Joan of Arc is perhaps one of the most well-known and influential women in Western history. Arthur Conan Doyle argued that “Next to the Christ the highest spiritual being of whom we have any exact record upon this earth is the girl Jeanne" (Denis 5). Her fearlessness and devotion to God has been praised by iconic figures such as Winston Churchill, Pope Benedict XVI and Mark Twain. Her accomplishments are immortalized in history books, art and pop culture. Unlike any other, Joan stands as a feminist leader and an inspiration to all Christians.
Jehanne Romee, later known as Joan of Arc, was born in January of 1412 in France. According to Yeatts, a prominent historical author, Joan was born to a well-to-do peasant farmer, Jacques d’Arc and Isabelle Romee (5). Joan and her four siblings received a devout Catholic upbringing. Joan received no formal education and could barely read or write.
Joan lived during a turbulent time in French history. The French and English states had been at war since 1337 over disputed territories in France and who could inherit the French throne. The English claimed that their king could inherit the French throne through shared royal bloodlines and also inherit vast territories in present-day southwestern France. By the time of Joan’s birth, the English had secured almost all of France and were poised to capture the French crown. The French heir to the throne, the Dauphin, was forced into hiding and Paris was under English control. It was under these dire circumstances that Joan emerged.
When she was roughly 12 years old, Joan believed that she heard the voices of angels and the voice of God, telling her to save France and put the Dauphin on the French throne. Authors Regine Pernoud , a ...
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...arbara. “Joan of Arc's Enspiring Example.” The Preist 68.5 (2012): 10-13.
Denis, Leon. The Mystery of Joan of Arc. Trans. A. C. Doyle. New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, 1925. Print.
Pernoud, Regine, and Clin, Marie-Veronique. Joan of Arc: Her Story. Trans. Jeremy duQuesany Adams. New York: St. Martins Press. 1998. Print.
Pope Pius X. "Pope Pius X Praises Joan of Arc." The Sacred Heart Review 19 Dec. 1908: 26. Boston College. Web. 5 July. 2014.
Sullivan, Winnifred Fallers. "Joan's Two Bodies: A Study in Political Anthropology." Social Research 78.2 (2011): 307,324,688. ProQuest. Web. 5 July 2014.
Taylor, Larissa Juliet. "Joan Of Arc, The Church, And The Papacy, 1429-1920." Catholic Historical Review 98.2 (2012): 217-240. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 July 2014.
Yeatts, Tabitha. Joan of Arc: Heavenly Warrior. New York: Sterling, 2009. Print.
One day, she heard the voices of three saints: Michael Margaret, and Catherine, who told her how to save France. Joan immediately went out and informed the people of France of her mission. However, many people ignored her and her claims. Though, after Joan correctly predicted the outcome of many battles, she was recruited for her “tactical ability,” because they didn’t know that her predictions came from the saints. In April 1429, Joan convinced the dauphin to give her military assistance to attempt to free Orleans from the English. She led the army into the battle wearing a suit of white armor while holding a banner that showed the Trinity and the stated "Jesus, Maria." She won the day and freed Orleans as well as capture surrounding English
In sixteenth century France, women were not independent and treated as equals as they are today. Women didn’t have much of or any identity of their own apart from their husbands, let alone any importance outside of their household duties; meaning, women didn’t have a voice within the home or publicly. Bertrande’s decision to go publicly to trail with the accusations of Arnaud being an impostor was a huge deal to the rest of the family; all of Martin’s family except for his uncle believed Arnaud was none other than Martin Guerre. This was pressure for Bertrande, to no longer go forward with the accusations against Arnaud. Determined, independent, honourable and brave were all qualities that Bertrande had shown through the actions she had taken to fight what she believed was the truth in the process of pursing the impostor. Bertrande proved women could stand up for themselves and not just stand behind their...
Higham, Charles. Sisters: The Story of Olivia De Haviland and Joan Fontaine. Coward McCann, May 1984, 257 pages. Web. 26 May 2013.
The book, Beyond The Myth: The Story of Joan of Arc, by Polly Schoyer Brooks, is a biography.
