Who is Zhanna? Joan of Arc: The Story of the Maid of Orleans

The history of mankind knows many people who became famous for defending their country from an external aggressor. But especially interesting are those heroes who are surrounded by an aura of mystery and a romantic flair (like Jeanne d'Arc, for example).

Birthplace of Joan of Arc

So, Joan of Arc was born in 1412, in one of the most difficult eras French history. The country was then repeatedly defeated by the British and allied troops, and stood on the verge of complete defeat and destruction. In 1420, an agreement was concluded according to which the English king became the French monarch, and the heir to the throne was excluded from inheritance. In fact, there was already talk of legislating the occupation.

This, naturally, could not help but excite people. Zhanna was no exception. And although birthplace of Joan of Arc- the village of Domremi, where she lived in a peasant ordinary family, this did not stop her from becoming a national heroine. Rumors and rumors are spreading throughout the country: “a woman (the queen, who was considered a traitor), is destroying France, but the maiden will be able to save her.” Zhanna takes these words personally. There is no doubt that there were quite a few of them, but the lucky chance fell to her alone. In 1425 she begins to “hear and see saints.” They urge her to quickly head to the south, where the heir is, and stop the destruction.

Why was Joan of Arc burned?

One way or another, the persistent desire to help France in the fight against enemies and the accurate prediction of the outcome of one of the battles near Orleans attracted attention to Joan of Arc. Her goal at that time was to gain command of a detachment of troops and unblock Orleans. Having successfully passed some tests, she received the position of commander. Having inflicted several heavy defeats on the English troops, Jeanne managed to achieve her goal. However, as the war continued, she was captured by the Burgundians and then handed over to the British. They accuse her of magic and burn her at the stake. Here, in general outline, and the entire short life, less than 30 years.

It's obvious that Joan of Arc was burned in fact, not for “magic”, but for the victories she achieved at the head of the French army.

Her actions in the war were swift and decisive. So, on March 6, 1429, Jeanne entered the Chinon castle (where the Dauphin was present) and told him about the “voices” that indicated her chosenness - the mission to coronate the heir in Reims. It was believed that only there one could become a legitimate ruler. On April 29, a detachment under the command of Joan of Arc entered Orleans, a series of battles took place, as a result of which the city was able to be released. The defeated French troops won a series of victories that had important moral significance.

The march to Reims becomes no longer just a march of troops, but literally a triumphal procession. On July 17, the Dauphin is crowned in the liberated city. The next month the attack on Paris begins (unsuccessful), then many small clashes. And on May 23, 1430, Jeanne was captured...

Where was Joan of Arc burned?

There are two versions on this matter. According to one, she was not executed at all, but was simply taken away somewhere or secretly released. But another point of view prevails - on May 30, 1431, Jeanne was taken to the market square of occupied Rouen, where she was burned at the stake.

“We know more about Joan of Arc than about any other of her contemporaries, and at the same time it is difficult to find among the people of the 15th century another person whose image would seem so mysterious to posterity.” (*2) page 5

“...She was born in the village of Domremy in Lorraine in 1412. It is known that she was born from honest and fair parents. On the night of Christmas, when peoples are accustomed to honor the works of Christ in great bliss, she entered the mortal world. And the roosters, as if the heralds of new joy, crowed then with an extraordinary, hitherto unheard cry. We saw them flapping their wings for more than two hours, predicting what was destined for this little one.” (*1) p.146

This fact is reported by Perceval de Boulainvilliers, the king's adviser and chamberlain, in a letter to the Duke of Milan, which can be called her first biography. But most likely this description is a legend, since not a single chronicle mentions this and the birth of Jeanne did not leave the slightest trace in the memory of fellow villagers - residents of Domremi, who acted as witnesses in the rehabilitation process.

She lived in Domremy with her father, mother and two brothers, Jean and Pierre. Jacques d'Arc and Isabella were, by local standards, “not very rich.” (More detailed description family see (*2) p.41-43)

“Not far from the village where Jeanne grew up, there grew a very beautiful tree, “as beautiful as a lily,” as one witness noted; On Sundays, village boys and girls gathered near the tree, they danced around it and washed themselves with water from a nearby spring. The tree was called the tree of fairies; they said that in ancient times wonderful creatures, fairies, danced around it. Zhanna also often went there, but she never saw a single fairy.” (*5) p.417, see (*2) p.43-45

“When she was 12 years old, her first revelation came to her. Suddenly, a shining cloud appeared before her eyes, from which a voice was heard: “Jeanne, it behooves you to go another way and perform wonderful deeds, for you are the one whom the Heavenly King chose to protect King Charles...” (*1) p.146

“At first I was very scared. I heard a voice during the day, it was in the summer in my father’s garden. The day before, I fasted. The voice came to me from the right side, from where the church was, and from the same side came great holiness. This voice has always guided me. “Later, the voice began to appear to Jeanne every day and insisted that she needed to “go and lift the siege from the city of Orleans.” The voices called her “Jeanne de Pucelle, daughter of God” - in addition to the first voice, which, as Jeanne thinks, belonged to the Archangel Michael, the voices of Saint Margaret and Saint Catherine were soon added. To all those who tried to block her path, Zhanna reminded ancient prophecy, which said that “A woman will destroy France, and a virgin will save it.” (The first part of the prophecy came true when Isabella of Bavaria forced her husband, the French king Charles VI, to declare their son Charles VII illegitimate, with the result that by the time of Joanna, Charles VII was not a king, but only a dauphin). (*5) p.417

“I came here to the royal chamber in order to speak with Robert de Baudricourt, so that he would take me to the king or order his people to take me; but he paid no attention either to me or to my words; nevertheless, it is necessary for me to appear before the king in the first half of Lent, even if for this I have to wear off my legs to the knees; know that no one - neither the king, nor the duke, nor the daughter of the Scottish king, nor anyone else - can restore the French kingdom; salvation can only come from me, and although I would prefer to stay with my poor mother and spin, this is not my destiny: I must go, and I will do it, for my Master wants me to act in this way.” (*3) page 27

Three times she had to turn to Robert de Baudricourt. After the first time, she was sent home, and her parents decided to marry her off. But Zhanna herself ended the engagement through the court.

“Time passed slowly for her, “like a woman expecting a child,” she said, so slowly that she could not stand it and one fine morning, accompanied by her uncle, the devoted Durand Laxart, a resident of Vaucouleurs named Jacques Alain, set off on her journey ; her companions bought a horse for her, which cost them twelve francs. But they did not go far: having arrived in Saint-Nicolas-de-Saint-Fonds, which was on the road to Sauvroy, Jeanne declared: “This is not the right way for us to leave,” and the travelers returned to Vaucouleurs. (*3) page 25

One fine day a messenger arrived from Nancy from the Duke of Lorraine.

