Joan of Arc

The Maid of Orléans

https://commons.wikimedia.orgJohn Everett Millais [Public domain]

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be” (Lao Tzo). Lao Tzo, the Father of Taoism, meant when he said that quote is that when you break the walls of the titles, the past, the labels that held you back, the things around you that bring negative thoughts, and the people who think they know who you are, you will become some more than what you can ever imagine. He paints an image that there is more to a person than what he or she thinks. People get caught from words spoken into their ears and are found thinking about the “what if.” Words told to a person about who they are does not do as much destruction until the person starts to believe it is true. They can not see their full potential is shining right in front of them.

Joan of Arc accomplished great things, abnormal things, in her youth, but what surprises me is that she never learned to read nor write. She was as normal as any other peasant girl. She lived on a farm with her family and grew up in the church. Her mother wanted a strong Christ-like foundation built for Joan of Arc. At the age of 13, Joan of Arc heard voices from the heavens in a wheat field. The heavenly voices instructed her a mission from God. Joan of Arc completely let go of who she thought she was, and allowed God to paint her a new self; changed but not in the way people thought of it. She was different on a spiritual level. For three years, she consistently urged to meet the French dauphin, Charles VII, in Chinon, which led to the rest of her mission. She led the French to victory over the English and brought Charles VII to the throne. Joan was captured by the English and burned at the stake. She completely changed how the Hundred Years’ War would have ended. Without her, the French could have possibly lost. In a hero, most people look for loyalty, compassion, bravery, honor, love, inspiration, and integrity. Joan of Arc contains all of those attributes and more. Her life was short, but in all of her 19 years of life, she was content with the outcome and took the fire with honor, love, bravery, loyalty, and integrity. She inspired women and girls of all ages of her time. She is a hero in hearts of many. Joan of Arc’s God-willing actions brought hope to the French in eerie times, restored the rightful ruler of the crown, and died by the hands of arrogant men.

Joan of Arc hearing heavenly voiceshttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jules_Bastien-Lepage,_1879_-_Jeanne_d%27Arc.jpgAt the age of 16, Joan of Arc began her mission that God set out for her. Joan of Arc’s mission was to restore the rightful heir and, through that process, she won many battles and strengthened the faith of the people. May 1428, the 16 year old decided to cut her hair short and cross-dress to attend a meeting with Charles VII( Congor). Two days later, she was given permission to speak with Charles VII after she had requested to do so. Charles VII hid in the crowds of people, but of course, Joan spotted him on the dot. After the two had a private and short discussion, Joan of Arc gained Charles VII’s trust for her mission. “Charles announced that he trusted Joan of Arc's divine mission since she was able to tell him a secret about himself that no one else could possibly know (which remains unknown to this day) …  Charles sent Joan to be examined by a panel of clerics. They agreed with the dauphin that Joan of Arc had, indeed, heard the word of God. With that, Joan of Arc became a captain in the French military and prepared to rescue the city of Orléans from English occupation" (Congor).

Joan of Arc was very persuasive, and was only given a short amount of time to gain the trust of Charles VII. Just like that, Joan of Arc became a captain. She was given the responsibility to rescue the city of Orléans and was confident with what was given to her. March 1429, a year has passed after she gained the trust of Charles VII and the French army. It was time to retrieve the city of Orléans.  Charles secured Joan of Arc with white armor and a white horse to ride into the war. “ … May 4 and May 7, 1429, the French troops took control of the English fortifications. Joan was wounded, but later returned to the front to encourage a final assault. By mid-June, the French had routed the English and, in doing so, their perceived invincibility as well(Biography.com).” Joan of Arc kept her word by taking back Orléans with victory after a 90-day battle. She rode into battle as a sign of hope to the French army and led them to victory. Joan may have been a war leader, but took the time to pay her respects to those who died on the bloody field. “It’s reported that she had great compassion for her enemy, grieving for the loss of their lives, and not allowing harm to come to the living.” She cared for both her own and her foes. She mourned the life that was taken that bloody, dreadful day. Her heart was lined with love for others. It is ironic how she was war leader, but still deeply cared for her enemies as well as her allies.

