What A Weird World - Joan of Arc

Weird World

JOAN OF ARC

Every country has its heroes. The English have Winston Churchill, Henry V and Mister Bean; and the French have Napoleon, Monsieur Camembert (the original inventor of smelly cheeses) and Joan of Arc, also known as “Jeanne d’Arc”, the “Maid of Orleans”, the “patron saint of France” and “France’s national heroine”. Joan of Arc is a particular favourite of the French: not only did she help unify France, but she also defeated the English, which makes her extra special. Who was this woman? And what happened to her?

Zut Alors! (“Oh no!” - in French)

France was in a mess in the 15th century. No one ruled, and the English were trying to take advantage of the chaos. The English started off well (as they always do), but couldn’t maintain the advantage (as they always do). And this was all thanks to a young French peasant girl called Joan. Joan was born at Domrémy, France, in 1412. She spent her childhood learning religion, knitting and looking after her father’s cows. In an early interview she claimed her favourite pastimes were “praying” and “listening to church bells”. Then, when she was about 12, strange things started to happen.

Oo iz zat? (“Who is that?” - in French)

In the summer of 1424, young Joan began to see and hear things. “I was in my thirteenth year when I heard a voice from God,” Joan told friends. “The first time I was very much afraid,” she added. She claimed the voices were St Michael, St Catherine and St Margaret, all of whom had been sent to speak to her by God. They told her that it was her “divine mission to free her country from the English”. They also told her to cut her hair, learn to use a sword and dress “like a man”. Immediately, she went to tell a powerful Frenchman, Charles de Ponthieu (later known as King Charles VII), all about her visions. He was impressed and gave her command of an army. It wasn’t long before she had her first victory.

I ate zese Ingliish (“I hate these English” - in French)

Her first battle was against the English at Orleans. For months, the town had been under siege. But Joan soon stopped that. She went into battle carrying a white banner, and she was victorious, lifting the siege on 8th May 1429. She also captured the towns of Jargeau, Meung-sur-Loire, and Beaugency in mid-June; and defeated an English army at Patay on 18th June. At this battle, most of the English troops and the commander, Sir John Fastolfe, ran away when they heard the French army was led by Joan. In total, one hundred English aristocrats were captured, and 1,800 soldiers were killed. Soon afterwards many other towns surrendered, and Charles was crowned king on 17th July 1429. Joan was given the place of honour beside him and it was the highlight of her career. But her glory didn’t last.

Let’s do eeeet again! (“Let’s do it again!” - in French)

By November the English had once again occupied Paris and all of northern France. They were led by Henry VI of England, who was claiming the French throne. Joan decided to go out and fight him, but she was captured at Compiègne on 23rd May 1430. Soon afterwards, the trials against her started.

You Witch!

Right from the start, the English were desperate to convict her. They started off accusing her of murder, then prostitution and finally witchcraft. But there were no witnesses. In the end, and just out of desperation, she was convicted of the crime of “wearing masculine dress”. The court condemned her to death, but she said she was sorry, so they changed the sentence to life imprisonment. However, it didn’t end there.

I want to wear these clothes!

Months later Joan was still “dressing like a man”. This really irritated the English priests. So, she was tried again, and this time she was really condemned to death. On 30th May 1431 she was burned at the stake in the marketplace at Rouen. She was just nineteen years old. Charles VII made no attempt to come to her rescue. Poor Joan had died, but her name lived on.

Saint Joan

A few years later the English were thrown out of Rouen. In 1456 the original trial against Joan was declared illegal. Joan was declared innocent; and centuries later, in 1920, she was canonised by Pope Benedict XV and she became Saint Joan. However, the Catholic Church never officially accepted that her “voices” were from God. These days, there are still divisions of opinion: some claim she was a national heroine; and others say she was a delusional teenager. And there’s even a historian who says Joan never existed. What do you think?

GLOSSARY FOR CARTOON

an arranged marriage n a marriage that is organised by your parents. They decide which man/ woman you are going to marry a weapon n an object that is used to kill people such as a gun, sword, knife, etc we’re bound to win exp “we are definitely going to win” to gather round phr vb to form a circle around someone who is about to speak to drive someone from a place exp to attack someone and force them to leave a place a swine n inform a pig (as an insult) a heretic n someone with beliefs that others consider to be wrong or bad she doesn’t have a hope in hell exp “she has no chance of escaping”; “she will certainly die” good thing too exp people use this expression when they are happy that something has happened to lead by example exp to show people the correct and incorrect way of doing something

INFO English / French Rivalry

The English and the French have been in competition for centuries; and over the years they have fought quite a few wars. Here are some of the more important ones: 1194 - 1337 - The English / French War - French Victory 1337 - 1453 - The Hundred Years’ War - French Victory 1754 - 1763 - The Indian Wars - British Victory 1800 - 1814 - The Napoleonic Wars - British Victory As you can see, so far it is a draw: 2-2. And let’s hope it stays that way!

Napoleon shortly after a violent discussion with his wife.

G L O S S A R Y

in a mess exp disordered; in chaos knitting n making clothing by using wool (sheep hair) and needles (long pieces of metal you hold in your hand) to pray vb to say words to God a bell n a metal object that makes a loud sound when you hit it. They are often in churches a sword n a big knife that soldiers use to kill their enemies under siege exp if a town is “under siege”, there are soldiers outside the town trying to get in to run away phr vb to escape led by exp directed by to surrender vb if a soldier “surrenders”, he or she stops fighting and becomes a prisoner to crown king exp to make someone king by putting a “crown” (a king’s hat) on his head a trial n a legal process in which people decide if someone is innocent or guilty witchcraft n the use of magic powers, especially bad ones a witness n a person who sees a crime to burn somebody at the stake exp to tie somebody to a wooden pole (the stake) and to burn that person a marketplace n an area in a town where there is a market to live on phr vb if your name “lives on”, you are still famous many years after your death to throw out phr vb to force someone to leave a place to canonise vb if someone is “canonised”, the church says that person is a saint a delusional teenager n a young person (13 to 19 years old) who has fantasies and believes things that are not true