“Duke Charles II of Lorraine gave Joan a gracious welcome. He invited her to his place in Nancy. Charles of Lorraine was not at all an ally of Charles Valois; on the contrary, he took a position of hostile neutrality towards France, gravitating towards England.

She told the Duke (Charles of Lorraine) to give her his son and people who would take her to France, and she would pray to God for his health.” Jeanne called his son-in-law, Rene of Anjou, the Duke's son. “Good King René” (who later became famous as a poet and patron of the arts), was married to the Duke’s eldest daughter and his heir Isabella... This meeting strengthened Jeanne’s position in public opinion... Baudricourt (commandant of Vaucouleurs) changed his attitude towards Jeanne and agreed to send her to the Dauphin.” (*2) p.79

There is a version that Rene d'Anjou was the master of the secret order of the Priory of Zion and helped Jeanne fulfill her mission. (See chapter "René d'Anjou")

Already in Vaucouleurs she dresses men's suit and goes across the country to the Dauphin Charles. Tests are ongoing. In Chinon, under the name of the Dauphin, another is introduced to her, but Jeanne unmistakably finds Charles out of 300 knights and greets him. During this meeting, Jeanne tells the Dauphin something or shows some kind of sign, after which Karl begins to believe her.

“The story of Jeanne herself to Jean Pasquerel, her confessor: “When the king saw her, he asked Jeanne her name, and she answered: “Dear Dauphin, I am called Jeanne the Virgin, and through my lips the King of Heaven addresses you and says that you will accept anointing and you will be crowned in Reims and become the viceroy of the King of Heaven, the true king of France.” After other questions asked by the king, Jeanne again told him: “I tell you in the name of the Almighty that you are the true heir of France and the son of the king, and He sent me to you to lead you to Reims so that you would be crowned and anointed there.” , if you want." Hearing this, the king informed those present that Jeanne had initiated him into a certain secret that no one except God knew and could not know; that's why he trusts her completely. “I heard all this,” concludes Brother Pasquerel, “from the lips of Jeanne, since I myself was not present.” (*3) page 33

But, nevertheless, an investigation begins, gathering detailed information about Jeanne, who at this time is in Poitiers, where the college of learned theologians of the bishopric of Poitiers must make its decision.

“Believing that precautions are never unnecessary, the king decided to increase the number of those who were entrusted with interrogating the girl, and to choose the most worthy among them; and they were supposed to gather in Poitiers. Jeanne was lodged in the house of Maître Jean Rabateau, a lawyer for the Parisian Parliament who had joined the king two years earlier. Several women were assigned to secretly monitor her behavior.

François Garivel, the king’s adviser, clarifies that Jeanne was interrogated several times and the investigation took about three weeks.” (*3) page 43

“A certain lawyer of parliament, Jean Barbon: “From learned theologians who studied her with passion and asked her many questions, I heard that she answered very carefully, as if she were a good scientist, so that they were amazed at her answers. They believed that there was something divine in her very life and her behavior; in the end, after all the interrogations and inquiries carried out by the scientists, they came to the conclusion that there was nothing bad, nothing contradictory in it Catholic faith and that, taking into account the plight of the king and the kingdom - after all, the king and the inhabitants of the kingdom loyal to him were at that time in despair and did not know what help to hope for, if only not for the help of God - the king can accept her help. (*3) page 46

During this period, she acquires a sword and a banner. (see chapter “Sword. Banner.”)

“In all likelihood, by giving Jeanne the right to have a personal banner, the Dauphin equated her with the so-called “banner knights” who commanded detachments of their people.

Jeanne had under her command a small detachment, which consisted of a retinue, several soldiers and servants. The retinue included a squire, a confessor, two pages, two heralds, as well as Jean of Metz and Bertrand de Poulangy and Jeanne's brothers, Jacques and Pierre, who joined her in Tours. Even in Poitiers, the Dauphin entrusted the protection of the Virgin to the experienced warrior Jean d'Olon, who became her squire. In this brave and noble man, Jeanne found a mentor and friend. He taught her military affairs, she spent all her campaigns with him, he was next to her in all battles, assaults and forays. Together they were captured by the Burgundians, but she was sold to the British, and he ransomed his freedom and a quarter of a century later, already a knight, a royal adviser and, occupying a prominent position as seneschal of one of the southern French provinces, wrote very interesting memoirs at the request of the rehabilitation commission , in which he spoke about many important episodes in the history of Joan of Arc. We have also reached the testimony of one of Jeanne’s pages, Louis de Coutes; about the second - Raymond - we know nothing. Jeanne's confessor was the Augustinian monk Jean Pasquerel; He has very detailed testimony, but obviously not everything in it is reliable. (*2) p.130

“In Tours, a military retinue was assembled for Jeanne, as befits a military leader; they appointed intendant Jean d'Olonne, who testifies: “For her protection and escort, I was placed at her disposal by the king, our lord”; she also has two pages - Louis de Coutes and Raymond. Two heralds, Ambleville and Guienne, were also under her command; heralds are messengers dressed in livery that allows them to be identified. Heralds were inviolable.

Since Jeanne was given two messengers, it means that the king began to treat her like any other high-ranking warrior, vested with authority and bearing personal responsibility for his actions.

The royal troops were supposed to gather in Blois... It was in Blois, while the army was there, that Jeanne ordered the banner... Jeanne's confessor was touched by the almost religious appearance of the marching army: “When Jeanne set out from Blois to go to Orleans, she asked to gather everyone priests around this banner, and the priests walked ahead of the army... and sang antiphons... the same thing happened the next day. And on the third day they approached Orleans." (*3) page 58

Karl hesitates. Zhanna hurries him. The liberation of France begins with the lifting of the siege of Orleans. This is the first military victory of the army loyal to Charles under the leadership of Jeanne, which is also a sign of her divine mission. "Cm. R. Pernu, M.-V. Clain, Joan of Arc /pp. 63-69/

It took Jeanne 9 days to liberate Orleans.

“The sun was already setting to the west, and the French were still fighting unsuccessfully for the ditch of the forward fortification. Zhanna jumped on her horse and went to the fields. Away from view... Jeanne plunged into prayer among the vines. The unheard-of endurance and will of a seventeen-year-old girl allowed her, at this decisive moment, to escape from her own tension, from the despondency and exhaustion that gripped everyone, now she found external and internal silence - when only inspiration can arise...”

