St Joan of Arc

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St Joan of Arc
By Joy Scanlon, CL 6
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Joans Youth Background of France

• Joan was born a peasant in Champagne, France
• around 1412.
• Joan was the daughter of a farmer.
• Joan spent her youth, uneducated, working on her
  familys farm.
• She grew up in France at a time when it was torn
  by hatred toward its outside control by England.
• A revolt against the English was desired by the
  people of France.
• Joan grew up during a time when women were not
  valued as intellectuals, military or political
  leaders (all of which, to an extent, she would
  later become).

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Religious Background

• Joan was raised as a Catholic in an area of a
  very high concentration of Catholics.
• Joan was known to spend much time in her local
  church praying.
• She was also known in her community as someone
  who lived out the teachings of the Church
  regarding compassion and generosity toward the
  impoverished.
• At the age of 13, Joan began to make claims of
  hearing voices. She identified these voices as
  St. Michael, St. Catherine and St. Margaret.
• She asserted that these voices instructed her to
  free France from its oppressors and set her
  people free.

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Beginnings as a Military Leader

• At the age of 16, Joan left her home to begin her
  mission of freeing France.
• Her first goal was to meet King Charles of
  Ponthieu (soon to be King Charles VII) in Chinon.
• (Background info Charles was the man that the
  French people wanted to lead them.)
• Upon Joans arrival, Charles tested her by
  disguising himself, but she immediately picked
  him out of a crowd and saluted him despite the
  fact that she had no logical way of recognizing
  him, having never seen him before.
• Charles took her passing his test as a sign and
  granted Joan permission to lead an army.

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Joans Sword

• Before beginning, Joan asked that
• an ancient sword be unearthed from
• behind the altar of
• Ste-Catherine-de-Fiebois. Instead of
• using a new sword she wanted to use
• the ancient one, which she claimed had
• been spoken of by her voices. It was
• found as indicated and she used it to
• lead her troops in battle.

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Military Accomplishments

• Through battle, Joan freed the English-controlled
  cities of
• Orleans
• Jargeau
• Meung-sur-Loire
• Beaugency
• Patay
• Troyes
• St. Pierre-le-Moutier
• She aided Charles in being crowned as King of
  France, therefore removing unwanted imperialism.
• Noble status was awarded to her and her family in
  1429

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Joans Military Failure Downfall

• At a battle for the city of Paris, Joan was shot
  through the leg by an enemys crossbow. The
  attempt at freeing the city failed and Joan was
  injured.
• Having achieved her original goal of freeing
  cities and crowning a new king, Joan was eager
  to return home, but was
• detained by her troops.
• Through a series of events that included being
  wounded
• and captured, Joan was convinced to sign a truce
  with the
• Duke of Burgundy, calling off future battles.
• Joan was illegally detained in a tower at the
  Castle of
• Rouen before her trials began. Here she was
  locked in an
• iron cage and shackled hand and foot.

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Joans Trial Death

• Joan was charged with heresy and difformitate
  habitus (or dressing like a man).
• Before a court composed predominantly of those
  partial to English rule, Joan was tried and found
  guilty on both counts. She was sentenced to death
  and on May 30 of 1491 was burned at the stake.

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Religious Honors

• Joans acknowledged miracles are the curing of
  one woman of ulcers and two of cancer.
• In 1909, after her trial was found to have been
  corrupt, Joan was beautified and then canonized
  in 1920.
• Joan is now the patron saint of France and of
  soldiers.
• Joans feast day is on May 30th, and May 8th is a
  national holiday in France in
  her honor.

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Bibliography

• Bois, Danuta. Joan of Arc. May 22, 2008.
  http//www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/joan
  arc.html
• Knight, Kevin. St. Joan of Arc. May 22, 200.
  http//www.newadvent.org/cathen/08409c.htm
• Williamson, Adam. Joan of Arc. December 10,
  2007. May 22, 2008. http//www.joanofarc.info/