Joan of Arc

The centennial war began in 1337 with the attack on France by the English king Edward III , who claimed his rights to the French throne. Until 1415, the war went on with varying success: the French suffered severe defeats, but still they managed to control a significant part of the country, and even occasionally recapture some territories. But in 1415 the situation for the French worsened sharply: civil strife ceased in England, and King Henry V of the new Lancaster dynasty launched a decisive invasion of the mainland. In France itself , the internal situation was catastrophic, the country was formally ruled by the crazy king Charles VI , and Armagnacs and Bourguignons fought for real power in the country.

On October 25, 1415, French troops were defeated at the Battle of Agincourt . In 1416, the Duke of Burgundy John the Fearless made an alliance with the British, he soon became the master of Paris and began to rule on behalf of the crazy king with the latter's wife, Isabella of Bavaria . Dauphin Karl , heir to Charles VI , only miraculously managed to escape to the south of the country.

In 1420, an agreement was signed in Troyes , according to which Dauphin Carl was declared deprived of the right to the crown. After the death of Charles VI, Henry V of England was to become king, betrothed to the French princess Catherine, and behind him was his son, born from this marriage. It was the death sentence of French independence. In 1422, Henry V suddenly died, and his nine-month-old son Henry VI became king of both states. The English duke Bedford became the regent under the infant king.

To completely subjugate France, the British only needed to combine the occupied northern France with the long-controlled by them Hyenas and Aquitaine in the south. The key point that prevented them from doing this was the city of Orleans , the operation to capture which began in 1428. The defenders defended themselves bravely, but the outcome of the siege seemed a foregone conclusion.

Domremi - Chinon

The traditional date of Jeanne's birth is 1412, however, on the decree of Pope Pius X dated January 6, 1904, adopted after a solemn meeting at which the case on the reckoning of the Virgin to the list of saints was considered, the date is January 6, 1409/1408.

Joan of Arc was born in the village of Domremy on the border of Champagne and Lorraine in a family of impoverished nobles (according to another version - prosperous peasants) Jacques d'Arc and Isabella de Wooton , nicknamed Roma (Roman) because of her pilgrimage to Rome. Jeanne never called herself Joan of Arc, but only "Joan of the Virgin", clarifying that in childhood she was called Jeanette.

At the age of 13, Jeanne for the first time, according to her assurances, heard the voices of the Archangel Michael and St. Catherine of Alexandria , as well as Margarita of Antioch ^[6] , who sometimes appeared to her in a visible form. After some time, they allegedly revealed to Jeanne that she was destined to lift the siege from Orleans, raise the dauphin to the throne and expel the invaders from the kingdom. When Joan was 16 years old, she went to the captain of the city of Vaucoulier, Robert de Bodricourt, and announced her mission. Being ridiculed, Jeanne was forced to return to the village, but a year later she repeated her attempt. This time, the captain, astounded by her perseverance, was more attentive, and when Jeanne accurately predicted the sad outcome for the French “Herring Battle” under the walls of Orleans, agreed to give her people so that she could go to the king, and also provide me with clothing - a chaperon , a hook and a boss , and Jeanne to the end preferred to dress that way, explaining that in men's clothes it would be easier for her to fight and not to cause unnecessary attention to herself from the soldiers. At the same time, two of her faithful companions joined the detachment of Jeanne - the knights Jean de Metz and Bertrand de Poulange.

Over eleven days, covering the distance across enemy Burgundy territory between Domremy and Chinon , in late February or early March 1429 ^[7] Jeanne arrived at this castle - the residence of Dauphin Karl. Dauphin took advantage of the fact that Jeanne wrote to him from Saint-Catherine de Fierbois that she would definitely recognize him, and arranged for her to check, placing another person on the throne and standing in a crowd of courtiers. However, Jeanne passed the test, recognizing him. She announced to Karl that she had been sent by Heaven to free the country from English rule and asked for troops to lift the siege of Orleans. Then Karl and Jeanne stepped aside and talked for a long time in private, on which topic - this remained a mystery. The courtiers noticed that Karl after the conversation looked unusually happy ^[8] .

In Chinon, Jeanne amazed Charles VII and the young Duke of Alanson with her horse riding skills, her impeccable knowledge of the games distributed among the nobility: kenten ^[9] , playing in the rings - requiring perfect possession of weapons. During the acquittal process, Alain Chartier, Secretary of Kings Charles VI and Charles VII, stated with regard to interrogations during the previous trial: “It seemed that this girl was brought up not in the fields, but in schools, in close contact with the sciences ".

Karl, however, hesitated. First, he ordered the matrons to confirm Jeanne's virginity, then sent her to Poitiers , where she was to be interrogated by theologians, and also sent messengers to her homeland. After nothing was found that could cast a shadow on the girl’s reputation, Karl decided to transfer the command of the troops into her hands and appointed her commander in chief. Leading French military leaders Etienne de Vignolles , nicknamed La Gere (in old- fashioned ire means "anger, rage"), Poton de Centraille and Count of Dunois , who with all his strength repelled the English attacks in Orleans, should have come under her command. The head of her staff was the prince of Alanson. An important role in such a bold decision was played by the fact that Jeanne in the name of God confirmed to Karl his legitimacy and the right to the throne, which many doubted, including Karl himself.