“...But then the unprecedented happened: the arrows fell out of their hands, the confused people looked at the sky. Saint Michael, surrounded by a whole host of angels, appeared shining in the shimmering Orleans sky. The Archangel fought on the side of the French." (*1) page 86

“...the English, seven months after the beginning of the siege and nine days after the Virgin occupied the city, retreated without a fight, every last one, and this happened on May 8 (1429), the day when St. Michael appeared in distant Italy on Monte Gargano and on the island of Ischia...

The magistrate wrote in the city register that the liberation of Orleans was the greatest miracle of the Christian era. Since then, throughout the centuries, the valiant city has solemnly dedicated this day to the Virgin, the day of May 8, designated in the calendar as the feast of the Apparition of the Archangel Michael.

Many modern critics argue that the victory at Orleans can only be attributed to accidents or to the inexplicable refusal of the British to fight. And yet Napoleon, who thoroughly studied Joan’s campaigns, declared that she was a genius in military affairs, and no one would dare to say that he did not understand strategy.

The English biographer of Joan of Arc, W. Sanquill West, writes today that the entire mode of action of her fellow countrymen who participated in those events seems to her so strange and slow that it can only be explained by supernatural reasons: “Reasons about which are we in the light of our twentieth century science—or perhaps in the darkness of our twentieth century science? “We don’t know anything.” (*1) pp.92-94

“To meet the king after the siege was lifted, Jeanne and the Bastard of Orleans went to Loches: “She rode out to meet the king, holding her banner in her hand, and they met,” says a German chronicle of that time, which brought us a lot of information. When the girl bowed her head in front of the king as low as she could, the king immediately ordered her to rise, and they thought that he almost kissed her from the joy that gripped him.” It was May 11, 1429.

Word of Jeanne's feat spread throughout Europe, which showed extraordinary interest in what had happened. The author of the chronicle we quoted is a certain Eberhard Windeken, treasurer of Emperor Sigismund; Obviously, the emperor showed great interest in the deeds of Jeanne and ordered to find out about her. (*3) p.82

We can judge the reaction outside France by the very interesting source. This is the Chronicle of Antonio Morosini... partly a collection of letters and reports. Letter from Pancrazzo Giustiniani to his father, from Bruges to Venice, dated May 10, 1429: “A certain Englishman named Lawrence Trent, a respectable man and not a talker, writes, seeing that this is said in the reports of so many worthy and trustworthy people: “ It drives me crazy". He reports that many barons treat her with respect, as do the commoners, and those who laughed at her died bad death. Nothing, however, is so clear as her undisputed victory in a debate with the masters of theology, so that it seems as if she was the second Saint Catherine who came to earth, and many knights who heard what amazing speeches she made every day, believe this is a great miracle... They further report that this girl must perform two great deeds and then die. May God help her... “How does she appear before a Venetian of the Quartocento era, before a merchant, diplomat and intelligence officer, that is, before a person of a completely different culture, a different psychological make-up than herself and her entourage?... Giustiniani is confused. » (*2) p.146

Portrait of Joan of Arc

“...The girl has an attractive appearance and masculine posture, she speaks little and shows a wonderful mind; She delivers her speeches in a pleasant, high-pitched voice, as befits a woman. She is moderate in food, and even more moderate in her wine drinking. She finds pleasure in beautiful horses and weapons. Virgo finds many meetings and conversations unpleasant. Her eyes often fill with tears, and she also loves fun. He endures unheard-of hard labor, and when he carries weapons, he shows such tenacity that he can continuously remain fully armed day and night for six days. She says that the English have no right to rule France, and for this, she says, God sent her so that she would drive them out and defeat them...”

“Guy de Laval, a young nobleman who joined the royal army, describes her with admiration: “I saw her, in armor and in full battle gear, with a small ax in her hand, mounting her huge black war horse at the exit of the house , who was in great impatience and did not allow himself to be saddled; Then she said: “Take him to the cross,” which was located in front of the church on the road. Then she jumped into the saddle, but he did not move, as if he was tied. And then she turned to the church gates, which were very close to her: “And you, priests, organize a procession and pray to God.” And then she set off, saying: “Hurry forward, hurry forward.” A pretty page carried her unfurled banner, and she held an ax in her hand.” (*3) p.89

Gilles de Rais: “She is a child. She never harmed an enemy, no one saw her ever hit anyone with a sword. After each battle she mourns the fallen, before each battle she partakes of the Body of the Lord - most of the soldiers do this with her - and yet she says nothing. Not a single thoughtless word comes out of her mouth - in this she is as mature as many men. No one ever swears around her, and people like it, even though all their wives are at home. Needless to say, she never takes off her armor if she sleeps next to us, and then, despite all her cuteness, not a single man experiences carnal desire for her.” (*1) p.109

“Jean Alençon, who was the commander-in-chief in those days, recalled many years later: “She understood everything that had to do with war: she could stick a pike and review the troops, line up the army in battle formation and place guns. Everyone was surprised that she was so prudent in her affairs, like a combat commander with twenty or thirty years of experience.” (*1) p.118

“Jeanne was a beautiful and charming girl, and all the men who met her felt it. But this feeling was the most genuine, that is, the highest, transformed, virgin, returned to that state of “God’s love” that Nuyonpon noted in himself.” (*4) p.306

" - This is very strange, and we can all testify to this: when she rides with us, birds from the forest flock and sit on her shoulders. In battle, it happens that pigeons begin to flutter near her." (*1) p.108

“I remember that in the protocol drawn up by my colleagues about her life, it was written that in her homeland in Domremy, birds of prey flocked to her when she was grazing cows in the meadow, and, sitting on her lap, pecked at the crumbs that she took a bite from the bread. Her herd was never attacked by a wolf, and on the night she was born - on Epiphany - various unusual things were noticed with animals... And why not? Animals are also God's creatures... (*1) page 108

“It seems that in the presence of Jeanne the air became transparent for those people for whom the cruel night had not yet darkened their minds, and in those years there were more such people than is commonly believed now.” (*1) p.66

Her ecstasies proceeded as if outside of time, in ordinary activities, but without disconnection from the latter. She heard her Voices amidst the fighting, but continued to command the troops; heard during interrogations, but continued to answer theologians. This can also be evidenced by her cruelty when, near Turelli, she pulled out an arrow from her wound, ceasing to feel physical pain during ecstasy. And I must add that she was excellent at determining her Voices in time: at such and such an hour when the bells were ringing.” (*4) p.307

“Rupertus Geyer, that same “anonymous” cleric,” understood Joan’s personality correctly: if some kind of historical analogy can be found for her, then it is best to compare Joan with the Sibyls, these prophetesses of the pagan era, through whose mouths the gods spoke. But there was a huge difference between them and Zhanna. The Sibyls were influenced by the forces of nature: sulfur fumes, intoxicating odors, babbling streams. In a state of ecstasy, they expressed things that they immediately forgot about as soon as they came to their senses. IN Everyday life they did not have any high insights, they were blank slates on which to write forces that could not be controlled. “For the prophetic gift inherent in them is like a board on which nothing is written, it is unreasonable and uncertain,” wrote Plutarch.