Joan of Arc -Joan of Arc was a peasant girl living in Medieval France. She believed that God had chosen her to lead France to victory against England because she had visions, she was soon captured by Anglo Burgundian forces and tried for witchcraft and heresy and burned at the stake.
Joan of Arc’s images all over the world breed symbols of patriotism, linked with French nationalism, fresh youth, and fair sex. She inspired hundreds of works of art, from plaster casts to re...
1) France, Marie de. The Lais of Marie de France. trans. Robert Hanning and Joan
Jehanne d’Arc or more commonly known as Joan of Arc nicknamed the Maid of Orleans is a brave heroine who is known for her work during the Hundred Years War. With her defeat at her last battle, Joan ends the Hundred Years War and years later gets declared a saint for her bravery and sacrifice. Throughout her life, she struggled with an education and growing up on a farm. Later in those years she beings to hears voices and sees visions believing it to be from the Heavens and joins the French war because of it. Only being a teenager through all this, at the age of 19 she’s gets betrayed by who she thinks is an ally and burnt at the stake for charges.
In 1455 Joan’s family asked for another trial to reconsider Joan’s charges and a year later she was announced innocent (Schmalz). In 1920, Joan was canonized as a saint (“Joan of Arc”). Joan’s many contributions have made a huge impact on our history. It is impossible to know what the western world would be like today without Joan’s immense influence during the Hundred Years’ War. Even though she was a woman and acted in a different position than tradition dictated, Joan of Arc impacted the Hundred Years’ War immensely, influencing significant strategic wins more than any other warrior, and turning the tide of the war from an English victory to a French triumph.
“Not, perhaps, the patroness of France; rather, the patroness of vivid life, prized not for military victories but for the gift of passionate action taken against ridiculous odds, for the grace of holding nothing back.” (Gordon 173). This quote is referring to Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc was very religious; known for seeing visions and voices from God telling her to go deep into France and help with the war, which she did. At the age of eighteen Joan of Arc led French armies through a series of battles and each of these battles resulted in a victory. Many people, especially men, were threatened by her because of the fact that she was able to do things like leading armies when she was both a girl and a teenager and because she was able to see visions
The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) consisted of numerous small raids between local armies in which the French suffered many losses. Two of these losses included the battles at Crecy and Poitiers. However, over time, the French rebounded after the victory at the battle in Orleans in 1429, which was led by 17-year old French peasant, Joan of Arc. Before going into battle, Joan sent a letter to the English demanding that they leave France. Joan’s letter to the king of England in 1429 and her role in the battle at Orleans played a symbolic role and affected the French’s success in the Hundred Years’ War by increasing French spirits and showing the weakness of the English.
De La Fayette, Madame. The Princess of Cleves. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah
Catherine of Siena. The Dialogue of the Divine Providence . Trans. Algar Thorold. 1907. 25 Feb. 2004 .
Joan of Arc was born in a small village that that laid between both occupied French and Burgundians (who were loyal to the English) territories called Domremie in 1412. Her parents were very devoutly religious who were farmers and her father also performed tax collecting and headed the local watch for protection of the village. Joan was very young and started hearing voices calling for her to assist the French army and the Dauphin (the uncrowned king of France), Charles VII. Those voices were said to be of St. Michael, St Catherine, and St. Margaret. In 1428 Joan of Arc traveled to Vaucouleurs and asked for permission to talk with the Dauphin and was turned away. One year later she returned and was finally heard.
The life of Joan of Arc tells an unforgettable story that defines history. The sovereignty of the church and unequal women’s rights are only two important aspects of the story. Joan’s life should not be the only examines part though. The Inquisitor and his audience should also be considered because they entail an important lesson. The Inquisitor represents a manipulating person who used sophistic reasoning and appeals to pathos and ethos to toy with his audience. The audience represent the average, ignorant, gullible person. Because the audience was not objective and skeptical, an innocent woman lost her life. This story should not be seen as a story. It should be seen as a meaningful allegory. An allegory that teaches people not to be so naive and ignorant. An allegory that teaches people to never reach conclusions without hearing both sides of the story.