Joan of Arc main events. Joan of Arc - the national heroine of France

young french woman Joan of Arc managed to turn the tide of the 100-year war, and led the French troops under her banner to victory. She managed to do what many experienced French commanders considered impossible - to defeat the British.

Short biography of Joan of Arc

The official date of birth of Jeanne d'Arc is considered January 6, 1412(there are 2 more dates - January 6, 1408 and 1409). She was born in the French village of Domremy into a wealthy peasant family.

Voice of Archangel Michael

When Joan of Arc turned 13 years, she, according to her, heard the voice of the Archangel Michael, who told her about the great mission: Jeanne was supposed to break the siege of Orleans by the British and win the battle.

Persistent girl

The visions were repeated at 16 the girl went to one of the captains of the French army - Robert de Baudricourt. She told about her visions and asked to give her people under command and escort to the court of the Dauphin (heir to Charles VI).

Joan of Arc's insistence got the better of the captain's taunts, and he gave her people to accompany her to the king, and also supplied men's clothing so as not to "embarrass the soldiers."

Meeting with the king

March 14, 1429 Jeanne arrived at the residence of the Dauphin Charles - the castle Chinon. She announced to him that she was sent by Heaven to liberate the country from English domination and asked for troops in order to lift the siege of Orleans.

In France, there was a belief that a young virgin sent by God would help the army win the war.

The girl amazed the courtiers and the king himself with her skill riding and art possession of weapons. There was an impression that she was brought up not in a peasant family, but "in special schools."

Jeanne - Commander-in-Chief

After the matrons confirmed Jeanne's virginity and numerous other checks were made, Karl made a decision make her commander in chief with his troops, and lead them to Orleans.

After that, armor was made for the girl and delivered at her request. sword of Charlemagne himself, which was kept in the church of Sainte-Catherine-de-Fierbois. Then she went to the city of Blois, appointed as a collection point for the army, and already at the head of the army set out for Orleans.

"Maid of Orleans"

The news that the army was led by a messenger of God caused an extraordinary moral upsurge in the army. Hopeless commanders and soldiers, tired of endless defeats, were inspired and regained courage.

April 29, 1429 Jeanne d'Arc enters Orleans with a small detachment. On May 4, her army won its first victory, taking the bastion Saint-Loup. Victories followed one after another, and already on the morning of May 8, the British were forced to lift the siege from the city.

Thus, the task that other French military leaders considered impossible, Joan of Arc decided in four days. After the victory at Orleans, Jeanne was nicknamed "Maid of Orleans". Day 8 May is celebrated every year in Orleans as the main holiday of the city.

With the help of Jeanne, several more important fortresses were captured. The French army recaptured one city after another.

Betrayal and burning

spring 1430 after a year's absence of hostilities due to the indecision of Charles VII and palace intrigues, Joan of Arc again led the troops, her banner was in front. She rushed to the aid of the besieged city compiegnu, but fell into a trap - a bridge was raised in the city, and she could no longer escape from it.

The Burgundians sold it to the English for 10,000 gold livres. In February 1431, in Rouen, a trial took place over her, which sentenced her as a heretic to be burned. The verdict entered into force May 30, 1431 Joan of Arc was burned alive in the Old Market Square.

Rehabilitation and canonization

At the end of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII ordered an investigation into the legality of the trial of the young heroine. It was established that the English court had many gross violations.

Joan of Arc rehabilitated summer 1456, and after 548 years - in 1920 she was canonized (canonized) in the Catholic Church.

Jeanne d'Arc, the Virgin of Orleans (Jeanne d "Arc, January 6, 1412 - May 30, 1431) is the most famous historical figure in France. In the Hundred Years War, she acted as commander-in-chief, but was captured by the Burgundians and, by order of the king, was transferred As a result of a religious accusation, d'Arc was burned at the stake, and later rehabilitated and even canonized.

Childhood

Jeanne or Jeanette - as the girl called herself - was born in 1412 in the small village of Domremy, located on the border of Lorraine and Champagne. It is not known for certain who her parents were, since some sources claim that they were of the poorest origin, while others are of a quite prosperous status.

The situation is the same with the date of birth of Jeanette herself: the parish book contains an entry from 1412 about the birth of a girl, which for a long time was considered the exact date of her birth. However, on January 6, 1904, when Pope Pius X canonized d'Arc, he indicated the year 1409/1408, thereby refuting the previous information.

Almost nothing is known about Jeanne's early childhood. Only a few entries in her parents' diaries have survived that the girl was born very weak and often sick. At the age of four, she caught a bad cold and was between life and death for about a month.

And since at that time people could not yet prepare potent drugs, parents could only pray for the successful recovery of the child. Fortunately, a few months later, d'Arc fully recovered from her illness, but remained secretive and silent throughout her life.

Youth

At the age of thirteen, according to Jeanette herself, she first saw the Archangel Michael. The girl could only tell her parents about her visions, since she had no friends. But the relatives did not recognize what d'Arc said, attributing everything to Jeanne's fantasy and her desire to "acquire at least fictional friends."

But a few months later, d'Arc again tells his parents that he saw the Archangel Michael and two other women (according to scientists, these were Saints Margaret of Antioch and Catherine of Alexandria). According to the girl, the “guests” who appeared told her about her mission: to lift the siege of the city of Orleans, driving out the invaders forever, and to elevate the Dauphin to the throne.

