Joan of Arc is a worldwide legend of French patriotism. A young, simple village girl, she went on to become a leader and commander of medieval, hand-to-hand battlefields. Joan of Arc was one of the world’s unique examples of courage.
She was a young French girl who fought for France’s liberation from the British occupation. Joan of Arc rebuilt the broken and demoralized French army with her leadership and commanding abilities. She achieved more tremendous victories than any other statesman or military leader in history.
While today she is portrayed as a saint, the greatness of her work is not just because of her sainthood, but also because she rebelled against the common order dictated for women in choosing to give up everything for her country’s freedom.
Joan of Arc, from birth to death
Joan of Arc was a village girl whose real name was Johanna. She was born on January 6, 1412, and died on May 30, 1431, at the age of 19.
Joan of Arc was a teenager when she became inspired to fight for her country’s freedom. She rose to the challenge to do what was asked of her.
At the time, France was under English occupation in what later became known as the Hundred Years War. It was a period in which France was threatened with destruction, especially since the cowardly crown prince of that country had fled and hid in a distant military fortress.
Under such conditions, Joan of Arc decided to cut her hair, wear a men’s wartime military uniform, and take up arms. She inspired her countrymen to fight for the freedom of their land, and shortly she became an outstanding and irreplaceable commander in the French army.
Joan of Arc became a symbol at a time when the rebellion in her country was considered not only unconventional but repulsive to society, the Church, and the court.
During her first year as an army commander, Joan of Arc defeated the British army at the siege of Orléans, the battle of Patay, and Troyes. The English army faced such devastating destruction that they retreated from many other French cities.
In September 1429, Joan of Arc tried to storm Paris to complete the mission of liberating France, but failed due to the French king’s treacherousness and delay in sending reinforcements.
The king was the one who owed his reign and throne to Joan’s uprising and fighting.
Following that defeat, a year later, Joan had to defend the Compiegne after the victory at Orléans. There, she once again faced a lack of forces and facilities and was eventually captured by Burgundian soldiers. They handed her over to the British forces in exchange for money.
The British government, not wanting to have the popular Joan of Arc’s blood on its hands, sent her to Rouen’s Vieux-Marché (Old Marketplace) to have her tried and executed on religious charges such as heresy. And thus, with charges of heresy, witchcraft, wearing men’s clothes, and insulting the Church, Joan of Arc’s legend could be crushed in the hearts and minds of the people.
Guillaume Bouillé, the judge, was a theologian and former rector of Paris University who supported the British occupation.
In her final moments before being burned at the stake, Joan of Arc, who never abandoned her cause or her faith, said to Pierre Cauchon, her murderer, “Bishop! I will be killed by you.” During the trial, she added bitterly and mockingly, “Lord, teach me what to respond to the Church’s men!”
A Dominican priest, who was a member of the ecclesiastical group of the death squad, and several of his colleagues realized that Joan of Arc was innocent, but they were powerless to save her. During the tribunal, nobody was allowed to represent Joan of Arc, nor testify on her behalf.
Joan of Arc, a saint or a great liberating leader
Joan of Arc never gave in to fate and created her own identity. She broke all the sanctified social values for a so-called good girl during medieval times and became the person she wanted to be, serving the needs of her occupied and oppressed country.
She rejected her family’s attempts to prevent her from following the path she had chosen. In going against the wishes of her parents, she also violated the norms of family elders and local priests. Joan chose to do what was necessary for the freedom of her country and the liberation of her people.
Most importantly, she never accepted the notion that women are weak and passive. She was aggressive on the battlefield. Some 600 years ago, she stood firm against the destructive ridicule of medieval soldiers and carried on her mission to the point that she was praised as a commander and a leader.
As a woman, Joan of Arc displayed strengths that were extremely disturbing, disruptive, and destructive to the old orders of the Church and the king. She was a liberating saint, and an innocent woman turned freedom fighter!
A woman who rebelled against the medieval system and decided on her own
Apparently, Joan of Arc had an amazing face that seems to have remained unknown. She was a brave warrior who was neither afraid of failure nor the blame of the patriarchal world.
She only had faith in the freedom of her country and drew from that faith her power to become a tremendous inspirational force for other French soldiers.
She was an example of a leader who is not afraid of deadlocks and obstacles and rises up against the existing balance of power.
Joan of Arc parted with women’s societal traditions and was betrayed by both the king and the Church. But she did not break down; she rose to defend her beliefs and actions, breaking many of the superstitious beliefs of her time. She blazed a trail and made herself immortal.
Today, the name “Joan of Arc” evokes resistance, rebellion, and courage. Whenever there is talk of resistance to the last breath, the name “Joan of Arc,” the national hero of France shines with glory.
