To call this a “basic” history of Joan of Arc is a misnomer as there is nothing basic about her life. I thought about calling it an “objective” history, but that would be misleading as well because my bias in her favor certainly creeps in.

In any event, the point I am trying to get across in this post is that there are some generally accepted ideas about Joan that can serve as the starting point for trying to get to know who she really was. I have composed my own short biography of her, which draws these together. 

I share it with students at the beginning of our study unit. It’s kind of a spoiler, but since Joan is a historical figure as well as a literary character, I prefer to have everyone on the same page about what is going to happen and to point out aspects of her life that remain in question. 

The “Basics”  –  With Some Bias

Joan of Arc (1412-1431) was born in the small French village of Domremy. She was called Jehanne among her people and only later called Jehanette as she became a public figure. Like the other girls from her village, Joan tended sheep, sewed, spun,and was illiterate. She likely would have married and raised a family had her life not taken a dramatic turn at the age of thirteen.

Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel (Joan of Arc Series: I), c. 1907-early 1909

According to Joan, a voice from God came to her cloaked in a great light. She was terrified at first but opened her heart to its message. The voice, which she learned was that of Saint Michael, instructed Joan in how to govern her life according to God’s will. He told Joan that Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret would guide her through a special mission, a mission to save France from its English enemies in what would later be called the Hundred Years War (1337-1453).

As predicted, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret appeared to Joan two or three times a week. They instructed her in what was necessary for her mission and urged her to begin.

Joan was reluctant to leave her simple life, but she dutifully obeyed. At the age of sixteen, she set out to meet Robert de Baudricourt, the military leader at nearby Vaucouleurs. Despite his grave misgivings about Joan’s calling, de Baudricourt provided her with military escort to the uncrowned king of France, just as her saintly mentors had foretold.

Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel, (Joan of Arc Series: II), Her Appeal to the Dauphin, 1906

Joan thus set off for Chinon in February 1429 where she gained an audience with the dubious King Charles VII. After some playful foolery at Joan’s expense, she sufficiently authenticated her divine mission by allegedly revealing knowledge of a secret between the king and God. Charles was captivated.

As a precaution, he then had Joan examined by Church officials who maintained she was of sound mind and soul. With that additional assurance, Charles made Joan the supreme commander of the French military.

Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel, The Maid in Armor on Horseback (Joan of Arc series: III), c. 1908-late 1909

It is unclear whether Charles truly believed in Joan’s calling or instead hoped to capitalize on it by gaining a type of religious mascot for the war. Moreover,the extent of her true military leadership is also debated, but tradition holds that Joan did in fact gain significant prestige in the royal court and at least some authority in war councils and on the battlefield.

Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel, The Turmoil of Conflict (Joan of Arc series: IV), c. late 1909-early 1913

In any event, Joan’s military tenure was brief but glorious. She raised the siege of Orleans in just nine days and had several other swift victories against the English that paved the way for the politically important coronation of Charles in Rheims.

With these victories, Joan’s status surpassed that of Charles himself. France was on fire for “the Maid,” and England was beside itself at how to combat her momentum. She was a polarizing figure. On the French side, Joan was viewed as God’s handmaiden. On the English, she was seen as a heretic and a witch.

Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel, The Crowning at Rheims of the Dauphin (Joan of Arc series: V), 1907

After his coronation, Charles made an unexpected truce with the Duke of Burgundy, an ally of the English, to obtain Paris peacefully. Though Joan cautioned against this truce, Charles moved forward with it anyway believing it more politically expedient than sending Joan to take the city by force. His decision effectively removed Joan’s military power at the height of its strength and momentum, and much of her army disbanded.

Joan was caught in a precarious situation. She was too valuable to be allowed to return home but reduced to little more than a puppet in court. Charles still permitted Joan to fight in small skirmishes, but those lacked any major strategic objective.

With Joan’s army diminished, the Duke of Burgundy slyly built up forces in Paris and betrayed the truce. On May 23, 1430, Joan’s small army was overpowered by his forces at Compiegne. She was captured in battle, taken prisoner, and sold to the English. For reasons that remain unclear, Charles made no effort to pay her ransom.

Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel, The Trial of Joan of Arc (Joan of Arc series: VI), c. late 1909-early 1910

Joan was put on trial before an English-backed ecclesiastical court at Rouen, Normandy, run by the corrupt Bishop of Beauvais, Pierre Cauchon. There was little chance Joan would have a fair trial. From the beginning, it was obvious the court’s soul intention was to find Joan guilty of heresy. Her trial began on January 9, 1431; she was found guilty of heresy on May 24; and she was burned at the stake on May 30. She was nineteen years old.

Her trial did not end there, however. In 1452, Pope Callixtus III reopened Joan’s trial at the request of her mother in what has become known as Joan’s trial of rehabilitation or nullification. Its goal was to reexamine the authenticity of Joan’s calling. On July 7, 1456, the court reversed the earlier ruling and found Joan was innocent of all charges and had therefore died a martyr. Pierre Cauchon was named a heretic instead for leading a sham trial.

Joan’s spiritual calling was thereby authenticated once and for all, and popular tradition held she was a saint. On May 16, 1920, Joan was formally canonized as such by the Catholic Church.

Conclusion

The Church’s opinion is what prevails in my classroom, but it is not necessarily what prevails in the world. There are many conflicting views of who Joan was, and I am very upfront with my students that they are free to come to their own conclusions. To advance that objective, we begin with a very in-depth study of Mark Twain’s Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, which is the focus of the next two posts.

Images Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington