INTRODUCTION M ore than six hundred years ago in the early fif teenth century the nation of France was at war with England They had been in conflict off and on for decades since 1337 over who would control much of the territory of France itself This set of conflicts was known as the Hundred Years War and it occurred toward the end of what we now call the Middle Ages the period of European history that included the era of knights and chivalry By the early 1400s France’s luck against the English seemed to have faded While France was for the most part richer larger and more populous the English often had the upper hand Their better weapons including their longbows allowed them to frequently beat back much larger French forces including the knights mounted on horseback called cavalry The newest stage in the war called the Lancastrian War began in 1415 with the English invasion of the north west coastal area of France known as Normandy England soon gained control of about one-third of French territory all of France north of the Loire River including Paris It was a time in which the French struggled for hope Even as the English seemed unstoppable hope was bound to return even if the French did not know it yet Around 1412 a baby named Joan had been born in a small village called Domrémy in the eastern countryside Her par ents Jacques d’Arc and Isabelle Romée were landowners and farmers and respected members of their village 6
INTRODUCTION 7 This 1854 painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres entitled Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII in Reims Cathedral depicts the heroine at the moment of one of her greatest triumphs
8 JOAN OF ARC Under normal circumstances Joan would probably have grown up to live a quiet regular life She and her four siblings were well off enough and perhaps Joan would have been married to another middle-class farmer in the area Most women and even men for that matter unless they were bound for jobs in the clerical or legal fields or for university studies did not learn to read or write Joan lived pretty much the same life and did the same things as her siblings and peers of her age Most women who were famous or influential then were royalty or otherwise married into power or influence But an entirely different life and destiny lined up for the young woman who would become known as the Maid of Orléans Rather than remain in her small village she would defy the typical roles a girl and woman usually took during this era Joan of Arc would instead become one of the most roman tic figures in European history She would become a leader a warrior and a French national hero To the enemies of her people the English she would be a thorn in their side and a heretic But she would also be a reputed prophet and holy messenger who would become famous for her heroism devotion and ultimate sacrifice for her faith and nation Eventually she would even become a saint
THE VISIONS OF A YOUNG WOMAN T he tiny village of Domrémy rarely figured into import ant events Less than two hundred people lived there mostly growing crops or making wine Most French people were faithful Roman Catholics and Domrémy’s villagers were no different As historian Donald Spoto writes in Joan The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint faith and its practice were mainstream aspects of medieval life and the language of faith was like a common coun try in which all people lived A RESPONSIBLE CHILD Joan of Arc in French Jeanne d’Arc was prob ably born in 1412 although some accounts This image shows a room in the house where Joan is believed to have been born in modern-day Domrémy-la-Pucelle France 9 CHAPTER ONE
