Virgin Savior
The wars of the Middle Ages were not like today. They were considered a lot of feudal lords and hired professionals, the peasants were rarely involved in them, and basically their attitude towards wars was completely negative: there was no benefit, they could easily destroy the economy and trample the fields.
A similar fate befell the French village of Domremy during the Hundred Years’ War with England. In 1425, English soldiers entered the village and stole the villagers’ livestock. Residents were convinced that the British should be expelled from France. But one of the consequences of the attack was much more unexpected.
House of Joan of Arc in Domremy
Global View Press
Zhanna, a 13-year-old peasant woman from a wealthy family, began to have visions: mostly of the Archangel Michael with his angelic entourage. The girl cried, saying they couldn’t take her with them. Angels and saints appeared again and again for days in a row, and Jeanne, under the influence of the voices, gradually became convinced that she was the chosen one.
There was a prophecy among the peasants at the time, based on the visions of Mary Robin of Avignon, that an armed maiden (maiden) would come forward and save France. According to another legend, France’s suffering will end with a girl carrying a standard.
Jules Bastien-Lepage, Joan of Arc, 1879
Metropolitan Museum of Art
France’s job was not easy at that time. Against the background of the Hundred Years’ War, the feudal factions of the Armagnacs and Bourguignons fought among themselves. At some point, the latter received the support of England, and by the Treaty of Troyes of 1420 the English themselves sought to elevate their king Henry V to the throne of France after the death of Charles VI.
French patriots declared Charles VII the real king (although there was no such concept at that time), but he could not hold his coronation, since the cathedral intended for this in the city of Reims was under the control of the British. Therefore officially Charles VII retained the status of Dauphin (Heir to the throne).
In 1428, when Jeanne was about 16 years old, she finally realized that she was the virgin of the prophecy and decided to take action.
The girl asked her uncle to take her to the neighboring city of Vaucouleurs, where she appeared before the garrison commander Robert de Baudricourt and demanded to be taken to Chinon, to the court of the representatives of Armagnac. The commander rudely rejected him.
A year later, after the British burned Domremy and forced Jeanne’s family to flee, Jeanne appeared again with the same commander at Vaucouleurs. The answer was the same, but rumors about the unusual girl reached Duke II of Lorraine. Heard by Charles. He was sick and hoped that the woman, who had a supernatural ability, could heal him, so he invited her to his home. Jeanne made no offer of improvement, but scolded Charles for living with his mistress, apparently exerting some influence on the Duke.
The oldest surviving depiction of Joan of Arc was drawn by Clément de Fauchenberg.
French National Archives
The peasant woman gradually gained followers. characteristic dialogue After returning from the Duke, he sided with Jean de Nuyonpont, a close friend of the commander de Baudricourt.
– Dear, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t the king be expelled from the kingdom and we all become English? – he asked sarcastically.
“I have come here to speak to Robert de Baudricourt, that he may take me to the king, or order his people to receive me; but he paid no heed either to me or to my words; yet I must appear before the king in the first half of Lent, even if I must wear out my legs to the knees for it; Know that no one – neither king, nor duke, nor daughter of the Scottish king, nor anyone else – can restore the French kingdom; Salvation can only come from me, and although I would rather stay with my poor mother and return, this is not my destiny: I must go, and I will do so because my Master wants me to act this way.
– So who is your Master? – asked Nuyonpon.
“Oh my God,” the girl replied.
The warrior believed his answer and helped him meet with the Dauphin in Chinon.
Leader and spiritual leader
At an inn in Chinon, the Crown Prince’s advisors met him and asked him why he had come. Zhanna replied to this The Heavenly King gave him two instructions: to lift the siege of Orleans and to accompany Charles to Reims for his confirmation and coronation.. Many council members agreed that the crazy girl should simply be thrown out, but there were other voices as well.
Orleans is the last stronghold that separated the British from full power over the country. The explanation of the reason for its importance is very long, but for simplicity it can be considered an analogue of Stalingrad in value in the Great Patriotic War. The city had been under siege since 1428 and it was believed that it would fall sooner or later. The French could only hope for a miracle to save him.
Therefore, Karl agreed to the meeting, but decided to test the peasant woman based on some evidence. He received him standing among the courtiers, most of whom were more richly dressed than himself. When the girl entered the living room, she immediately appealed To Karl. “Am I really the king, Jeanne?” – he asked and, pointing to one of the courtiers, added: “Here is the king.” But the girl was not embarrassed: “By God, dear prince, it is you, and not the other one.”
