A 17 Year Old Girl Who Led France in the 15th Century
Joan Of Arc: The National Heroine Of France
Joan of Arc was a marvelous personality of history. Her life was so exceptional that anybody could hardly believe it if her deadly enemies not told.
She had changed the future of France during her last three years. At the age of seventeen, she leads France armies to victory and burned to death by her enemies at the age of nineteen.
Childhood of Joan of Arc
Joan was born at Domremy, in eastern France, on January 6, 1412. At that time, most of France was controlled by England, and the remaining France divided into two parties.
Some sided with Prince Charles and other affluent people and, the duke of Burgundy was with English. Prince Charles was fighting with his friends with English for his sake while he was not a crowned king.
It was a custom that the coronation of King should do at Rheims with the sacred oil. As Rheims was in the power of English that bonded Price Charles to go there and be made King in earnest.
In the middle of miseries, John was born in the village which belongs to the Prince Charles side. Her village bothered by enemies twice a month. So they had better condition as compared to other France. But she was not unaware of how the rest of France plundered by the English soldiers.
Voices came to Joan
At thirteen, an unusual thing happened to Joan. She heard voices while standing at the garden coming from the right hand where the church stands.
She also saw shinning figures of saints in heaven. She kept hearing these voices for years, “Go to church and go to save France.”
That was the first account people heard about Joan. After that, the people started to talk about the girl who watched saints.
Joan obeyed the Voices
The time went on, France only remains on the south side of the river Loire. The city of Orleans was a significant place in France.
If the English takeover Orleans, they would take over France and throw the Prince out of his country. To prevent the help, food and necessities to the besieged people of Orleans, the English built fortresses outside the tower.
Joan in her home town could hear of the danger in which Orleans placed, and her voices kept insisting her to go and save France. She used to cry, could not help to save France, and people laughed at her.
The saints’ voice told her to go to the nearby town and ask their commander “Baudricourt” to send her to the Chinon where Prince Charles lived. That was an absurd proposal he laughed at her, how a young girl could teach France to defeat the English.
By the time the month of February 1429 had come. The besieged France was in great misfortune. The season of lent was coming when they were only allowed to eat fish, eggs and vegetables.
The largest numbers of carts loaded with herrings were coming to English. The commanders of France knew about the carts, so they decided to send soldiers to attack the English at night.
Their plan failed and the patriots were defeated by the English army. The news did not reach the commander Baudricourt for several days. On the day when France got defeated, the voices told Joan about the situation in Orleans.
The bad news came, and Joan was right when she told the commander about the defeat. The commander saw an unusual thing in the girl who knew what was happening far away.
He sends her to the castle under the guard of two gentlemen. When Joan reached the Chinon, Prince advisers were not sure he should see her, but he was curious to meet him.
After that, Joan brought to the castle to meet Prince. While looking around, he went straight up to the knight standing beside and kneels on one knee and said, “It is to you who is Prince.”
He was surprised because she had never seen him before. After that, she told him, “You are rightful King, and I am not here to show you signs, but let me go to Orleans, and you will see what I do.”
The Siege of Orleans
For six weary weeks, the learned people examined her and tried to find some fault in her answers.
They could not find any single bad thing in her and allowed her to lead the army to Orleans. Joan gathered her army with plenty of goods and powder and shots for the people of Orleans.
On April 1429, she set out for Orleans, besieged by English for seven months. Joan divided its army into two troops, one troop distracted English on the west side of Orleans, and the other group with Joan entered the tower through the eastern gate by crossing the bridge.
After crossing the bridge, she broke it by blasts to prevent the English from help. Joan provided supplies and inspired Orleans people for passionate resistance. She led many battles, and on May 7, she struck by an arrow. After that, the settlement occurred between France and the English. On the next day, the English left their forts, and France was free.
Joan of Arc burned at stake
Joan led the armies to remarkable victories over the English and captured the Reims in July.
Now Price Charles was brought the city of coronation and became a King an earnest. In May 1430, while leading another expedition against the English army, she caught by Bourguignon soldiers and sold to the English, where she convicted as a witch and burned at Rouen.
“In modern times, some doctors and scholars have suggested that the visions and voices experienced by Joan of Arc, which she interpreted as signs from God, might have been the result of a neurological or psychiatric condition that triggered hallucinations or delusions.”
