Aleksandra Bojović
JOAN OF ARC
Publishing House PČELICA Kolubarska 4, Čačak, Serbia office@pcelica.rs www.pcelica.rs
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his story takes us back to the fifteenth century, when a young French girl left her quiet rural life to devote herself to the fight against the English. She was Jeanne d’Arc, better known as Joan of Arc.
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Joan of Arc
An Orphan of War In the small French village of Domrémy, in 1412, an unusual little girl was born to a family of poor peasants. Her name was Jeanne d’Arc.
At that time, France was at war1 and times were hard. Things became even worse for young Joan when, during an attack on her village by the English, she lost both her parents. After this tragedy, Joan’s aunt and uncle became her guardians. She spent most of her days in solitude and silence, often watching over sheep in the nearby pastures and helping with the household chores. Refers to the period between 1337 and 1453, the battles between France and England, which were later in history known as the Hundred Years’ War.
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Messages From the Sky From a very young age Joan distanced herself from the
other children. She was deeply religious and asked her guardians to take her to church every day for confession. And then, when she was thirteen, something odd happened: while looking after the sheep, she heard voices from the sky and experienced a real revelation1.
Another time, as she was looking after the sheep on a nearby pasture, she suddenly saw an unusual light in the sky. Then she heard a voice that seemed to come from the clouds. Strange events like this one continued to burden young Joan and she believed that the messages she heard came from God. Of course, no one from the village believed her stories.
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1 A revelation is an unexplainable experience when people hear and see things others don’t.
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A Shepherdess Among Soldiers Joan herself stated that in one of her visions God told her
to take up a sword instead of a shepherd’s staff and join the French army, so that she could help the crown prince1, Charles VII the Victorious, in his battle against the English. Thoughts on God’s Help I can neither ride nor fight. God will lead me and help me. Joan of Arc
Determined and brave, and without changing out of her shepherdess’ clothes, Joan headed towards a nearby village to join the other French soldiers.
A crown prince is a prince who has not yet become the ruler but is the heir to the throne. 1
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Unresolved questions of inheritance in France and the specific position of the Gascony province led to a war between England and France, which lasted from 1337 to 1453. This war was to be symbolically known in history as the Hundred Years’ War. Gascony, a region in south-western France, had more independence than other French regions, so it surrendered to the English, under the condition that Edward III, the English king, renounces the French throne and recognizes Philip VI of Valois as the ruler of France. That situation wasn’t sustainable, because both sides were unhappy with the agreement. The English felt they had a historic right to interfere in the governing of France and the French didn’t want the English governing a part of their territory. With variable luck and success, the war was waged mostly on French territories. 7
Aleksandra Bojović
JOAN OF ARC
Publishing House PČELICA Kolubarska 4, Čačak, Serbia office@pcelica.rs www.pcelica.rs