Joan of Arc — Archive

Image of Joan of Arc from a 1505 manuscript.

586 years ago today, in 1429, Charles Le Dauphin was crowned King Charles VII of France at Reims Cathedral; all thanks to the help of a nice farm girl who heard voices. Joan of Arc (Jeanne in French) was only thirteen when God began speaking to her (hopefully in the voice of Alan Rickman, ‪#‎dogma‬) and charged her with the holy mission to expel the English from France, and install Charles Le Dauphin as king.

Taking her father to court over his attempt to force her into an arranged marriage, and talking the local magistrate into an audience with Charles, after successfully predicting the outcome of an important battle; at seventeen, Joan convinced Charles to give her an army to drive the English and their allies, the Burgundians, from the French city of Orleans which had been under siege for months, and was key to the defense of central France. Joan led her army to a great victory, then guided Charles through enemy territory to Reims Cathedral- the traditional site for the coronation of French kings.

Portrait of Joan of Arc painted by Andrew C. P. Haggard in 1912, eight years before her canonization.

Thus Joan saw her visions fulfilled; but her great triumphs and popularity with the people unfortunately made her a threat to the patriarchal infrastructure. When Joan was captured by the English and Burgundians, King Charles VII made no attempt to negotiate her release. Joan was tried for witchcraft and heresy- her major alleged misdeeds being that she claimed she spoke to God, and that she dressed like a man (her actual misdeed; kicking ass while female). After a year in captivity, she actually signed a confession, denying God had spoken to her, but after she emerged in men's clothing several days later, she was sentenced to death and burned at the stake at the age of nineteen.

Joan's victory and Charles VII's ascension to the throne marked a turning point in the Hundred Years' War between England and France. 22 years after Joan's death, and 116 years after the start of the war, France emerged victorious, and retained control of their monarchy. Charles VII then ordered a posthumous retrial for Joan, and her name was cleared. By 1920, when Joan of Arc was officially canonized, her story had risen to mythic proportions and remained in the public conscious for almost 500 years.

Statue of Joan of Arc which now graces the front of Reims Cathedral.