Medieval History
On January 6, people around the world will come together to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the birth of St. Joan of Arc, the brave peasant girl from the French countryside who in 1429 lifted the English siege of Orleans, walloped the enemy army and led her king to be crowned at Reims. French President Nicolas Sarkozy plans a special visit to the village of Domremy, her birthplace. There will be a parade at 6 o'clock in New Orleans, a French pilgrimage retracing the route that led to Joan's martyrdom at the stake in Rouen, prestigious classical music concerts and ceremonial viewings of Carl Theodor Dryer's silent-screen masterpiece, "The Passion of Joan of Arc."
And how typical of the magic of Joan's story that she should have been born on so important a Christian holiday, the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrating Christ's baptism and the coming of the Magi. Just another wonder in the life of the transcendent young woman who heard the voices of angels and presented the dauphin of France with a secret sign that only he would know, a sign that convinced him of her authenticity as a messenger from God.
Except that, like so much of the irresistible mystery surrounding Joan, this date, accepted by so many for so long as fact, was almost certainly created six centuries ago as a deliberate fiction for political purposes.
Click here to read this article from the Kansas City Star
- France Celebrates Joan Of Arc's 600th Birthday
The normally tranquil city of Orleans is buzzing with festivities over the next two weeks to mark the 600th birthday of one of France's best cultural exports: Joan of Arc. Looking appropriately cinematic, the Loire River swarmed with wooden boats...
- Joan Of Arc: Enduring Power
Joan of Arc was born 600 years ago. Six centuries is a long time to continue to mark the birth of a girl who, according to her family and friends, knew little more than spinning and watching over her father?s flocks. But type her name into Amazon?s search...
- Nicolas Sarkozy, Far-right Leader Marine Le Pen In Tug-of-love Over Joan Of Arc
Joan of Arc painted in 1854. President Nicolas Sarkozy and far-right leader Marine Le Pen this week embark on a tug-of-love over the French patron saint Joan of Arc, a surprise player in the upcoming presidential election. The two leaders are to stage...
- The Geography Of Joan, Part Ii: Orleans
The battles won at Orleans were the decisive victories for the French in the Hundred Years War. Orleans' situation on the Loire was important for the English, as it would have connected their landholdings in the west with their Burgundians allies...
- The Geography Of Joan, Part I: Domremy To Poitiers
With nomenclature like the "Hundred Years War," one can get an overwhelming sense of longevity. But like any era or war, powerful personalities emerge, and leave their mark. Joan of Arc was an unlikely heroine; she was an uneducated, young girl from a...
Medieval History
Celebrating the real Joan of Arc
And how typical of the magic of Joan's story that she should have been born on so important a Christian holiday, the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrating Christ's baptism and the coming of the Magi. Just another wonder in the life of the transcendent young woman who heard the voices of angels and presented the dauphin of France with a secret sign that only he would know, a sign that convinced him of her authenticity as a messenger from God.
Except that, like so much of the irresistible mystery surrounding Joan, this date, accepted by so many for so long as fact, was almost certainly created six centuries ago as a deliberate fiction for political purposes.
Click here to read this article from the Kansas City Star
- France Celebrates Joan Of Arc's 600th Birthday
The normally tranquil city of Orleans is buzzing with festivities over the next two weeks to mark the 600th birthday of one of France's best cultural exports: Joan of Arc. Looking appropriately cinematic, the Loire River swarmed with wooden boats...
- Joan Of Arc: Enduring Power
Joan of Arc was born 600 years ago. Six centuries is a long time to continue to mark the birth of a girl who, according to her family and friends, knew little more than spinning and watching over her father?s flocks. But type her name into Amazon?s search...
- Nicolas Sarkozy, Far-right Leader Marine Le Pen In Tug-of-love Over Joan Of Arc
Joan of Arc painted in 1854. President Nicolas Sarkozy and far-right leader Marine Le Pen this week embark on a tug-of-love over the French patron saint Joan of Arc, a surprise player in the upcoming presidential election. The two leaders are to stage...
- The Geography Of Joan, Part Ii: Orleans
The battles won at Orleans were the decisive victories for the French in the Hundred Years War. Orleans' situation on the Loire was important for the English, as it would have connected their landholdings in the west with their Burgundians allies...
- The Geography Of Joan, Part I: Domremy To Poitiers
With nomenclature like the "Hundred Years War," one can get an overwhelming sense of longevity. But like any era or war, powerful personalities emerge, and leave their mark. Joan of Arc was an unlikely heroine; she was an uneducated, young girl from a...