Jeanne - Warlord

After the appointment, armor is made for Jeanne (she received special permission from the commission of theologians from Poitiers to wear men's clothing), a banner and a banner. A sword for her was found in the church of Saint Catherine de Fierbois according to the command of Jeanne herself. According to legend, this sword belonged to Charlemagne .

Then she went to Blois , designated as the assembly point for the army, and already led the army to Orleans .

The news that the army was led by the messenger of God caused an extraordinary moral upsurge in the army. The bosses and soldiers who had lost hope, tired of the endless defeats, were inspired and regained courage.

On April 29, 1429, Jeanne with a small detachment penetrates into Orleans . On May 4, her army won their first victory, taking the bastion of Saint-Loup. Victories followed one after another, and already on the night of May 7 to 8, the British were forced to lift the siege from the city. Thus, the task, which other French military leaders considered impossible, Joan of Arc decided in four days.

After the victory at Orleans, Jeanne was nicknamed the "Orleans Virgin" ( fr. La Pucelle d'Orléans ) ^[10] . Day May 8 to the present day is celebrated every year in Orleans as the main holiday of the city.

Karl's hesitation and indecision were the reason that on her next trip to the English-occupied castles of the Loire, Jeanne appeared only on June 9th. However, this time too, the army led by it acted swiftly, decisively, and unusually successfully. On June 11, the army approached the central British fortified point on the Loire - Jarjo , the next day Jarjo was seized by attack , on June 15 Jeanne speaks on Myung-sur-Loire , on June 16 - on Beaujancy , and already on June 18 the decisive battle of Pat with the English took place an army led by Talbot and Fastolf , which ended in the complete defeat of the British. Terrible Talbot was captured, Fastolf fled from the battlefield. The Loire operation was completed.

Jeanne went to the king and urged him to go on anointing in Reims , the traditional place of coronation of the French kings. Before the start of the campaign, Jeanne also managed to reconcile the king with his former retirement , Connable Rishmon , an experienced military leader, who rallied the French even more.

June 29 began the "bloodless campaign" in the direction of Reims . City after city opened the gates to the royal army, on July 17, the king was solemnly anointed in the Reims Cathedral in the presence of Joan of Arc, which caused an unusual outburst of national spirit in the country. The Duke of Burgundy Philip III the Good did not come to the ceremony, and Jeanne wrote him a letter the same day, calling for reconciliation.

After the coronation, Jeanne urged Charles to launch an attack on Paris , taking advantage of the favorable situation and confusion in the British camp, but he again began to hesitate. The attack on the capital was launched only in September, but the attack was quickly stopped. The king gave the order to withdraw the army to the Loire , and on September 21 the army was disbanded.

In the spring of 1430 hostilities were resumed, but were sluggish. Jeanne was constantly put obstacles by the royal courtiers. In May, Jeanne comes to the aid of Compiegne , besieged by the Burgundians . May 24, 1430 ^[11] as a result of betrayal (a bridge was raised to the city, which cut off Joan’s path for retreat) Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians. King Charles, who owed so much to her, did nothing to save Jeanne. Soon for 10,000 gold livres, the Burgundians sold it to the British. In November – December 1430, Jeanne was transported to Rouen .

The trial and judgment

The process began on February 21, 1431. Despite the fact that Jeanne formally tried the church on charges of heresy, she was held in prison under the protection of the British as a prisoner of war. The process was led by Bishop Pierre Cauchon , an ardent supporter of English interests in France .

The British government did not hide in any way its involvement in the trial of Joan of Arc, nor the importance that it attached to this court. It took care of all expenses associated with it. The surviving and published documents of the English treasury in Normandy show that these expenses were considerable.

In the chronicles of the Venetian Morozini it is directly stated: “The British burned Joan because of her successes, for the French succeeded and, it seemed, would succeed without end. The British said that if this girl perishes, fate will no longer be supportive of the Dauphin . ” During the process, it turned out that it would not be so easy to blame Jeanne - the girl held on to the court with tremendous courage and confidently denied accusations of heresy and relations with the devil, bypassing numerous traps. Since it was not possible to get her recognition in heresy, the court began to concentrate on those facts where Joan’s voluntary recognition was not required, for example, wearing men's clothing, neglecting the authority of the Church, and also tried to prove that the voices that Jeanne heard came from the devil . Contrary to the rules of the church court, Jeanne was not allowed to appeal to the Pope and ignored the conclusions of the Poitiers trial favorable to Jeanne.