Not having received proper support from relatives, Joan of Arc goes to Captain Robert de Bondicourt, who at that time was the manager of the city of Vaucouleurs. There, the girl tells her story, but, unfortunately, she sees an absolutely identical situation: the captain only laughs at her unhealthy fantasy and sends her back, not even wanting to listen to the end. Jeanette, annoyed by such an attitude towards her person, goes to her native Domremy, but does not give up.

A year later, the situation repeats itself: she again comes to the captain, claiming the possibility of winning the battle only if he appoints her as a commander. Decisive is the prediction of d'Arc about the outcome of the so-called "Battle of Herring", which should take place in the near future under the walls of the city of Orleans.

This time, de Bondicourt listens to the words of the girl and decides to allow her to participate in the battle. Jeanette is given men's clothing (which, by the way, she then began to prefer to numerous dresses, stating that such an image not only helps in battle, but also discourages attention from the soldiers) and is equipped along with a small detachment. It is to him that two of d'Arc's best friends subsequently join: the knights Bertrand de Pulangy and Jean de Metz.

Participation in battles

As soon as the detachment was fully equipped, Jeanette led the people behind her. For 11 days they traveled to Chinon, where the warlike woman planned to enlist the support of the Dauphin. Entering the city, she declared to the ruler that she was "sent by Heaven in order to liberate Orleans and bring peace and tranquility", and also demanded his support and provision of her army. But, despite the noble aspirations of d'Arc, King Charles hesitated for a long time whether to place his best warriors under her command.

For several weeks, he tested Jeanne d'Arc: theologians interrogated her, the messengers sought information about her at home on the orders of the king, the woman underwent numerous tests. But not a single fact was found that could discredit the name of d'Arc, after which the army in the field was completely transferred to her for command.

With the army, the young military leader goes to Blois, where she joins with another part of the army. The news that they are now commanded by a "messenger of God" causes an unprecedented morale in the soldiers. On April 29, troops under the command of d'Arc penetrate Orleans. After short battles, in which the active army loses only two, on May 4, Jeanette liberates the fortress of Saint-Loup.

Thus, a mission that is impossible for numerous military leaders is carried out without much effort by a woman in just 4 days. For such merits, Jeanne d'Arc receives the title of "Maid of Orleans", and May 8 is appointed an official holiday (by the way, it exists to this day).

Prosecution and inquisitorial process

In the autumn of the same year, immediately after the coronation of Charles, Joan of Arc, with his support, launched an attack on Paris, where at that time confusion and chaos reigned because of the desire of the English military leaders to independently command the remaining troops. However, a month later, the king, for unknown reasons, orders a retreat and, forced to obey Jeanne, leaves the army in the Loire.

Immediately after this, a message arrives about the capture of the city of Compiègne by the Burgundians, and d'Arc rushes to liberate it without even asking the consent of the new king. As a result, luck turns away from the "Maid of Orleans" and she is captured by the Burgundians, from where neither King Charles nor other influential people can save her.

On February 21, 1431, the inquisitorial hearing of Joan of Arc began, which the Burgundians, without hiding their involvement in the process, accused of heresy and disobedience to existing church canons. Jeanette was credited with both intercourse with the devil and disregard for church canons, but the woman denied any negative statements addressed to her.

Such courageous behavior only delayed the decision of the church to burn d'Arc, because, in this case, she would become a martyr and, perhaps, would encourage the people to revolt. That is why church ministers go to meanness: d’Arc is brought to the “fire that is being prepared for her” and, in exchange for life, they offer to sign a paper with a request to transfer her to a church prison because she is aware of what she has done and wants to atone for her guilt.

A woman not taught to read signs a paper, which is then replaced with another one - in which it is written about Jeanette's full recognition of everything that she was accused of. Thus, d'Arc, with his own hand, signs the verdict of burning, which is carried out on May 30, 1431, in the square of the city of Rouen.

Posthumous justification

For the next 20 years, Joan of Arc was practically not remembered, and only by 1452, King Charles VII, knowing about the exploits of a courageous girl, decided to find out the whole truth about the high-profile case of the past. He ordered to collect all the documents and find out in all details the essence and conduct of the trial of Jeanette.

To collect all the necessary information, manuscripts of church books were raised, surviving witnesses of that time were interviewed, and even messengers were sent to Domremy - the homeland of the "Maid of Orleans". By 1455, it was absolutely clear that monstrous violations of the law were committed during the hearing of the d'Arc case, and the girl herself was indeed innocent.

The restoration of the noble name of Joan of Arc took place in three cities at once: Orleans, Paris and Rouen. Documents about her alleged involvement in the devil and the illegality of her actions were publicly torn in front of a crowd in the city square (by the way, among which were Jeanne's friends and her mother). On July 7, 1456, the case was closed, and the good name of the girl was restored. And in 1909, Pope Pius X declared Jeanne blessed, after which a solemn canonization took place.

Monument to Joan of Arc in Domremy-la-Pucelle Joan of Arc - the famous Virgin of Orleans - was born into an ordinary poor peasant family, in the town of Domremy. This happened in 1412 - on Christmas night on January 6th. There is a legend that in Domremy at dawn the roosters woke up the villagers with an unusual amazing cry, announcing a new joy. However, this is just […]

- the famous Virgin of Orleans - was born in an ordinary poor peasant family, in the town Domremy. This happened in 1412 - on Christmas night on January 6th. There is a legend that in Domremy at dawn the roosters woke up the villagers with an unusual amazing cry, announcing a new joy. However, this is just a legend - documentary chronicles of such an event do not exist.

