Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc , nicknamed “The Maiden of Orleans” , was born in 1412 in Domrémy , Bar, France . She was declared the national heroine of France, at age 18 she led the French army to victory over the English at Orleans. Captured a year later, Joan was burned at the stake as a heretic by the English and their French collaborators . She was canonized as a Catholic saint more than 500 years later, on May 16, 1920.

What did

Juana carried out the incredible mission that God had given her, that of liberating her country from foreign invaders by leading thousands of soldiers into battle, even though she had no training as a soldier. It legitimized the French crown and laid the foundations of French nationalism .

Biography of Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc was born in 1412, in Domrémy, France . Daughter of poor tenants Jacques d’Arc and his wife, Isabelle , Juana learned piety and domestic skills from her mother.

In 1415, King Henry V of England invaded northern France . After delivering a crushing defeat to the French forces, England gained the support of the Burgundians in France. The Treaty of Troy granted the French throne to Henry V as regent of the foolish King Charles VI.  Henry would later inherit the throne after the death of Carlos. However, the two died leaving Henry’s little son as king of both kingdoms. French supporters of Charles’s son, the future Charles VII, felt the opportunity to return the crown to a French monarch .

Around this time, Joan of Arc began to have mystical visions encouraging her to lead a godly life. Over time, they became more vivid, with the presence of Saint Michael and Saint Catherine who designated her as the savior of France and encouraged her to seek an audience with Carlos, who had assumed the title, and to ask her permission to expel the English and install him as the rightful king .

Death

Joan of Arc fulfilled the will of God, as she confessed to the judges of the Inquisition who sentenced her. The young maiden traveled to Chinon , to the court of Carlos VII, and wearing men’s clothes, as the voices had indicated, convinced the dolphin that she was the one sent to help him reconquer France .

Equipped with white armor and carrying a banner , she marched in front of the troops and forced the English to lift the siege of Orleans , defeated the British general Talbot, and Charles VII was crowned king at Reims , on July 17, 1429.

However, a year later, she was taken prisoner and handed over to the English , who accused her of heresy and sentenced her to die at the stake . On the morning of May 30, 1431, 582 years ago, she was tied to a stake and burned alive in the Old Market Square of Rouen , northwestern France, and her ashes were thrown into the Seine River.

Canonization of Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc, was a heroine and French saint . His holiday is the day of his death on May 30 . The clerics condemned for heresy and Duke John of Bedford ‘s burned alive in Rouen. The family gathered the evidence for the review of the trial and sent it to the Pope, but he definitely refused to reopen the process. On the death of Nicholas V, the Spanish Pope Calixto III was elected and it was he who reopened the case. Juana’s innocence was recognized that same year, in a process where there were numerous testimonies and declared heretics tojudges who had condemned her. In the 20th century, on April 18, 1909, she was beatified and later declared a saint in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV . She was also declared the Patron Saint of France .

Importance

The greatest importance of Joan of Arc was her participation with Carlos VII in order to legitimize the French crown that would later lay the foundations of French nationalism . She is also remembered as a national heroine by the people of France and as a saint by the church. He fought against the English occupation of France and lived as a martyr , sacrificing his life not to renounce his beliefs and voices.

Books and films about Joan of Arc

Among the films that have been made and that reflect the life of Joan of Arc we mention the following:

• Joan of Arc by Cecil B. DeMille
• The Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Theodor Dreyer
• Joan of Arc by Victor Fleming
• Joan of Arc by Roberto Rossellini
• Saint Joan, the Iron Lady by Otto Preminger
• The Trial of Joan of Arc by Robert Bresson
• Joan of Arc I, the battles and Joan of Arc II , the prisons of Jacques Rivette

Some books have also been written to reflect the life of the queen, including:

• The book Joan of Arc by Astor is a 152-page work by the author Louis de Wohl which was published by the publishing house Ediciones Palabra, SA on April 8, 2005.
• Saint Joan of Arc. Queen, virgin and martyr : First documentary study in Spanish in light of their processes.
• Juana de Arco, Mini biographies which is a 38 page book of Joan of Arc that was published on February 28, 2014. This book, created by Susaeta Ediciones SA, has been edited by Susaeta.
• The book Joan of Arc, Libros del Tiempo is a 408-page work on Joan of Arc by author Vita Sackville-West published by Siruela publishing house on October 1, 2003.

Phrases

His most famous phrases were the following:

• Work as if with only your work you could reach the goal .
• Only to God I refer. And when it comes to my visions, I do not accept the judgment of any man.
• Men fight ; only God gives the victory .
• I never committed a mortal sin . Because in that case my voices would have reproached me, my Spirits would have forsaken me.
• My voices tell me: Do not fear , respond boldly, that God will help you.
• I was thirteen when I heard a voice. That voice told me that I would lift the siege of Orleans: You must save the nation and the king.