Through the lips of Joan they also spoke spheres whose boundaries no one knew; she could fall into ecstasy at prayer, at the ringing of bells, in a quiet field or in a forest, but it was such an ecstasy, such a transcendence of ordinary feelings, which she controlled and from which she could emerge with a sober mind and awareness of her own self, in order to then translate what he saw and heard into the language of earthly words and earthly actions. What was available to the pagan priestesses in an eclipse of feelings detached from the world, Jeanne perceived in a clear consciousness and reasonable moderation. She rode and fought with men, she slept with women and children, and, like all of them, Jeanne could laugh. She spoke simply and clearly, without omissions or secrets, about what was about to happen: “Wait, three more days, then we will take the city”; “Be patient, in an hour you will become winners.” Virgo deliberately removed the veil of mystery from her life and actions; Only she herself remained a mystery. Since the impending disaster was predicted for her, she closed her lips, and no one knew about the gloomy news. Always, even before her death at the stake, Zhanna was aware of what she could say and what she could not say.

Since the days of the Apostle Paul, women who “speak in tongues” in Christian communities were to remain silent, for “for speaking in tongues the spirit who gives inspiration is responsible, but for the intelligent prophetic word the speaking person is responsible.” Spiritual language must be translated into the language of people, so that a person accompanies the speech of the spirit with his mind; and only what a person can understand and assimilate with his own reason should he express in words.

Joan of Arc, in those weeks, was able to prove more clearly than ever that she was responsible for her intelligent words of prophecy and that she spoke them - or remained silent - while in her right mind." (*1) p. 192

After the siege of Orleans was lifted, disputes began in the Royal Council about the direction of the campaign. At the same time, Jeanne was of the opinion that it was necessary to go to Reims to crown the king. “She argued that as soon as the king is crowned and anointed, the power of the enemies will decrease all the time and in the end they will no longer be able to harm either the king or the kingdom” p. 167.

Under these conditions, the coronation of the Dauphin in Reims became an act of proclamation of the state independence of France. This was the main political goal of the campaign.

But the courtiers did not advise Charles to undertake a campaign against Reims, saying that on the way from Gien to Reims there were many fortified cities, castles and fortresses with garrisons of English and Burgundians. Jeanne's enormous authority in the army played a decisive role, and on June 27, the Virgin led the vanguard of the army to Reimstr. Has begun new stage liberation struggle. Moreover, the liberation of Troyes decided the outcome of the entire campaign. The success of the campaign exceeded the wildest expectations: in less than three weeks the army covered almost three hundred kilometers and reached its final destination without firing a single shot, without leaving a single burned village or plundered city along the way. The enterprise, which at first seemed so difficult and dangerous, turned into a triumphal march.

On Sunday 17 July, Charles was crowned at Reims Cathedral. Jeanne stood in the cathedral, holding a banner in her hand. Then at the trial they will ask her: “Why was your banner brought into the cathedral during the coronation in preference to the banners of other captains?” And she will answer: “It was in labor and by right should have been honored.”

But then events unfold less triumphantly. Instead of a decisive offensive, Charles concludes a strange truce with the Burgundians. On January 21, the army returned to the banks of the Laura and the bvla was immediately disbanded. But Zhanna continues to fight, but at the same time suffers one defeat after another. Having learned that the Burgundians have besieged Compiegne, she rushes to the rescue. Virgo enters the city on May 23, and in the evening, during a sortie, she is captured.....

"IN last time In life, on the evening of May 23, 1430, Jeanne stormed the enemy camp, for the last time she took off her armor, and the standard with the image of Christ and the face of an angel was taken from her. The struggle on the battlefield is over. What now began at 18 years old was a fight with a different weapon and with a different opponent, but, as before, it was a struggle for life and death. At that moment, human history was being accomplished through Joan of Arc. Saint Margaret's behest was fulfilled; The hour for the fulfillment of St. Catherine's behest has struck. Earthly knowledge was preparing to fight with wisdom, in the morning rays of which the Virgin Jeanne lived, fought and suffered. In the tide of change the centuries were already approaching when the forces of God-denying scholarship began a bloodless but inexorable offensive against the dawning memory of his divine origin in man, when human minds and hearts became the arena in which fallen angels fought with an archangel named Michael, the herald of the will of Christ. Everything that Jeanne did served France, England, and new Europe; it was a challenge, a shining riddle for all the peoples of subsequent eras.” (*1) page 201

Jeanne spent six months in captivity in Burgundy. She waited for help but in vain. The French government did nothing to help her out of trouble. At the end of 1430, the Burgundians sold Jeanne to the British, who immediately brought her before the Inquisition.

Monument in the Cathedral Archangel Michael in Dijon (Burgundy)	Fragment from the film Robert Bresson "The Trial of Joan of Arc"	Gilded monument Joan of Arc in Paris at Pyramid Square

A year has passed since the day when Zhanna was captured... A year and one day...

Behind us was Burgundy captivity. There were two escape attempts behind us. The second almost ended tragically: Zhanna jumped out of a window on the top floor. This gave the judges a reason to accuse her of the mortal sin of attempted suicide. Her explanations were simple: “I did it not out of hopelessness, but in the hope of saving my body and going to the aid of many nice people who need it.”

Behind her was the iron cage in which she was kept for the first time in Rouen, in the basement of the royal castle of Bouverey. Then the interrogations began, she was transferred to a cell. Five English soldiers guarded her around the clock, and at night they chained her to the wall with an iron chain.

Behind were grueling interrogations. Each time she was bombarded with dozens of questions. Traps awaited her at every step. One hundred thirty-two members of the tribunal: cardinals, bishops, professors of theology, learned abbots, monks and priests.... And young girl, which in her own words, “knows neither a nor b.”

Behind were those two days at the end of March when she was familiarized with the indictment. In seventy articles, the prosecutor listed the criminal acts, speeches and thoughts of the defendant. But Zhanna deflected one accusation after another. The two-day reading of the indictment ended in the defeat of the prosecutor. The judges were convinced that the document they had drawn up was no good, and replaced it with another.