In the hope of breaking the will, the prisoners kept her in terrible conditions, the English guards insulted her, at the interrogation on May 9, the tribunal threatened her with torture, but all in vain - Jeanne refuses to submit and plead guilty. Cauchon understood that if he condemns Jeanne to death, not having obtained from her a guilty plea, he will only contribute to the appearance of a halo of martyr around her. On May 24, he resorted to frank meanness - he presented the prisoner with a ready-made fire for her execution by burning, and already near the fire he promised to transfer her from English to a church prison, where she would be provided with good care if she signed a paper on renunciation of heresies and obedience to the Church. At the same time, a paper with the text read to an illiterate girl was replaced by another, on which was a text about the complete renunciation of all its “errors”, on which Jeanne put an end. Naturally, Cauchon did not think to keep his promise and again sent her to her former prison.

A few days later, under the pretext that Jeanne again put on men's clothing (women's clothing was taken away from her by force) and, thus, “fell into previous delusions” - the tribunal sentenced her to death. May 30, 1431 Jeanne d'Arc was burned alive in the square of the Old Market in Rouen. They put a paper miter on the head of Jeanne with the inscription "Heretic, apostate, idolater" and led to the fire. “Bishop, I am dying because of you. I challenge you to God's judgment! ” - Jeanne shouted from the height of the fire and asked for a cross. The executioner handed her two crossed twigs. And when the fire engulfed her, she shouted several times: "Jesus!" Almost everyone cried out of pity. Her ashes were scattered over the Seine . The museum of the city of Chinon contains the remains supposedly belonging to Joan of Arc, although, according to scientists, these relics do not belong to her ^[13] .

The conviction and execution of Joan of Arc did not help the British - from the blow inflicted by her, they could not recover.

Earl Warwick , belatedly realizing the impact that the coronation of Charles in Reims had on the country, arranged his “anointing” of young Henry VI in Notre Dame de Paris in December 1431, which, however, was seen by few as legitimate.

The very next year, Dunois took Chartres , and the stablele Rishmon, finally reconciled with the king, became his main adviser.

In 1435, Bedford and Isabella of Bavaria died.

In September of the same year, a major event took place - the final reconciliation of France and Burgundy , which concluded the Arras Treaty against the British. The very next year, Rishmon entered the army with Paris . The decisive offensive of the French was delayed for several years due to intrigues and rebellions at the royal court.

In 1449, the French launched an offensive in Normandy , which ended in victory on April 15, 1450 at the battle of Formigny . Normandy was taken by the French.

The battle of Castillon on July 17, 1453 was a decisive episode in the final stage of the Hundred Years War , after three months the French took Bordeaux , which finally put an end to the war.

After the end of the war in Normandy in 1452, Charles VII ordered that all the documents relating to the trial of Joan be collected and an investigation into his legality be undertaken. The investigation examined the documents of the process, interviewed the surviving witnesses and unanimously concluded that gross violations of the law were committed during the trial of Zhanna. In 1455, Pope Calixtus III ordered a new process and appointed three of his representatives to oversee it, including Archbishop Reims Jean Juvenel des Jursen as chairman. ^[14]

The court sat in Paris , Rouen and Orleans , and an investigation was also conducted in the homelands of Jeanne. Legates of the pope and judges questioned 115 witnesses, including the mother of Jeanne, her comrades in arms, ordinary residents of Orleans .

On July 7, 1456, the judges read out the verdict, which stated that every point of the charge against Jeanne was refuted by the testimonies of witnesses. The first trial was declared invalid, one copy of the protocols and the indictment was symbolically broken in front of the crowd. The good name of Jeanne has been restored.

In 1909, Pope Pius X proclaimed Jeanne the Blessed , and on May 16, 1920, Pope Benedict XV canonized her (Memorial Day - May 30). Currently, almost every Catholic church in France has a statue of Saint Joan of Arc. The Orleans maiden is portrayed in a man's suit, holding a sword in his hand.

There are legends known from the 15th century that have survived to this day that offer alternative versions of the origin, life, death, and the “miraculous salvation” of Joan of Arc ^[15] .

• Every year on May 8 in France is celebrated the "Day of Joan of Arc."
• In honor of Joan of Arc, the asteroid (127) Joan , discovered in 1872, is named.
• The name of the national heroine named the French cruiser helicopter carrier "Joan of Arc . " Launched in 1964.
• In 1974, at the initiative of André Malraux, the Joan of Arc Arc Center was founded in Orleans, which collects documents relating to her life and work.

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  Monument to Joan of Arc in Paris

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  Monument to Joan of Arc in Chinon (Sculptor J. Roulot , 1893)

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  Joan of Arc ( Paul Gauguin , 1889)

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  Jeanne's signature

• Joan of Arc - life as a masterpiece. The program "Echo of Moscow" from the cycle "Everything is so"
• The project "Saint Joan" of the library "Una Fides"
• Site dedicated to Joan of Arc with a selection of documents (English)
• Project Maid of heaven
• Henri Wallon. Joan of Arc (Fr.)
• Records of the Prosecution of Joan of Arc
• Alternative Version Materials
• Siege of Orleans (Fr.)
• The mission of Joan of Arc and the mysteries of history (Eugene Hatskelson).
• Joan of Arc // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.