Jeanne lived with her parents and two brothers. The Hundred Years War was on. Times were hard for France. Legitimate heir to the throne - Dauphin Charles VII- the future king - was removed from power. The ruler of France under the treaty in Troyes became Henry V- English king. In fact, the French state joined England. The queen was blamed for this Isabella of Bavaria. A prophecy spread among the people, promising: if a woman ruined France, then the Virgin would save her.

According to the memoirs of Zhanna herself, at the age of 12 she had a vision. A radiant cloud arose, from which the voice of the King of Heaven was heard. He called her the chosen one and ordered to act - to go and lift the siege from the city of Orleans. The voices began to appear to Jeanne every day. She was visited by visions of the saints - the Archangel Michael, Catherine and Margaret.

On March 6, 1429, a young girl in a man's dress came to Chinon Castle and obtained an audience with Charles VII. She managed to convince the Dauphin, and she was entrusted with a military detachment. This detachment, under her leadership, inflicted several crushing blows on the British. The siege was lifted. It took Jeanne's detachment nine days to liberate Orleans. The date of liberation of the city is 05/08/1429. In Orleans, this day has been dedicated to Joan of Arc for many centuries.

Napoleon Bonaparte, who was well versed in combat strategies, admitted that Joan was a military genius.

After the lifting of the siege of Orleans, disputes began in the Royal Council. Jeanne convinced everyone of the need to march on Reims in order to crown Charles VII. This would be the de facto declaration of French independence. The courtiers objected, but Jeanne managed to convince the Council. The campaign was successful, the release of Troyes decided the outcome of the company. The army of the Maid of Orleans traveled three hundred kilometers in three weeks.

Joan of Arc at the coronation of Charles VII (Dominique Ingres, 1780-1867)

The coronation took place in Reims Cathedral on 17 July. Jeanne was also present with a military banner in her hands.

In August, the royal army tried to take Paris but was defeated. The newly minted king behaved strangely. Instead of another offensive, he concluded a truce with the Burgundians. January 21, 1930 the army was disbanded. Jeanne's detachment continued to fight, but began to suffer defeat - one after another. When trying to liberate Compiègne, on May 23, 1430, the detachment was captured by the Burgundians during a sortie. Six months later, they handed Jeanne over to the British. All this time she was waiting for help from the French government - but in vain.

So Jeanne was in English captivity. She was eighteen years old. There were rumors that the close associates of Charles VII, for whom she fought, had betrayed the girl.

The tower in Rouen where Joan of Arc was imprisoned.

In Rouen, she was kept in a cage in the basement of the Bouvray castle, then transferred to a cell. She was kept there, chained to the wall. The process began in January 1431. The Inquisition charged Jeanne d'Arc on twelve counts. In the life of the Maiden of Orleans, a struggle began with new weapons and other opponents. 132 members of the tribunal opposed it. Every day she was asked dozens of questions. She was accused of wearing a man's dress, and of visions - supposedly diabolical, and of seducing the king. The main accusation was her refusal to submit to the mainstream church.

In Paris, at the same time, Henry VI was declared the monarch of France and England. Therefore, the court in Rouen had to prove that Charles VII was elevated to the throne by an impious heretic and sorceress.

Nevertheless, they decided to refuse torture. For Jeanne, they came up with and wrote down the "formula" of renunciation - the refusal to wear men's clothing and prophetic visions. Under pain of death, the girl signed the protocol of renunciation. She was sentenced to life imprisonment, transferred to an old cell and again shackled. Later, in prison, a man's dress was planted on her. It was a provocation.

Perhaps Jeanne was forced to put on this costume again, or maybe she did it voluntarily - but in the eyes of the churchmen this meant a return to heresy. After that, Jeanne declared that she was refusing her renunciation, that she was ashamed of her apostasy and betrayal of her own ideals.

The Tribunal signed the decision to extradite her to the secular authorities.

In 1431, at dawn on May 30, Joan of Arc, dressed in a long dress and cap, was taken out of prison and put into a wagon.

The bonfire in the Rouen marketplace burned for several hours. When it was finally over, Jeanne's executioner came to the Dominican monastery. He repented and wept. The executioner said that Jeanne's heart did not burn out even after he collected coals around it several times. Then he put everything that was left in a bag and threw Jeanne's heart into the Seine.

Twenty-five years later, a new process took place. It heard 115 witnesses. Jeanne was rehabilitated, she was recognized as a national heroine. In 1920, the Roman Church proclaimed Jeanne a saint. Her mission to save France was recognized as true.

How do I save on hotels?

Everything is very simple - look not only on booking.com. I prefer the RoomGuru search engine. He searches for discounts simultaneously on Booking and 70 other booking sites.