The second version of the indictment contained only 12 articles. The unimportant things were eliminated, the most important things remained: “voices and knowledge”, a man’s suit, a “fairy tree”, the seduction of the king and the refusal to submit to the militant church.

They decided to abandon torture “so as not to give a reason for slandering the exemplary trial.”

All this is behind us, and now Zhanna was brought to the cemetery, surrounded by guards, raised above the crowd, shown the executioner and began to read the verdict. This entire procedure, thought out to the smallest detail, was calculated to cause mental shock and fear of death in her. At some point, Zhanna cannot stand it and agrees to submit to the will of the church. “Then,” the protocol says, “in front of a great many clergy and laity, she pronounced the formula of renunciation, following the text of the letter drawn up in French, which letter she signed with her own hand.” Most likely, the formula of the official protocol is a forgery, the purpose of which is to retroactively extend Jeanne’s renunciation to all her previous activities. Perhaps at the Saint-Ouen cemetery, Jeanne did not renounce her past. She only agreed to submit henceforth to the orders of the church court.

However, the political goal of the process was achieved. The English government could notify the entire Christian world that the heretic had publicly repented of her crimes.

But, having snatched words of repentance from the girl, the organizers of the trial did not at all consider the matter over. It was only half done, because Jeanne’s abdication was to be followed by her execution.

The Inquisition had simple means for this. It was only necessary to prove that after her renunciation she committed a “relapse into heresy”: a person who relapsed into heresy was subject to immediate execution. Before her abdication, Jeanne was promised that if she repented, she would be transferred to the women's section of the archbishop's prison and the shackles would be removed. But instead, on Cauchon's orders, she was taken back to her old cell. There she changed into a woman's dress and had her head shaved. The shackles were not removed and the English guards were not removed.

Two days have passed. On Sunday, May 27, rumors spread throughout the city that the convict had once again put on a men's suit. She was asked who forced her to do this. “Nobody,” Zhanna answered. I did this of my own free will and without any coercion." In the evening of that day, the protocol of Zhanna's last interrogation appeared - a tragic document in which Zhanna herself talks about everything that she experienced after her renunciation: about the despair that gripped her when she realized that she had been deceived, about the contempt for herself because that she was afraid of death, about how she cursed herself for betrayal, she herself said this word, - and about the victory that she won - about the most difficult of all her victories, because it is a victory over the fear of death .

There is a version according to which Jeanne was forced to wear a man’s suit (See p. 188 Raitses V.I. Joan of Arc. Facts, legends, hypotheses. “

Jeanne learned that she would be executed at dawn on Wednesday, May 30, 1431. She was taken out of prison, put on a cart and taken to the place of execution. She was wearing long dress and a hat...

Only a few hours later the fire was allowed to go out.

And when it was all over, according to Ladvenu, “at about four o’clock in the afternoon,” the executioner came to the Dominican monastery, “to me,” says Izambar, “and to brother Ladvenu, in extreme and terrible repentance, as if despairing of receiving forgiveness from God for what he did to such a holy woman, as he said.” And he also told both of them that, having climbed the scaffold to remove everything, he found her heart and other entrails unburnt; he was required to burn everything, but, although he several times placed burning brushwood and coals around Jeanne’s heart, he could not turn it into ashes” (the same story of the executioner is relayed by Massey from the words of the deputy of the Rouen bailiff). Finally, struck “As if by an obvious miracle,” he stopped tormenting this Heart, put the Burning Bush in a bag along with everything that was left of the Virgin’s flesh, and threw the bag, as expected, into the hay. The imperishable heart was gone forever from human eyes and hands.” (*1)

Twenty-five years passed and finally - after a trial in which one hundred and fifteen witnesses were heard (her mother was also present) - in the presence of the papal legate, Jeanne was rehabilitated and recognized as the beloved daughter of the Church and France. (*1) page 336

Throughout her short life, Joan of Arc, “an earthly angel and a heavenly girl,” again and with unprecedented power declared the reality of the Living God and the Heavenly Church.

In 1920 after the Nativity of Christ, in the four hundred and ninetieth year after the Bonfire, the Roman Church canonized her as a saint and recognized her mission as true, in fulfilling which she saved France. (*1)

Five and a half centuries have passed since the day when Joan of Arc was burned in the Old Market Square in Rouen. She was then nineteen years old.

Almost all her life - seventeen years - she was an unknown Jeannette from Domremy. Her neighbors will later say: “she’s like everyone else.” "like others."

For one year—just one year—she was the glorified Virgin Joan, the savior of France. Her comrades will later say: “as if she were a captain who spent twenty or thirty years in the war.”

And for another year - a whole year - she was a prisoner of war and a defendant in the Inquisition Tribunal. Her judges will later say: “a great scientist - even he would have difficulty answering the questions that were asked of her.”

Of course, she was not like everyone else. Of course, she was not the captain. And she certainly wasn't a scientist. And at the same time, she had it all.

Centuries pass. But every generation again and again turns to such a simple and infinitely complex story of the girl from Domremy. Appeals to understand. Turns to join the eternal moral values. For if history is the teacher of life, then the epic of Joan of Arc is one of her great lessons. (*2) p.194

Literature:

• *1 Maria Josepha, Crook von Potucin Joan of Arc. Moscow "Enigma" 1994.
• *2 Raitses V.I. Joan of Arc. Facts, legends, hypotheses. Leningrad "Science" 1982.
• *3 R. Pernu, M. V. Klen. Joan of Arc. M., 1992.
• *4 Ascetics. Selected biographies and works. Samara, AGNI, 1994.
• *5 Bauer W., Dumotz I., Golovin PAGE. Encyclopedia of Symbols, M., KRON-PRESS, 1995

See section:

Joan of Arc is the most prominent figure in the entire history of the Hundred Years' War (which took place in the 14th and 15th centuries between England and France). Despite a large number of There are many inconsistencies in publications about this intelligent and courageous person in her biography. But be that as it may, it was under her command that the French won several victories and, in the end, drove the British out of their territory.

Childhood

Zhanna was born in the village of Domremy into a family of wealthy peasants; besides her, the family also had four children. Zhanneta was no different from her peers, she grew up as a cheerful, kind and sympathetic girl, willingly helped around the house, herded cattle, and knew how to sew and spin flax. She didn't go to school and I couldn’t read or write. Since childhood I have been very pious As soon as she heard the bell ringing, she knelt down and began to pray.

Putting on a man's dress, the 16-year-old girl hit the road. Upon arrival at the place, the king gave Jeanne a test and after the young peasant woman passed it, she was assigned a military detachment.

