Joan of Arc was a French farm girl who never learned to read or write – yet she led the French Army and changed the course of history.
ENGLISH VS FRENCH
Joan was born into a farming family around 1412 in a French village called Domrémy. Domrémy was divided by a river – one side was controlled by the Burgundians (English allies), and Joan’s side belonged to supporters of Charles the Dauphin, who claimed the French throne. A war had been raging over who should be in charge of France since 1337!
VOICES
When she was about 13, Joan started having visions and hearing voices of various Christian saints (or that’s what Joan believed). At first the voices just told her to be good, but later they told her to go to Charles the Dauphin’s aid, get him crowned king, and drive the English and their supporters out of France! This was a bit of a challenge for a 13-year-old farmer’s daughter, but Joan took it on.
SIR JOAN
Joan managed to get a meeting with Charles the Dauphin by being very stubborn and persuasive. After testing her to make sure she was on God’s side, the Dauphin decked Joan out as a knight and sent her off to Orleans, a city besieged by the English.
VICTORIES...
Within ten days of Joan’s arrival, Orleans was free from the English. Joan was a hero. She was put in joint charge of the French Army with the Duke of Alençon, and together they chased the English out of French towns, captured their castles, and outsmarted them in battle. Soon, Charles the Dauphin was crowned king of France at Rheims cathedral.
...AND DEFEAT
Joan had her first defeat when the French army tried to take Paris from English control. But worse was to come: in 1430 she was captured by the Burgundians. She was thrown into prison – and almost escaped twice – before being handed over to the English. A church court called the Inquisition questioned Joan for months. They found her guilty of being a witch and she was burned at the stake in 1431. Nearly 500 years later, the Catholic Church made her a saint.