“We know more about Joan of Arc than about any other of her contemporaries, and at the same time it is difficult to find another person among the people of the 15th century whose image would seem so mysterious to posterity.” (*2) p.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, like heralds of a new joy, then cried with an unusual cry, hitherto unheard of. We saw how they flapped 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, adviser and chamberlain of the king, in a letter to the Duke of Milon, which can be called her first biography. But most likely this description is a legend, because 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 Domremy, 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, according to local concepts, "not very rich." (For a more detailed description of the family, see (*2) pp. 41-43)

“Not far from the village where Jeanne grew up, there was a very beautiful tree,“ beautiful as a lily, ”as one witness noted; village boys and girls gathered near the tree on Sundays, they danced around it and washed themselves with water from a nearby source. The tree was called the fairy tree, it was said that in ancient times wonderful creatures, fairies, danced around it. Jeanne 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, the first revelation came to her. Suddenly, a radiant cloud appeared before her eyes, from which a voice rang out: “Joan, it is fitting for you to go the other way and perform miraculous deeds, for you are the one whom the King of Heaven has chosen to protect King Charles ..” (* 1) p. 146

“At first I was very scared. I heard the 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 it was necessary 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 I think, belonged to Jeanne, the Archangel Michael, the voices of St. Margaret and St. Catherine soon joined. To all those who tried to block her path, Jeanne was reminiscent of an ancient prophecy that said that "France will be destroyed by a woman, and a virgin will save." (The first part of the prophecy came true when Isabella of Bavaria forced her husband, King Charles VI of France, to declare her 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 the fast, even if for this I wipe my legs to the knees; know that no one - neither the king, nor the duke, nor the daughter of the king of Scotland, nor anyone else - can restore the French kingdom; salvation can only come from me, and although I would rather stay with my poor mother and spin, this is not my destiny: I must go, and I will do it, for my Lord wills that I 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 Jeanne herself terminated the engagement through the court.

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

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

“Duke Charles II of Lorraine gave Jeanne a gracious welcome. He invited her to his place in Nancy. Charles of Lorraine was not at all an ally of Charles of 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 the people who would escort her to France, and she would pray to God for his health.” Jeanne called his son-in-law, René of Anjou, the duke's son. “The good King René” (who later became famous as a poet and patron of the arts), was married to the eldest daughter of the duke and his heiress 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 "Priority of Sion" and helped Jeanne fulfill her mission. (See chapter "René d'Anjou")

Already in Vaucouleurs, she puts on a man's suit and goes across the country to the Dauphin Charles. Testing continues. In Chinon, under the name of Dauphin, another is introduced to her, but Jeanne unmistakably finds Charles from 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 the King of Heaven speaks to you through my lips and says that you will accept Chrismation and you will be crowned at Reims and become the vicar of the King of Heaven, the true King of France.” After other questions asked by the king, Jeanne said to him again: “I tell you on behalf of the Almighty that you are the true heir of France and the son of the king, and He sent me to you in order to lead you to Reims so that you could be crowned and anointed there. if you want it." Hearing this, the king informed those present that Jeanne had initiated him into a certain secret, which no one except God knew and could not know; that's why he trusts her completely. All this,” Brother Pasquerel concludes, “I heard from the lips of Jeanne, since I myself was not present at the time.” (*3) page 33

But, nevertheless, an investigation begins, detailed information is collected about Jeanne, who at that time is in Poitiers, where the board of learned theologians of the bishopric of Poitiers must make their decision.

“Believing that precautions are never superfluous, the king decided to increase the number of those who are entrusted with interrogating the girl, and choose the most worthy of them; and they were to assemble at Poitiers. Jeanne was placed in the house of maitre Jean Rabato, a lawyer for the Parlement of Paris, who had joined the king two years earlier. Several women were assigned to secretly observe her behavior.

François Garivel, adviser to the king, clarifies that Joan was interrogated repeatedly and the investigation took about three weeks. (*3) page 43

“A certain lawyer of Parliament, Jean Barbon: “From the 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 her answers plunged them into amazement. They believed that there was something divine in her very life and her behavior; in the end, after all the interrogations and interrogations carried out by scholars, they came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong in it, nothing contrary to the Catholic faith, and that, considering the plight of the king and the kingdom - after all, the king and the inhabitants of the kingdom loyal to him were in this time in despair and did not know what help to hope for, if not 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, 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 a small detachment under her command, 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 at Tours. Even in Poitiers, the Dauphin entrusted the protection of the Virgin to an experienced warrior Jean d'Olonne, 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 sorties. Together they were captured by the Burgundians, but she was sold to the British, and he ransomed to freedom, and a quarter of a century later, already a knight, a royal adviser and, holding 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. The testimony of one of Jeanne's pages, Louis de Coote, has also come down to us; about the second - Raymond - we know nothing. Jeanne's confessor was the Augustinian monk Jean Pasquerel; he owns very detailed testimonies, but, obviously, not everything is reliable in them. (*2) p.130

“In Tours, a military retinue was assembled for Jeanne, as it was supposed to be for a military leader; they appointed quartermaster 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 Cotes and Raymond. In her submission were also two heralds - Ambleville and Guillenne; heralds are messengers dressed in livery, allowing 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 to gather in Blois ... It was in Blois, while the army was there, that Jeanne ordered a banner ... Jeanne's confessor was touched by the almost religious appearance of the advancing army: “When Jeanne set out from Blois to go to Orleans, she asked to gather everyone priests around this banner, and the priests went ahead of the army ... and sang antiphons ... it was the same the next day. And on the third day they came to Orleans. (*3) page 58

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

It took Jeanne 9 days to liberate Orleans.

“The sun was already declining to the west, and the French were still unsuccessfully fighting for the ditch of the advanced fortification. Jeanne jumped on her horse and went to the fields. Away from sight... Jeanne plunged into prayer between 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 has gained external and internal silence - when only inspiration can arise ... "

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

“... the British, seven months after the start of the siege and nine days after the Virgin occupied the city, retreated without a fight to the last, and this happened on May 8 (1429), the day when many centuries ago St. appeared in distant Italy on Monte Gargano and on the island of Ischia ...