Jeanne at war

Joan of Arc was not an experienced military leader, but natural intelligence and observation helped her defeat the enemy near Orleans. The message about the lifting of the siege on the city inspired the French, and they won several more victories and liberated the southwest of the country from the British.

A year later, the French under the command of Jeanne won a victory at Poitiers. This cleared the way, and the Dauphin and his army were able to enter Reims. On July 17, 1429, the coronation of Charles VII took place, Jeanne was next to him all this time.

In September 1429, the French tried to liberate Paris but failed. During the battle, Joan was wounded, and the king ordered his army to retreat.

Zhanna remained with a small detachment and nevertheless entered the city.

Captivity and execution of Saint Joan

The popularity of the Maid of Orleans among the peasants grew every day, which greatly frightened Charles VII and his entourage.
On May 23, 1430, betrayed by her compatriots, she was captured by the Burgundians. Zhanna tried to escape twice, the second attempt almost cost her her life: she jumped out of the window. Later in court she will be accused of attempted suicide. The king did nothing to free the girl, although according to the customs of the Middle Ages he could ransom her.

Then The Burgundians sold Joan to the British for 10 thousand livres, who handed it over to the clergy.

The trial, led by Pierre Cauchon, began on February 21, 1431 and lasted over three months. They tried to accuse Jeanne of heresy and connection with the devil. By proving her guilt, the British could prove that Charles VII was ruling France illegally. But it was not easy to blame an illiterate commoner. The court was never able to obtain a confession of heresy from her.

Trying to break her will, her captives were kept in inhuman conditions, they threatened her with torture, but she did not admit her guilt. Then she was accused of something that did not require proof - wearing men's clothing.

Cauchon knew that if he sentenced the girl to death without proof of her guilt, he would create the crown of a great martyr around her. Therefore, he resorted to meanness: they built a fire in the square and near it the bishop announced: if Jeanne signed a paper renouncing heresy, she would be pardoned and placed in a church prison, where conditions of detention would be better.

However, the illiterate peasant woman was given another paper, in which it was written that she completely renounced her errors.

Jeanne was deceived and again returned to prison for prisoners of war. Here she was taken by force women's clothing, and the girl had to wear a man's dress. This meant that Jeanne had committed the crime again, and the court sentenced her to be burned at the stake.

On May 30, 1431, the 19-year-old French heroine was executed in Rouen on the Old Market Square, and her ashes were scattered over the Seine.

By order of Charles VII, a quarter of a century after the execution of Saint Joan, another trial took place. 115 witnesses who knew Joan of Arc during her lifetime were interviewed. All charges were dropped from her and her feat was recognized.

In 1920, after almost 5 centuries, The Catholic Church canonized the Virgin of Orleans.

If this message was useful to you, I would be glad to see you

Famous historical figure Joan of Arc, biography ( Short story) which begins in the distant 15th century, is considered a symbol of freedom and masculinity. The girl was born in the village of Domremy around 1412 in the family of Jacques d'Arc and his wife Isabella. In addition to Jeanne, there were other children in the peasant family. Of all her brothers and sisters, the young heroine became the most friendly with her older sister Catherine, who later married and soon died at a young age.

The house d'Arque stood in the center of the village, very close to the local church. For some time, Jeanne's father held the elected position of dean of the community and, accordingly, the population of the village of Domremy valued and respected him. Many peasants listened to Jacques d'Arque as a sensible and wise person .

Joan of Arc: a short biography for schoolchildren

What kind of child was Zhanna? From early childhood, the girl became accustomed to feeling like a member of the family of a respected person and strived to live up to her father’s status. Young Zhanna I helped my mother with housework, learned to cook, and listened with rapture to my parents’ stories about the beautiful maiden who would save their village. Throughout her life in Domremy, Jeanne saw the glow of numerous fires, the screams of fellow villagers and firmly believed that the Virgin of Orleans, whose arrival was predicted many centuries before, would liberate their native lands. According to legend, it belonged to a popular character in many legends and knightly stories. Joan of Arc firmly believed in all the predictions and legends of past centuries. short biography for children includes key facts about the girl's biography. And these historical events are very reminiscent of the legends associated with the Maid of Orleans.

Joan of Arc: biography, summary

It is generally accepted that the year of birth of the young heroine is precisely 1412, however, the date of January 6, 1409 is indicated in the canonization document. She preferred to call herself “Joan the Virgin” rather than Joan of Arc. early years the young heroine was often called Jeanette by her family.

At the age of 13, Zhanna heard the voice of the Archangel Michael in her head, who told her to listen to his story and accept her fate. According to Michael's revelation, it was Jeanne who was the Maid of Orleans, and only she was able to free the besieged Orleans, thus expelling all opponents.

When the girl turned 17, she went to the city captain without hesitation. At that time, he was recognized as Vaucouleur Baudricourt, who ridiculed the girl’s story that she supposedly had to defend her native lands. However, Zhanna did not give up and was accepted into their ranks the second time. The captain ordered several soldiers to be allocated to her after the girl predicted the defeat of the French at Orleans. Zhanna preferred to wear men's military clothing, arguing that in it she felt freer and stronger. Together with Jeanne, two of her best knights went to war - Jean de Metz and Bertrand de Poulangis.

Hostilities

The truly great heroine and martyr Joan of Arc, whose biography, a brief history of military affairs, begins with the siege of Orleans, was an unknown peasant woman. According to historical data, in March 1429, the young heroine arrived to the Dauphin, announcing that higher powers had determined her fate and predicted her victory. Therefore, she asked for an army in order to lift the siege of Orleans. The girl amazed everyone present with her extraordinary knowledge of military affairs and the intricacies of horse riding. Dauphin Charles hesitated for a long time, but after several days of deliberation he agreed to allocate an army to Jeanne in exchange for a promise that she had to confirm with higher powers his legitimacy and corresponding rights to the throne. Quite a large part of the population doubted that Charles was the rightful heir, which they were not afraid to express openly.

Further, after the king’s order, special armor and equipment began to be made for such a warrior as Joan of Arc. The biography, a brief history of the girl, is that throughout her life she defended her people, her lands and did everything in her power for this. She captivated many historians with her courage, masculinity and extraordinary faith in her victory.

Advance to Orleans

The next point in the course of hostilities was Blois, where Jeanne’s army was already waiting for her. The good news that their uprising was led by a girl sent by higher powers instilled confidence and courage in the warriors. Due to continuous attacks over 4 days, the young heroine lifts the siege of Orleans. Many military leaders of that time considered the mission to liberate Orleans from the British almost impossible.

