Joan of Arc
Early Life
- Joan of Arc, a peasant girl living in medieval France, believed that God had chosen her to lead France to victory in its long-running war with England.
- Born on January 6th around 1412, Jeanne d’Arc was the daughter of a tenant farmer, Jacques d’Arc, from the village of Domrémy, in northeastern France.
- She was not taught to read or write.
- At the age of 13, Joan began to hear voices, which she determined had been sent by God to give her a mission of overwhelming importance.
- At the age of 16, after her father attempted to arrange a marriage for her, she successfully convinced a local court that she should not be forced to accept the match.
Joan's Journey to Orleans
"I'm not afraid, I was born to do this."
-Joan of Arc
"I would rather die than do something in which I know to be a sin, or to be against God's will."
-Joan of Arc
After Her Victory
After her victory at Orleans, she became very popular among the French Forces. Joan went to Charles to talk about how they should attempt to regain control of Paris. Most didn't feel comfortable with this and thought she was becoming too powerful.
In 1430 Joan was ordered to confront a Burgandian assault on Compiegne. While attempting to do this task, she was thrown off of her horse and was left outside the towns gates as they closed. She was taken captive by the Burgandians and brought to her amid much fanfare to the castle to the Bourvreuil, occupied by the English commander at Rouen.
Becoming a Saint
Joan had received up to seventy charges against her when it came time for her trial. Those charges included witchcraft, heresy, and dressing like a man. Attempting to distance himself Joan, he made no negotiation for her release. A year after being held captive, Joan signed a confession denying that she ever received divine guidance. Several days later she was caught again wearing men's clothing and was sentenced to death. On the morning of May 30, 1431, at the age of nineteen she was taken to the Old Market place of Rouen and burned at the stake.
Twenty years after her death her fame only increased. A trial was ordered by Charles VII, which cleared her name. Long before Pope Benedict XV canonized her in 1920, Joan had attained mythic stature, inspiring many pieces of artwork over the centuries and becoming the patron saint of France.
References
Atkins,N. (2015). Joan of Arc, Retrieved March 16,2015, from heroinesofhistory.wikispace.com.
BrainyQuote.com. (2001-2015). Joan of Arc. Retrieved March 23, 2015, from BrainyQuote.com
History.com Staff. (2009). Joan of Arc. Retrieved March 23,2015 from history.com
Williamson,A. (2002). Biography of Joan of Arc. Retrieved March 16,2015, from archive.joan-of-arc.org