Joan of Arc before the Dauphin Charles at Chinon. King VII. Miniature from the Vigils Concerning the Death of Charles II, c. 1484
Bibliotheque Nationale de France
Zhanna wanted to talk to Karl alone. It is not known exactly what he said to the Dauphin, but the conversation made him happy, after which he immediately ordered that the girl be given a room and a servant in the castle. This decision is usually explained by the fact that medieval people grew up with miracle legends and believed almost every madman they encountered who went crazy about a religious issue. But medievalists believe that the inhabitants of the Middle Ages were generally as rational as modern people and were also subject to hopes and illusions.
Karl, who was 26 years old at the time, was considered hopeless. The British have proven their superiority on the battlefield, captured Paris and are about to take over the entire country. The Dauphin did not have the opportunity to resist this with full force: not only did the signed agreement deprive him of the right to the throne, even his own mother doubted that she had given birth to him from Charles VI. Therefore, a peasant woman who gathered an army of followers and said that God commanded her to save France and place Charles on the throne was as good an option as any other.
First, he sent Jeanne to Poitiers for testing; Here he appeared before a commission of advisors and theologians. They interrogated her for a long time and tried to learn as much as possible about the strange girl. For example, they asked He said: “You said you had a voice: ‘God wants to save the people of France from the disasters they are experiencing’, but if He wants to save them from this, there is no need to appeal for help. armed men.” To this the girl replied: “In the name of Allah, the soldiers will fight and Allah will send them victory.”
This position was quite acceptable: there were long debates among theologians about where the line was between human actions and divine providence.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Joan of Arc at the coronation of Charles VII, 1854
Louvre Museum
The commission was satisfied, and Jeanne returned to Chinon, where the king ordered suitable armor to be made for her. With them was for him “the image of our Savior sitting in judgment in the darkness of heaven; It also depicted an angel holding a fleur-de-lis.” A banner was also made by his order. (religious fabric) with a cross that the priests accompanying the army were required to carry.
Then a retinue suitable for the military leader was assembled for Jeanne, an attendant, servants and messengers were appointed. Prepared, the army under the command of Jeanne moved from the city of Blois to the besieged Orleans. There is no reliable information about how exactly the French command was organized in this campaign. The immediate movement of troops was probably led by nobles, but Jeanne acted as a leader and spiritual leader. She constantly visited the soldiers, called on them to repent and receive communion, expelled sex workers who followed the army, strictly prohibited robberies, swearing and swearing.
Maid of Orleans
The French followed long winding roads leading to the besieged city, and the commander of the defenses, the bastard Jean d’Orléans (later known as Jean de Dunois), learning of Joan’s approach, carried out a diversionary attack to open the way. He met the girl in a village near Orleans, at a safe distance from British troops. At first Jeanne was angry that she had been deceived and that she did not immediately rush into battle with the army, but was directed to a safe path. The commander was more concerned about the convoy that had to be driven up the Loire and against the wind, and the argument with the peasant woman about how to command the troops was beginning to bother him.
“But suddenly, as if at that very moment, the headwind that was preventing the ships carrying food to the city of Orleans from moving upstream changed direction and became a tailwind… From that moment on,” said “I started to trust him more than before,” Dunois said.
As a result, the commander persuaded the girl to go with him to the city, where legends circulated about the mysterious chosen one. Jeanne agreed and followed Jean, holding a white banner with a picture of Jesus holding a fleur-de-lis.
Jean-Jacques Scherer, “Joan of Arc enters Orleans”, 1887
German Historical Museum
“So he entered Orleans, mounted the Bastard of Orleans, magnificently armed in his left hand, on a beautiful horse, accompanied by noble and brave lords, grooms, captains and warriors and several people from the garrison, as well as the townspeople of Orleans. the person who goes out to meet him. Along the way, he was met by other warriors of Orleans, townspeople and townswomen with many torches in their hands, who showed great joy, as if they saw that the Lord had disdained them – and not without reason, because they had suffered. There was so much pain, sorrow and torment that they doubted that help would come to them and were afraid of losing both their lives and their property. However, they felt that the divine virtue that this simple girl was said to have encouraged and, as it were, “encouraged” them. Everyone looked at him with great love – both men, women and little children. And they crowded together and pushed one another to touch him or the horse on which he sat.” explained Meeting with townsfolk in the Siege Log.
This was April 29, 1429.
Joan of Arc was found guilty of heresy and witchcraft and burned at the stake in the market square in Rouen, 19th-century chromolithograph
Universal History Archive
In the following battles, French troops won one victory after another, and finally, on the night of May 7-8, the British lifted the siege. Since then, Joan of Arc has been called the Maid of Orleans, and May 8 is still a holiday in the city. The girl had only two years left: after many victories and Henry VII. After Charles’ coronation, he would be betrayed and handed over to the English; they would execute him for communicating with the devil, heresy, and apostasy.
In reality, he was just taking revenge for his failures.
What are you thinking?
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.