tree associated with ancient folklore called the Fairies’ Tree. The Fairies Tree was thought to be magic. The Faeries’ Tree grew near a miraculous spring. Girls would decorate the tree with garlands and sometimes they would dance and sing around it. On a special Sunday, Springs’ Sunday, (dimanche des fontaines in French) boys and girls would gather by the Fairies Tree and have a picnic. During the picnic, the children would eat bread and drink the magical spring water. There was a young man who was eager to marry Joan. There was no reason Joan didn’t marry the man. To her parents’ surprise, Joan was not interested in marrying the man. The young man himself took Joan to court in the nearby town of Toul for a breach of promise. Joan, who, at the time was 16, had made no such promises to marry him, and the court decided in her favor. No one knew at the time, but Joan turned down the man because of a miraculous secret that only she knew. Joan traveled all over France in the time she lived, (1412-1431) until she died when she was 19. In her time, the teachings of the Catholic Church dominated everyone’s lives. Everyone wanted to go to heaven, and did not want to go to hell. People believed you were saved from hell if you did good deeds in your life such as avoiding any sexual relationships outside marriage, and excepting the beliefs of the church which were taught by the priests. Salvation, to be saved from hell and go to heaven, was the biggest goal in life. Everyone feared damnation, or going to hell and being tortured forever. They firmly believed the devil constantly tempted people to sin to keep their souls away from God. Pictures and carvings of good people going to heaven and sinners going to hell can be seen in many medieval churches in Europe. Bishops and priests pretended to be extremely helpful in helping others avoid damnation. Bishops and priests gave advice, heard people confess their sins, and would pardon them if the people were truly sorry. The worst sin was considered to be pride. Someone had pride when the individual was very convinced that they were right, defy priests, and insist that their interpretation was right. When Joan was born, France was not united. France was separate provinces. Joan went many places in her life. She was born in Domremy, which is near Vaucouleurs, which is in eastern France. She next traveled to her uncle’s house, which was a few miles away from her home. Next, she visited de Robert Baudricourt’s castle at Vaucouleurs. After, she traveled to see the Dauphin at Chinon. Fifth, she left Blois in April with an army. She fought at Orleans, and captured many towns on the way to Reims, including. She was captured at Compiegne and had a trial at Rouen, “gave in” to judges at the church of St. Open in Rouen, and was executed in the marketplace of Rouen. In the latter of the hundred year’s war, she received a divine commission to raise a siege on Orleans, have the dauphin Charles crowned King at Reims, and drive the English army out of France. She heard voices since she was thirteen. The first time she heard the voices was alarming to her. During summer, around noon, she heard a strange voice and saw a bright light. She said she was very frightened. After she heard the voices three times, she had a firm conviction that St. Michael was speaking to her. When questioned later, she explained under an oath that she “saw” hem several times before she knew he was St. Michael speaking to her. Joan learned from St. Catharine and St. Margaret would visit her. St. Michal told her she must do exactly what the saints instructed, that she must be guided by them. Joan had to believe what the saints said and accept that it was all according to God’s orders. At first, the voices only told her to behave properly and go to church regularly. Then, “twice or thrice (three times) a week,” according to Joan, for months on end, she was given astonishing and specific instructions. Joan was told to leave her home and go to central France and leave the province of Lorraine and relieve the siege of Orleans, a city that was being besieged by the English Army. The voices also told her to go to the aid of the king of France. At the time, the king lived in the famous castle of Chinon, which is near Loire valley. The king was also known as the Dauphin because the heraldic emblem was the dolphin and Dauphin means dolphin in French. The Dauphin needed to be crowned, so the voices told her that “God Almighty” would guide her in leading the ding to his coronation at the Reims Cathedral, for it was here that kings of France were crowned. Another instruction Joan was given was not to tell her mother and father anything about this. When Joan was hearing voices, she did not say anything to her parents, family, and friends. St. Catherine and St. Margret told her to leave Domremy and speak to Robert de Baudricourt. Robert de Baudricourt was the captain in charge of the castle at Vaucouleurs. Joan had to explain her mission, to lead the king’s army to victory against the English forces who invaded France, at the castle at Vaucouleurs. Her mission would be difficult. She had to leave her home without making her parents suspicious. Joan later explained that she did not like deceiving her parents, but she had to because God had commanded it. Part of her plan was to ask if she could stay with her uncle for a few days. Her uncle lived a few miles away from her home. Once she arrived, she explained the situation to her uncle and persuaded him to take her to see Robert de Baudricourt. She also talked him into telling her parents that she was helping her aunt, her aunt was expecting a baby. Her first attempt to see Robert de Baudricourt on May 1428 was a disaster. Joan told him that God had sent her to ask for help to see the Dauphin. She also told him that she had to lead the French army and take the Dauphin to Reims to be crowned. This seemed like nonsense to de Baudricourt. She was sent away with no hesitation and he told her uncle to smack Joan’s ears so she could learn better sense. It is not recorded what her parents thought when Joan got back home. Her parents must have realized Joan had strange ideas. Early the following year, 1429, Joan got her uncle to see de Baudricourt a second time. This time she had her parent’s permission. He again refused to take her seriously. This did not upset Joan at all. She said the voices told her this would happen. The miraculous success of her exploits gave exacted, war-weary people confidence and hope. Joan became a popular heroine and symbol of French national unity. She is remembered with pride. Joan of Arc is the greatest national heroine of France and a reminder to stand up for what you believe in. **__ Works Cited  __** Hilliam, David. __Joan of Arc Heroine of France__. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.: 29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010 2005 Pegues, Franklin J. "Joan of Arc ." //Encyclopedia Americana//. 2008. Grolier Online. 30 May 2008 .
 * __ Joan of Arc  __**