The magistrate wrote in the city book 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 Appearance of the Archangel Michael.

Many modern critics argue that the victory at Orleans can only be attributed to chance or 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 say that he did not understand strategy.

The English biographer of Joan of Arc, W. Sanquill West, writes today that the whole mode of action of her fellow countrymen who participated in those events seems to her so strange and slow that this can only be explained by supernatural reasons: “The reasons for 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) P.92-94

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

The rumor about Jeanne's feat spread throughout Europe, which showed extraordinary interest in what happened. The author of the chronicle we have cited is a certain Eberhard Vindeken, the 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 from a very interesting source. This is the "Chronicle of Antonio Morosini" ... partly a collection of letters and reports. Pancrazzo Giustiniani's letter to his father, from Bruges to Venice, 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 reverence, as do the commoners, and those who laughed at her died a bad death. Nothing, however, is so clear as her undisputed victory in a dispute with the masters of theology, so that it seems as if she is the second Saint Catherine to come down to earth, and many knights who heard what amazing speeches she made every day, consider this is a great miracle ... They further inform that this girl must do two great things, and then die. God help her... “How does she appear before a Venetian of the Quartocento era, before a merchant, diplomat and intelligence agent, 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 a masculine posture, she speaks little and shows a wonderful mind; she speaks in a pleasant high voice, as befits a woman. In food she is moderate, she is even more moderate in wine-drinking. She finds pleasure in beautiful horses and weapons. Many meetings and conversations are unpleasant for Virgo. Often her eyes fill with tears, she loves fun. He endures unheard-of hard work, and when he bears weapons, he shows such perseverance that day and night for six days he can continuously remain fully armed. She says that the English have no right to own France, and for this, she says, the Lord sent her to drive them out and overcome them ... "

“Guy de Laval, a young nobleman who joined the royal army, describes her with admiration: “I saw her, in armor and in full combat equipment, with a small ax in her hand, sit down at the exit of the house on her huge black war horse who was in great impatience and did not allow himself to be saddled; then she said: “Take him to the cross,” which was in front of the church on the road. Then she jumped into the saddle, and 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, arrange a procession and pray to God.” And then she set off on her way, 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 Re: “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 takes communion of the Body of the Lord - most of the warriors do this with her - and she does not say anything. Not a single thoughtless word comes out of her mouth - in this she is as mature as many men. Around her, no one ever swears, and people like it, although all their wives stayed at home. Needless to say, she never takes off her armor if she sleeps next to us, and then, despite all her good looks, not a single man feels carnal desire for her. (*1) p.109

“Jean Alencon, who in those days was the commander-in-chief, many years later recalled:“ She understood everything that had to do with the war: she could thrust a pike and conduct a review of the troops, line up the army in battle order and place guns. Everyone was surprised that she was so circumspect in her affairs, as a military 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, transfigured, virginal, returned to that state of “God's love”, which 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 doves begin to flutter around her." (*1) p.108

“I recall 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 tending cows in the meadow, and, sitting on her knees, pecked the crumbs that she nibbled on bread. Her flock was never attacked by a wolf, and on the night when she was born - on Epiphany - various unusual things were noticed with animals ... And why not? After all, animals are also God's creatures... (*1) page 108

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

Her ecstasies flowed, as it were, outside of time, in ordinary activity, but without disconnecting from the latter. She heard her Voices in the midst of the fighting, but continued to command the troops; heard during interrogations, but continued to answer the theologians. This can also be evidenced by her tin, when, under the Turelles, she pulled out an arrow from the wound, ceasing to feel physical pain during ecstasy. And I must add that she was perfectly able to determine her Voices in time: at such and such an hour when the bells rang. (*4) p.307

“Rupertus Geyer, that “anonymous” cleric,” understood Joan’s personality correctly: if you can find some historical analogy for her, then it is best to compare Jeanne with the sibyls, these prophetesses of the pagan era, whose mouths the gods spoke. But there was a huge difference between them and Jeanne. The sibyls were affected by the forces of nature: sulfuric fumes, intoxicating smells, murmuring streams. In a state of ecstasy, they said 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 sheets on which they wrote 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 indefinite,” wrote Plutarch.

The lips of Joan 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 an exit beyond ordinary feelings, which she controlled and from which she could come out with a sober mind and awareness of her own "I", then to translate what he saw and heard into the language of earthly words and earthly deeds. What was available to 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. Simply and clearly, without omissions and secrets, she told about what was to happen: “Wait, three more days, then we will take the city”; "Be patient, in an hour you will be winners." Virgo deliberately removed the veil of mystery from her life and actions; only she remained a mystery. Since the coming disaster was foretold to her, she closed her mouth, 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.

From the days of the Apostle Paul, women "speaking in tongues" in Christian communities were required to be silent, for "the spirit that gives inspiration is responsible for speaking in tongues, and the speaking person is responsible for the intelligent prophetic word." The spiritual language must be translated into the language of people, so that a person can accompany the speech of the spirit with his mind; and only that which a man can understand and assimilate with his own understanding, he must express in words.

