Over the past few weeks my class has been discussing tons of material on Joan of Arc. Joan was a source of controversy during her own times, and in present times the many sides of her story are still played with through media such as movies.
There is much to be said about Joan of Arc, so I will try to be brief! First of all, it is mind-blowingly amazing that a sixteen year-old peasant girl could somehow get command of an entire army in a matter of months. Joan of Arc's arrival on the front lines of the Hundred Year's war was a pivotal moment. She was the turning point that would eventually lead to the English leaving France and sailing back to their island. From a young age, probably around twelve, Joan began to hear voices or see visions of saints. When she was a girl, these voices mostly encouraged her to go to Mass frequently, to pray and go to confession often as well. Later on in her teen years, this pious young lady received a call from God to bring the true French king to his throne and end the English occupation of France. So Joan got an audience with the Dauphin Charles. At this point, a rumor/legend had been spread that a maid from the region of Lorraine would be the savior of France. This becomes important for Joan's acceptance by the king and the people, it makes it very convincing that this mission was her destiny. Joan was from the Lorraine region, and after being analyzed to make sure she wasn't crazy and of course to check that she was a virgin, Charles let her join his army.
Joan's first mission was to sneak provisions into the town of Orléans, which had been under siege by the English for almost six months. The town was surrounded on all sides, so the only way in was to sail up the river under cover of darkness. So as legend has it, Joan and her troops got on some boats sent by Orléans for the provisions and a miraculous wind blew them silently through the night and into Orléans. Over the course of about eight days, after entering Orléans, Joan helped lift the siege. This gained her a great deal of support from other military leaders and of course from the soldiers.
After this victory, Joan became co-commander of the army. She insisted on bringing the Dauphin to Reims for his coronation. After King Charles VI's coronation, Joan continued the war effort. She was not finished until the English were gone! Unfortunately, Joan was captured by some Burgundians, other enemies of the French during the war, who sold her to the English. Joan tried to escape her captors a few times. Most notable is her escape attempt in which she threw herself out of a tower window, almost walking away with a few scrapes and bruises before being recaptured. The English put her on trial (her trial is one of the most well documented parts of her life) by a Church court. She was charged with many crimes, but the big one was heresy. They did not believe in her mission from God, they just wanted to prove that she was an insane French girl who thought she heard the voices of the saints. In the end, Joan was burned at the stake mostly for defending that she did have visions of saints, but also for wearing pants (two reasons: 1) didn't want to get raped by her captors, 2) God wanted her to wear pants).
Years after her death, the Church re-evaluated her case and proclaimed her a martyr. In 1920 she was canonized a saint. She has continued to be a symbol of nationalism for the French and she was also an important symbol in propaganda during the World War I and II era. Today we have access to many interpretations of her life and mission. She has inspired many films and there is also a television show based on her visions/voices.
In movies and television
Visit these links for more on Joan of Arc and also check out these videos!
No comments:
Post a Comment