Joan of Arc: The Patron Saint and Heroine of France

By History Titans

A short but extraordinary life. Her story is so unique that it sounds more like fiction than fact.
Joan's story has such a universal reach that she became a multifaceted icon—a hero to monarchists, nationalists, liberals, traditionalists, and feminists. In a country caught in the grip of a long, grueling war, with its people demoralized, Joan appeared as an icon of hope. Dressed in male clothing, wearing armor, and with her hair cut short, she carried her standard and led armies on what most considered an impossible mission.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Creek Ridge Publishing
• Release date: Dec 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393109761

History Titans

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Joan of Arc

The Patron Saint and Heroine of France

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Situation in France

Hundred Years' War

Civil Conflict

The English Invasion

Dauphin Charles VII

Chapter 2: Her Mission

Humble Beginnings

The Troubles of Domrémy

Joan's Family

Voices and Visions

Escalating Tensions

Captain Robert de Baudricourt

Marriage Rejected

To Meet the Dauphin

Return to Vaucouleurs

The Road Chinon

The Dauphin's Tests

Charles VII in Person

Chapter 3: The Maid of Orléans

The Maid Is Armed

Holy Army

The Road to Orléans

Bringing Relief

Eager for Battle

French Blood Is Being Spilled

Bastille of Saint-Jean-le-Blanc

Freeing Orléans

Taking Augustines

The Battle for Tourelles

Chapter 4: Loire Campaign

The Battle of Jargeau

The Battle of Beaugency

The Battle of Patay

The Road to Reims

Crowning the King

Chapter 5: The Struggle to Take Paris

Royal Duties and Politics

The Attack on Paris

Chapter 6: The People's Champion

Set Up for Failure

Raised to Nobility

The Infant of Lagny-sur-Marne

Voices of Warning

Loyal Compiègne

Compiègne Under Siege

Chapter 7: Capture and Imprisonment

The Final Battle

Prisoner of War

Escape Attempt and a Sympathetic Heart

The Leap

The Paraded Prisoner

Chapter 8: The Trial

Virginity Protected

Preparations for Trial

The Spies Return

Evidence Needed

First Public Examination

The Fortitude of Joan

The Question of Truth

Conclusion of the First Day

The Second Day

The Third Day

The Fourth and Fifth Day

Irregularities

Trial Continued

Chapter 9: Execution

Abjuration

Relapse

Sentenced to Death

The Final Act

Chapter 10: Saint Joan of Arc

France United

Nullification Trial

Beatification and Sainthood

Conclusion

References

Introduction

Joan of Arc led a short but extraordinary life. Her story is so unique that it sounds more like fiction than fact. This is certainly one factor that has led to her fame. Here is a question that is highlighted by one of Google’s top searches: Is Joan of Arc real?.

Joan is indeed a real historical figure who lived from 1412 to 1431 CE. Her name, Joan of Arc, is an anglicization. Her real name was probably closer to Jehanne d’Arc, Jehanne Tarc, or possibly Jehanne Romée. However, Joan never went by any of these. She used the name Jehanne la Pucelle, which means Joan the Maid.

Joan’s story has such a universal reach that she became a multifaceted icon—a hero to monarchists, nationalists, liberals, traditionalists, and feminists. In a country caught in the grip of a long, grueling war, with its people demoralized, Joan appeared as an icon of hope. Dressed in male clothing, wearing armor, and with her hair cut short, she carried her standard and led armies on what most considered an impossible mission.

Military impossibilities were not the only thing she had to overcome. In a time when women were expected to submit to their male counterparts, a young teenage girl dared to break the mold. Joan carried herself with undaunted courage and carried out what she called her mission from God unwaveringly.

There can be no doubt that Joan changed the trajectory of history. She utterly transformed the morale of the French, freeing the city of Orléans, then pushing deep into English territory to Reims, acts for which the English grew to resent her. She was an upstart peasant, and a woman, no less, claiming victories against them. Later, the English would take her prisoner. Through politics and religious means, Joan was condemned as a heretic. But the story of Joan of Arc lived on in the memory of people. Five hundred