Joan of Arc proved more clearly than ever in those weeks that she was responsible for her sensible words of prophecy, and that she spoke—or kept silent—while she was of sound mind." (*1) p 192

After the lifting of the siege from Orleans, disputes begin in the Royal Council about the direction of the campaign. At the same time, Jeanne was of the opinion that you need to go to Reims in order to crown the king. “She argued that as soon as the king was crowned and anointed, the strength of the enemies would decrease all the time and in the end they would no longer be able to harm either the king or the kingdom” p 167.

The coronation of the Dauphin in Reims became under these conditions an act of declaring 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 the British and Burgundians. The decisive role was played by the enormous authority of Jeanne in the army, and on June 27, the Virgin led the vanguard of the army to Reimstr. A new stage of the liberation struggle began. At the same time, 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 traveled almost three hundred kilometers and reached the final point without firing a single shot, leaving not a single burned village or a single plundered city on its way. The undertaking, which at first seemed so difficult and dangerous, turned into a triumphal march.

On Sunday, July 17, Charles was crowned in 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 rightfully should have been honored”

But further events unfold less triumphantly. Instead of a decisive offensive, Karl concludes a strange truce with the Burgundians. On January 21, the army returned to the banks of the Laura and was immediately disbanded. But Jeanne continues to fight, but at the same time she suffers one defeat after another. Upon learning that the Burgundians besieged Compiègne, she rushes to the rescue. The virgin enters the city on May 23, and in the evening, during a sortie, she is captured.....

“For the last time in her life, on the evening of May 23, 1430, Jeanne stormed the enemy camp, for the last time she took off her armor, they took away her standard with the image of Christ and the face of an angel. The fight on the battlefield is over. What began now at her 18 years old was a struggle with other weapons and with another opponent, but, as before, it was a struggle not for life, but for death. At that moment, the history of mankind was accomplished through Joan of Arc. Saint Margaret's covenant was fulfilled; the hour of the fulfillment of the covenant of St. Catherine has struck. Earthly knowledge was preparing to fight with wisdom, in the morning rays of which the Virgin Jeanne lived, struggled and suffered. Centuries were already approaching in a stream of change, when the forces of God-denying scholarship began a bloodless but inevitable offensive against the dawning memory of man's divine origin, when human minds and hearts became the arena in which fallen angels fought with the archangel named Michael, the herald of the will of Christ. . Everything that Jeanne did served France, England, the new Europe; it was a challenge, a shining riddle for all the peoples of subsequent epochs.” (*1) page 201

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

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

Behind was the Burgundian captivity. There were two escape attempts behind. The second almost ended tragically: Jeanne jumped out of the window on the top floor. This gave the judges a reason to accuse her of the mortal sin of attempting suicide. Her explanation was simple: "I did this 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 was the iron cage in which she was kept for the first time in Rouen, in the basement of the royal castle of Bouvray. Then interrogations began, she was transferred to a cell. Five English soldiers guarded it around the clock, and at night they chained it to the wall with an iron chain.

Behind were grueling interrogations. Every time she was bombarded with dozens of questions. Traps lay in wait for her at every turn. One hundred and thirty-two members of the tribunal: a cardinal, bishops, professors of theology, learned abbots, monks and priests .... And a young girl who, in her own words, "knows neither a nor b."

Behind were those two days at the end of March, when she was acquainted with the indictment. In seventy articles, the prosecutor listed the criminal acts, speeches and thoughts of the defendant. But Jeanne deflected one charge 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 one.

The second version of the indictment contained only 12 articles. The secondary was sifted out, the most important thing remained: “voices and knowledge”, men's costume, “fairy tree”, seduction of the king and refusal to submit to the militant church.

They decided to refuse torture, "so as not to give rise to slander on an exemplary trial."

All this is over, and now Jeanne was brought to the cemetery, surrounded by guards, raised above the crowd, showed the executioner and began to read the sentence. All this carefully thought-out procedure was calculated to cause her mental shock and fear of death. At some point, Jeanne breaks down and agrees to submit to the will of the church. “Then,” the protocol says, “in full view of a great multitude of clerics and laity, she uttered the formula of renunciation, following the text of a charter drawn up in French, which 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 in the cemetery of Saint-Ouen, 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 publicly repented of her crimes.

But, having wrested from the girl the words of repentance, the organizers of the process did not at all consider the matter finished. It was only half done, for 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 the abdication she committed a “relapse of heresy”: a person who relapsed into heresy was subject to immediate execution. Before the 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 the orders of Cauchon, she was again taken to the old cell. There she changed into women's clothes and had her head shaved. The shackles were not removed and the English guard was not removed.

Two days have passed. On Sunday, May 27, rumors spread around the city that the convict had again put on a man's suit. She was asked who forced her to do this. “No one,” Jeanne replied. I did it of my own free will and without any coercion." On the evening of that day, the protocol of the last interrogation of Jeanne appeared - a tragic document in which Jeanne herself tells about everything that she experienced after the renunciation: about the despair that seized her when she realized that she had been deceived, about contempt for herself because of that she was afraid of death, about how she cursed herself for betrayal, she herself uttered this word - and about the victory she won - about the most, perhaps, the most difficult of all her victories, because this is a victory over the fear of death .