One of Joan’s main points of her mission was to restore the rightful ruler in France. After the victory of Orléans, they forced the English to retreat in Normandy by July 17th. Charles VII’s coronation followed on the 18th of July, 1429 in Reims. He was officially crowned king to all men. After Charles VII was crowned king, Joan wanted to try to take back Paris from England’s control. Charles was quite hesitant when he was contemplating Joan’s idea. “ … even as his(Charles VII) favorite at court, Georges de La Trémoille, warned him that Joan was becoming too powerful" (History.com). There were people afraid of what Joan of Arc was capable of. Joan of Arc had multiple sides to her. She was compassionate, but she was also ambitious and independent. Joan of Arc wanted to stay ahead of the game. England had control in the north and Burgundy. She led an attack into the northern province of Artois, but was outnumbered and attempted to retreat. She was thrown off her horse and was deserted outside of the town. “In her effort to defend the town and its inhabitants, she was thrown from her horse, …  The Burgundians took her captive, and brought her amid much fanfare to the castle of Bouvreuil, occupied by the English commander at Rouen" (History.com). Every hero rises and falls at one point. It shows how normal and human they are. By Joan displaying poor judgement and errors, it relates how much she is like us. For some girls in Joan’s era, it could have given them confidence and boldness.

Joan of Arc's burned at the stake in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_ArcThe end of Joan of Arc was not as pretty as she began her journey. After Joan of Arc was captured, Charles VII did not do anything to rescue Joan from the English. She was held in an Inquisition tribunal and was treated as a war prisoner. She was worried about what might the guards do to her, so she continued to wear men’s clothing and kept her short hair. In 1431, her trial had begun. Joan was put into questioning by a member of the tribunal, Cauchon. She answered every question with wit and class. She had 70 charges held against her. “The clerics then proclaimed that her cross-dressing was an abomination to God, to which she answered, "the clothes are a small matter, the least of all things(Conger).” Joan of Arc bothered these men terribly that they accused her of her clothing. Joan of Arc knew how to answer these questions perfectly. She was accused of heresy, witch-craft, cross-dressing, and etc. “May 29, 1431, the tribunal announced Joan of Arc was guilty of heresy. On the morning of May 30, she was taken to the marketplace in Rouen and burned at the stake, before an estimated crowd of 10,000 people" (Biography.com). Through arrogance, Joan was killed at the age of 19. At the end of her life, it is believed that she said to hold the cross high so she could see it when she burned away. 20 years later, King Charles VII brought up Joan’s trial once again in 1450. She was announced innocent and her name was cleared.

Joan of Arc has shown many sides of her character. She kept her promise throughout her life, until she died. She contained loyalty, compassion, honor, integrity, and bravery. Joan was many things. She won the heart of the people and brought the French hope and faith in their dark times. She picked their spirits up and shined light onto the French. She showed compassion for others, no matter who they were or where they came from. She mourned their deaths and celebrated their lives. Joan of Arc has been my hero for a long time. She taught me that no matter your age, appearance, or origin, you can accomplish anything. Joan of Arc found the good in others and that is something we should be doing more of today. She saw the positive and was content with all she had done with her life. She completed her mission. Joan let go of who she was, and put her life in the hands of God.

Work Cited

Conger, Cristen. “Why Was Cross-Dressing the Only Crime Joan of Arc Was Charged with?”  

HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 2 Feb. 2009, history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/joan-of-arc-trial3.htm.

History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/saint-joan-of-arc.

“Joan of Arc.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 27 Feb. 2018,

www.biography.com/people/joan-of-arc-9354756.

"Joan of Arc." Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 1998. Biography In Context,

https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1631003373/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=9a9d5511. Accessed 11 Dec. 2018.

"Joan of Arc." Gale Student Resources in Context, Gale, 2016. Student Resources In Context,

https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/AGLDRY177359316/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=23ccf254. Accessed 5 Dec. 2018.