Hostilities ceased until the spring of 1430. However, the royal courtiers disliked the young heroine and tried in every possible way to turn the public against her. After a long time, they finally succeeded. Thanks to the actions of the insidious courtiers, Joan of Arc was accused of treason, as a result of which she was captured by the British, where she was imprisoned in the tower of Rouen.

Trial

The trial of the heroine began in the last days of February 1431. According to the documents, Joan of Arc was tried by the local church, charging her with heresy and false testimony about higher powers. However, throughout the girl’s imprisonment, she was kept under the guard of the British as a prisoner of war. Bishop Cauchon of England did not hide his interest in the heroine’s case. just like the government of the country itself. The government of England fully paid all the costs and expenses associated with the Maid of Orleans, biography, short life which depended on the decision of the British, fought to the last and believed in a higher power.

Interrogation and captivity

A short biography of Joan of Arc for grade 6 includes materials relating to her imprisonment in the tower of Rouen and some interrogations. During the entire time spent in captivity, the girl was mocked in every possible way, beaten and humiliated, thus showing their attitude towards her “false” prophecy. Most of the population of England considered her a false witness and a traitor to her homeland.

Execution of Joan of Arc

However, despite numerous tortures and threats, Joan of Arc did not break and did not admit her guilt. The sentence - death penalty - without an admission of guilt on the part of the accused, made the girl a martyr in the eyes of her people. Since the young heroine was illiterate, the judges decided to resort to deception, having slipped her documents for her signature allegedly about her release and return to her homeland. In fact, there was a certificate of complete renunciation of her predictions and an admission of guilt. Thus, the girl signed her own sentence.

On May 30, 1431, the girl was burned alive in the Old Market Square in Rouen. According to historical data, her ashes were scattered over the Seine. Joan of Arc, the biography whose brief history was completed so early, is a symbol of courage for many of us.

E that post about the martyr Saint Joan, how can one not remember her, and even on the day of her execution...
However, perhaps there was no execution at all... but on May 30 official history considers the day of the burning of Jeanne d'Arc, a simple peasant woman who is still known throughout and is especially revered in France as a national heroine.

Jeanne was one of the commanders of the French troops in the Hundred Years' War. Captured by the Burgundians, she was handed over to the British, condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake on charges of heresy and witchcraft. Almost five hundred years later (in 1920) it was ranked Catholic Church to the saints...

The Lord gave the people 4 promises through Joan: that the siege of Orleans would be lifted, that the Dauphin would be dedicated and crowned in Reims, that Paris, captured by the British, would be returned to the rightful king of France, and that the Duke of Orleans, who was then captured by the British, would return to his homeland. All this seemed incredible, but it came true exactly.

Her image was glorified in various artistic and literary works- including Voltaire and Schiller. A lot has been written about her scientific research, and despite this - or perhaps precisely because of this, the controversy surrounding her fate not only does not subside, but, on the contrary, flares up with increasing force.

The official life story of the Virgin of Orleans dates back to the time of the Great french revolution and is described in detail in school textbooks.

Joan of Arc was born in the village of Domremy, in Lorraine, in the family of the farmer Jacques d'Arc (Jacques or Jacquot d'Arc, around 1375-1431) and his wife Isabelle (Isabelle d'Arc, née Isabelle Romee de Vouthon, 1377- 1458) around 1412.

It was a difficult time for France. The Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) had been going on for more than seventy years, and during this time the French managed to lose most of the territory of the kingdom.

In 1415, the British landed in Normandy with an army under the command of a talented commander - the young King Henry V.

In the autumn of 1415 it took place famous battle at Agincourt, as a result of which the entire flower of the French aristocracy was captured. A civil war began in the country between the Burgundians and the Armagnacs, while the British, meanwhile, captured one territory after another.

At the age of 13, Jeanne began to have “visions” - she heard “voices”, talked with saints who called on her to go save France. The girl believed with all her heart in her unusual destiny. The saints who appeared to her hinted at a well-known prophecy, according to which one woman destroyed France, and another woman, and a virgin, would save the country.

House of Joan of Arc in Domremy. Nowadays it is a museum.

The poor daughter of a plowman at the age of 17 leaves her father's house, gets to Chinon, where the young King Charles VII (Charles VII, 1403-1461) was at that time, tells him about her destiny. He, believing her, gives her a detachment of knights to subordinate. This is how Zhanna's career begins. There will be battles, victories, the liberation of Orleans, after which she will receive the nickname Maid of Orleans. Then - captivity, accusations, interrogations and death at the stake in 1431... it seems that everything is simple and clear.

However, for several decades now, the official version has been systematically challenged by some historians, mainly French, pointing to certain incomprehensible moments in Jeanne’s biography.

Chroniclers hesitate in naming the date of the virgin’s execution. President Hainault, superintendent on the staff of Queen Maria Leszczynska, names the date of execution as June 14, 1431. English chroniclers William Caxton (1422-1491) and Polydore Virgil (1470-1555) claim that the execution took place in February 1432. Big difference.

Zhanna’s strange and dizzying career itself raises many doubts. Medieval society was strictly class-based and hierarchical. For everyone in it, his place was determined among the Oratores - those who pray; Bellatores - those who fight, or Aratores - those who plow.

The tower in Rouen, where Joan was interrogated, and the monument at the site of her burning.

Noble boys were trained to become knights from the age of seven, while peasants were treated like animals. How could it happen that a commoner was given command of a detachment of knights? How could knights, raised from birth as warriors, agree to be commanded by a peasant woman? What should be the answer to a poor peasant girl who stands at the gates of the royal residence and demands a meeting with the king in order to tell him about her “voices”? Were there a lot of cunning blessed ones with voices at that time? Yes, that's enough!

Jeanne was received in Chinon by the king's mother-in-law Yolande d'Aragon, duchess d'Anjou, 1379-1442, Charles VII's wife Marie d'Anjou (1404-1463) and the king himself. She was brought to the court at the expense of the treasury, accompanied by an armed escort, which consisted of knights, squires, and a royal messenger. Many nobles had to wait days for an audience with the king, but the “peasant woman” was allowed in to see him almost immediately.

The Bulletin of the Society of Archeology and the Lorraine History Museum reports that “in January 1429, on the square of the castle in Nancy, Jeanne, on horseback, took part in a tournament with a spear in the presence of the nobility and people of Lorraine.” If we take into account that fighting in tournaments was possible only for the nobility, that around the lists shields with the coats of arms of the combatants were displayed, then the appearance of a peasant woman on it does not fit into any framework of that society. In addition, the length of the spear reached several meters, and only specially trained nobles could wield it. At the same tournament, she amazed everyone with her ability to ride a horse, as well as her knowledge of games accepted among the nobility - kenten, a ring game. She was so impressed that the Duke of Lorraine gave her a magnificent horse.