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

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

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

And when it was all over, according to Ladvenyu, “about four o’clock in the afternoon,” the executioner came to the Dominican monastery, “to me,” says Izambar, “and to my brother Lavenu, 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 them both that, having climbed the scaffold to remove everything, he found her heart and other entrails unburned; he was required to burn everything, but although he several times put burning brushwood and coals around Joan's heart, he could not turn it into ashes "(Massey, for his part, reports the same story of the executioner from the words of the deputy of the Rouen ball). Finally, amazed , "as by a clear miracle," he stopped tormenting this Heart, put the Burning Bush in a sack along with everything that was left of the Virgin's flesh, and threw the sack, as it was supposed to, into the hay. The imperishable heart left forever from human eyes and hands. (*1)

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

Throughout her short life, Jeanne d'Arc, "an earthly angel and a heavenly girl," again and with unprecedented power announced the reality of the Living God and the Heavenly Church.

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

Five and a half centuries have passed since the day when Joan of Arc was burned on 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: "like everyone else." "just like the others."

One year—only one year—she was the glorified Jeanne-Virgin, the savior of France. Her associates will then 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 of the inquisition tribunal. Her judges will then say: "a great scientist - and he would have difficulty answering the questions that she was asked."

Of course, she wasn't like everyone else. Of course, she was not a captain. And, of course, she was not a scientist. And yet she had it all.

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

Literature:

• *1 Maria Josef, Kruk von Potutzin Joan of Arc. Moscow "Enigma" 1994.
• *2 Raitses V.I. Jeanne d 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 V., Dumotz I., Golovin STR. Encyclopedia of symbols, M., KRON-PRESS, 1995

See section:

Every second Sunday in May, France celebrates the Memorial Day of Jeanne d'Arc, the famous Virgin of Orleans, who during the Hundred Years War led the French army, won several decisive military victories, crowned the Dauphin Charles VII, but was captured by traitors from Burgundy and burned at the stake. the English. The execution of Joan of Arc took place in Rouen on May 30, 1431. 25 years after the execution, she was rehabilitated and recognized as a national heroine, and in the 20th century the Catholic Church proclaimed her a saint. This is the official version. But many myths and legends are associated with Joan of Arc. According to some sources, the Maid of Orleans was a village shepherdess, according to others - a noble lady.

Shepherdess

According to the most common version, Joan of Arc was born into the family of a village headman in the village of Domremy on the border of Alsace in 1412. Once she heard the voices of Saints Catherine and Margaret, who told her that it was she who was destined to save France from the invasion of the British.

Having learned about her destiny, Jeanne left her home, achieved a meeting with the Dauphin Charles VII and led the French army. She managed to liberate several cities, including Orleans, after which she was called the Maid of Orleans. Soon Charles VII was crowned in Reims, and Joan won several more important victories.

On May 23, 1430, near the city of Compiègne, the detachment of Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians. They handed over the Virgin of Orleans to the Duke of Luxembourg, who, in turn, to the British. There were rumors that those close to Charles VII had betrayed Joan.

The trial of Joan of Arc began in January 1431 in Rouen. The Inquisition brought forward 12 articles of accusation. Meanwhile, in Paris, Henry VI was proclaimed King of France and England. The main purpose of Joan's trial was to prove that Charles VII had been placed on the throne by a witch and a heretic.

Bishop Pierre Cauchon led the trial. Even before the trial began, he subjected the girl to a medical examination to establish that she was not innocent, and that she had entered into a relationship with the devil. However, the examination showed that Jeanne was a virgin, so the court was forced to drop this accusation.

The trial of Joan of Arc lasted several months. It was full of tricky questions and cunning traps into which, according to the plan of the inquisitors, the girl was supposed to fall. As a result, on May 29, 1431, the final decision was made to transfer the defendant into the hands of secular authorities. Jeanne was sentenced to be burned at the stake. On May 30, 1431, the sentence was carried out.

insane

The legend of the great young warrior was dealt a tangible blow by the famous French historian and philosopher Robert Caratini. In his monograph "Joan of Arc: from Domremy to Orleans," he stated that the story of the Maid of Orleans as we know it has little to do with the truth. The specialist claims that in fact Jeanne was a mentally ill girl, which politicians and the highest military officials quite skillfully used for their own purposes in order to arouse hatred of England in the souls of the French.

Karatini writes that all the battles that were supposedly won by the French under the leadership of Joan of Arc were small skirmishes like a Russian fistfight at a fair. The French historian also adds that the maiden herself did not participate in any of them, and that she did not I have never held a sword in my life.

Robert Caratini argued that Joan of Arc herself did not influence the course of events in any way, but served only as a symbol, some kind of iconic figure, with the help of which French politicians whipped up anti-English sentiments.

The French historian also casts doubt on the fact that Joan of Arc saved the besieged Orleans. This city, writes Karatini, was simply not besieged by anyone. An English army of five thousand people loitered around the area adjacent to Orleans. Finally, a French army under the command of Charles VII arrived at the walls of Orleans very late, but no fighting followed.

According to Karatini, in 1429 Joan of Arc was indeed in the military service, but she was in the army as a kind of living talisman. The historian believed that she was an unbalanced girl, with obvious signs of mental disorder. The reason for this state of her could be the horrors war, but not the Hundred Years, but another - the ongoing battle between France and Burgundy.And since Jeanne's native village was on the border, even as a child, the impressionable girl had to contemplate quite a lot of scary pictures.

The British reacted to Robert Caratini's book with a standing ovation. For more than five centuries, the entire enlightened world condemned the British for the ruthless massacre of the Maiden of Orleans, but this part of the story, the French scientist believes, is also fiction.

