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To some extent, Joan is a controversial character who is regarded as a saint by some characters and as a witch
by others;
Considered witch because of her unwillingness to accept the hierarchy of the church and her claims of direct
instruction from God himself. So in a way her opinions and thoughts were in direct contrast with the people
around her who believed in church and its rules and hence she was regarded as a heretic.
Especially In the eyes of the Archbishop, who regarded her as a witch or a woman of sorcery and witchcraft,
he also attacked her femininity and said: This creature is not a saint. She is not even a respectable woman. She
does not wear women's clothes. She is dressed like a soldier, and rides round the country with soldiers.
One aspect of Joans appeal was the belief people had in her saintliness caused miracles to happen. Those
people had completely different views about Joan, they thought that she is a true saint who is sent by God to
bring back the political affairs to its right position. She also revolts against the dominance of the Catholic
Church on the state so as to put religion on its right path. One of those people who regarded Joan as a saint
and an angel was Charles especially when he says:
No: he is sending a saint: an angel. And she is coming to me: to me, the king, and not to you, Archbishop, holy
as you are. She knows the blood royal if you dont.
This shows the faith that people had in Joans saintliness.
Innocent or Guilty?
During the battle, she was thrown off her horse and left outside the towns gates. The Burgundians took her captive and held
her for several months, negotiating with the English, and exchanged her with English for money.
Though Joans actions were against the English army, she was handed over to church officials who insisted she be tried as a
heretic. She was charged with 70 counts, including witchcraft, heresy and dressing like a man.
Initially the trial was held in public, but it went private when Joan bettered her accusers. There, she was interrogated nearly a
dozen times by the court, but she always maintained her humility and claim of innocence. Instead of being held in a church
prison with nuns as guards, she was held in a military prison. Joan was threatened in prison, but she did not give up. She
protected herself by tying her soldiers clothes tightly together with dozens of cords. Frustrated they could not break her, the
court eventually used her military clothes against her, charging that she dressed like a man.
The court announced her guilty. She was taken to the marketplace in Rouen and burned. She was 19 nineteen years old then.
War continued for another 22 years after her death. King Charles VII ultimately retained his crown, and he ultimately declared
Joan of Arc to be officially innocent of all charges and designated a martyr.
But this reversal of the verdict in form a rehabilitation (restoration) of Joan where she was declared innocent and a saint, was
only to confirm the validity of coronation of Charles.
Although rehabilitation of Joan was a corrupt job or a political propaganda, it did produce evidence good enough to satisfy all
critics that Joan was not a overpowering woman, blasphemer, or ill conducted in any sense. Yes she wore an outfit of a soldier,
a little arrogant and audacious, but at the same time she was good-humored, temperate, kind woman who never used loose
language or unprincipled conduct. And she was of course a brave and hardy soldier who amazingly led the French to victory.
Born around 1412, Jeanne dArc (or in English, Joan of Arc) was the
daughter of a tenant farmer, Jacques dArc, from the village of Domrmy, in
northeastern France. She was not taught to read or write, but her pious
mother instilled in her a deep love for the Catholic Church and its
teachings. At the time, France had long been torn apart by a bitter conflict
with England (later known as the Hundred Years War), in which England
had gained the upper hand. A peace treaty in 1420 disinherited the French
crown prince, Charles of Valois, amid accusations of his illegitimacy, and
King Henry V was made ruler of both England and France. His son, Henry
VI, succeeded him in 1422. Along with its French allies (led by Philip the
Good, duke of Burgundy), England occupied much of northern France, and
many in Joans village, Domrmy, were forced to abandon their homes
under threat of invasion.
At the age of 13, Joan began to hear voices, which she determined
had been sent by God to give her a mission of overwhelming
importance: to save France by expelling its enemies, and to install
Charles as its rightful king. As part of this divine mission, Joan took a
vow of chastity. At the age of 16, after her father attempted to
arrange a marriage for her, she successfully convinced a local court
that she should not be forced to accept the match.
Who was Joan of Arc?