During the coronation of Charles in Reims, only the standard of Joan (white, strewn with golden lilies) was unfurled in the choir of the cathedral. Joan had her own court staff, including a maid of honor, a butler, a page, a chaplain, secretaries, and a stable of twelve horses.

How do you like this Zhanna, nude... and with a Nazi salute? This is from the French artist Gaston Bussiere (1862-1929).

Some researchers believe that Jeanne's father was Duke Louis of Orleans, which was also known to representatives of the dynasty (supporters of this version argue that in this case Joan of Arc was born in 1407). Jeanne's rich wardrobe was paid for by Duke Charles d'Orléans Orleans, 1394-1465).

But who is Jeanne’s mother in this case? Following Ambelain, Etienne Weil-Reynal and Gerard Pesme believe that this is most likely Isabella of Bavaria (Isabeau de Baviere, 1371-1435), wife of Charles VI, mother of Charles VII. She long years was the mistress of Louis d'Orléans.

Charles VI, nicknamed the Mad (Charles VI le Fou, 1368-1422), could not stand the sight of his wife. She lived separately in the Barbet Palace, where Louis was a frequent guest. He was called the father of at least two of Isabella's children - Jean (born in 1398) and Charles (born in 1402). Jeanne's birth took place in this very palace, and she was immediately sent to her nurse Isabella de Wouton. It is also clear why the child had to be hidden. It was necessary to protect the girl, since her father, Louis d'Orléans, was killed by assassins just a few days after Jeanne's birth.

Here again we can highlight a fact that refutes the prevailing opinion that Zhanna was just a peasant woman. Some researchers believe that the daughter of a man named Jacques d'Arc and a woman named Isabella de Vouton simply must be a noblewoman - the prefix “de” in the surname indicates noble origin. But such a tradition arose in France only in the 17th century. During the period described, this letter meant the prefix “from”. That is, Jeanne from Arc, so not everything is so simple...

"Joan of Arc". Painting by Rubens.

Representatives of the d'Arc family were in the royal service even before Joan was born. That is why this family was chosen to raise Jeanne.

Coat of arms of Joan of Arc. Illustration (Creative Commons license): Darkbob/Projet Blasons

How else can one substantiate the claim about her noble origin? The coat of arms given to her by Charles VII. The royal charter says: “On the second day of June 1429... the lord king, having learned about the exploits of Jeanne the Virgin and the victories won for the glory of the Lord, endowed... the named Jeanne with a coat of arms...”. Golden lilies were considered the flower of France, in other words, the symbol of “princes and princesses of the blood,” which is also confirmed by the open golden crown on Joan’s coat of arms.

The king doesn’t even mention giving Jeanne a noble title, which means she already has it. With his coat of arms, he makes it clear that he considers Jeanne a princess of royal blood.

If we consider everything said to be true, then Jeanne will have to be recognized as the half-sister of King Charles VII of France, half-sister of the Dukes of the Orleans dynasty - Charles and Jean Dunois, half-sister of Queen of England Catherine de Valois (1401-1437), sister of Charles VII, aunt King of England Henry VI (Henry VI, 1421-1471). In these circumstances, Joan's execution at the stake in Rouen in 1431 seems unthinkable.

It was impossible to burn a girl of such high birth on charges of witchcraft. The question of why this performance was needed is too complex and is the topic of a separate article.

Now we are talking about something else, about Jeanne’s life after... her official execution. To understand how Jeanne was able to avoid execution, it is worth turning to the description of this sad event: “In the Old Market Square (in Rouen), 800 English soldiers forced the people to make room... finally, a detachment of 120 people appeared... They surrounded a woman covered... with a hood up to the chin..." It is only in artists’ paintings that she has an open face and wears elegant clothes.

According to historiographers, Jeanne’s height was about 160 cm. Considering the double ring of soldiers around her and the cap on her face, it is not possible to say with certainty what kind of woman she was.

The opinion that another woman was burned instead of Jeanne was shared by many chroniclers and famous people, both contemporaries of Jeanne and those who lived later. One of the chronicles kept in the British Museum says literally the following: “In the end, they ordered her to be burned in front of all the people. Or some other woman who looks like her.”

And the rector of the Cathedral of St. Thibault in Metz writes five years after the execution: “In the city of Rouen ... she was raised to the stake and burned. That's what they say, but the opposite has since been proven."

They are even more convinced that the Maid of Orleans was not burned, materials trial. Advocate General Charles du Lye, back in the 16th century, drew attention to the fact that in the documents and protocols of interrogations of the virgin there is no death sentence or official act certifying the execution of the sentence. But if the Maid of Orleans was not burned at the stake, then what is her future fate?

In 1436, five years after the fire in Rouen, an entry appears in the documents of the noble des Armoises family: “The noble Robert des Armoises was married to Jeanne du Lys, a virgin of France... November 7, 1436.” The surname du Lys was borne by the sons of Jeanne's official father.

And in the summer of 1439, the Maid of Orleans herself came to the city she had liberated. She now bore her husband's surname - des Armoises. She was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of townspeople, which included many people who had seen her before.

Another remarkable entry appeared in the city’s account book about the payment of a large sum of money to Jeanne des Armoises - 210 livres “for the good service rendered to the city during the siege.” The heroine was recognized by those who knew her well four years ago - her sister and brothers, Marshal of France Gilles de Rais (1404-1440), Jean Dunois and many others.

Jeanne died in the late summer - early autumn of 1449 - it is from this period that the documents testifying to her death date back. Only after this did her “brothers” (meaning the sons of Jacques d’Arc) and her official mother (Isabella de Vouton) begin to be called “brothers of the late Joan of the Virgin” and “Isabella, mother of the late Virgin.”

This is what one of the most common alternative versions of the origin of the heroine of the Hundred Years War looks like today.

Official science does not recognize the arguments of supporters of alternative versions. But one way or another, the question of the origin of Joan of Arc remains open: it is not at all easy to dismiss the facts that speak of her noble origin. The basis of the information: research by Elena Ankudinova.

There are more than 20 films based on the story of Joan of Arc. The first of them was filmed at the dawn of cinema, in 1898. By the way, have you watched the film “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc”? The film is from 1999, but I recommend it, where Joan is played by Milla Jovovich.

But the French remember and love Jeanne... and it doesn’t matter whether they burned her or not, the people’s faith in her martyrdom it is no longer possible to refute. This is already a personality - a legend...

Monument to Joan in Paris.

Pictures and photos (C) from different places on the Internet.