Joan of Arc was captured in Burgundy. Then the Parisian Sorbonne sent a letter to the Duke of Burgundy with a request to extradite the girl to the university. However, the Duke refused the Sorbonne. After keeping Joan at home for eight months, he sold her to Henry VI of England for 10 thousand pounds. The Virgin of Orleans was tried in Normandy by 126 Sorbonne judges and then executed, while the English had no part at all, Caratini believes.

The historian also claims that the legend of Joan of Arc was created only at the end of the 19th century, because the French rulers of that time needed new heroes, and the young maiden, who fell victim to dynastic squabbles, was ideal for this role.

Married lady and mother

Rumors that Joan of Arc did not actually die, but was saved, began to spread among the people immediately after her execution. According to one of the versions, which, in particular, is presented in the book by Yefim Chernyak "The Judicial Noose", Jeanne d'Arc not only escaped death at the stake, but also got married and gave birth to two sons. Her husband was a man named Robert d'Armoise, whose descendants still consider themselves relatives of the Maid of Orleans and assure that their respected ancestor, for any treasures of the world, would not have married a woman who would not have presented him with genuine documents proving her true identity. origin.

For the first time, a new Jeanne, or, as she was already called, Madame d'Armoise, appeared about five years after her tragic death. In 1436, Jeanne's brother Jean du Ly often sent letters to his sister and went to visit her in the city of Arlon. Records of the corresponding expenses are preserved in the account book of Orleans.

It is known that this mysterious lady lived in Arlon, where she led a rich social life. In 1439, Jeanne, miraculously resurrected, appeared in Orleans, once liberated by her. Judging by the entries in the same account book, the inhabitants of Orleans greeted Jeanne d'Armoise more than warmly. She was not only recognized, in honor of her noble citizens arranged a gala dinner, in addition, Jeanne was presented with a gift of 210 livres "for the good service she rendered to the specified city during the siege." There is circumstantial evidence that at this time the mother of the real Joan of Arc, Isabella Rome, could be in Orleans.

The resurrected Jeanne was also warmly welcomed in Tours, the village of Grand aux Ormes, and in several other settlements. In 1440, on her way to Paris, Madame d'Armoise was arrested, declared an impostor, and exhibited at the pillory. She repented of taking the name of the Maid of Orleans for herself and was released.

It is said that after the death of her husband, Robert d'Armoise, this Jeanne remarried. And in the late 50s, the lady was granted official forgiveness for daring to impersonate Joan of Arc.

King's daughter

Another sensational statement was made by Ukrainian anthropologist Sergei Gorbenko: Joan of Arc did not die at the stake, but lived to be 57 years old. He also claims that Jeanne was not a simple village girl, as folk legend says, but came from the royal Valois dynasty.

The scientist believes that the historical name of the famous Maiden of Orleans is Marguerite de Champdiver. Sergey Gorbenko examined the remains in the sarcophagus of the Notre-Dame de Clery Saint-André temple near Orleans and found that the female skull, which was kept together with the king's skull, did not belong to Queen Charlotte, who died at the age of 38, but to another woman who was not less than 57 years old. The specialist came to the conclusion that in front of him were the remains of the very Joan of Arc, who in fact was an illegitimate princess of the Valois house. Her father was King Charles VI, and her mother was the king's last mistress, Odette de Champdiver.

The girl was brought up under the supervision of her father-king as a warrior, so she could wear knightly armor. It also explains how Jeanne could write letters (which an illiterate peasant girl would not have been able to do).

According to this version, the death of Joan of Arc was imitated by Charles VII: a completely different woman was sent to the fire instead.

King's sister

According to another legend, Joan of Arc was the illegitimate daughter of Queen Isabella, the half-sister of King Charles VII. This version explains, in particular, how a simple village girl managed to make the king accept her, listen, and even believe that it was she who would save France.

In addition, it always seemed strange to many researchers that a girl from a rural family was too well versed in the political situation in the country, from childhood she owned a military spear, which was the privilege of only nobles, spoke pure French without a provincial accent and allowed herself to communicate with any respect with crowned heads.

There is a version according to which Joan of Arc was called the Maid of Orleans, not only because of her liberation of Orleans, but also because of her involvement in the royal house of Orleans. It is possible that this version has some grounds. In 1407, Queen Isabella did give birth to an illegitimate child, whose father, apparently, was Duke Louis of Orleans. The baby is believed to have died soon after, but the grave and remains of this child, whose gender was not specified in the historical documents of the time, could not be found. Later, in a detailed work on the history of France, which was published in the 18th century, this baby was first called Philip, and in subsequent reprints already Jeanne.

The question of how old Jeanne d'Arc actually was when she ascended the fire is still debatable. At one of the interrogations, she once indicated her age - "about 19 years old." On another occasion, she found it difficult to answer this question. However, when Jeanne first met the Dauphin Charles VII, she said that she was "three times seven years old." Thus, it turns out that she was a little older than her canonized age and could well be the very illegitimate child of Queen Isabella.

It is mentioned in "Judicial Noose" that Jeanne has undergone two medical examinations. And both times the examination was carried out by very high-ranking persons: first by Queens Mary of Anjou and Iolanthe of Aragon, then by the Duchess of Bedford, who was the aunt of Charles VII. "You only need to imagine the class differences in medieval society," the author writes, "to understand: the honor that Jeanne was awarded could not be given to a simple shepherdess."

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources