Joan of Arc's Crowning Achievement

“Huzzah after huzzah swept the army from van to rear; and as for Joan, there where she sat her horse gazing, clothed all in white armor, dreamy, beautiful, and in her face a deep, deep joy, a joy not of earth, oh, she was not flesh, she was spirit! Her sublime mission was closing – closing in flawless triumph.”  from Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain

On July 17, 1429, Joan of Arc fulfilled her primary mission to have Charles VII crowned and anointed as King of all France. Joan had predicted that she would lead Charles to his crowning in Reims when she had begun her mission only a few months earlier in 1429. What had seemed impossible to everyone except Joan occurred that summer day in late July of 1429 in the Cathedral of Reims when Charles VII was crowned King of France.  Many people, including historians, have a hard time understanding the strategic brilliance of Joan in focusing upon getting Charles VII crowned in the traditional way so that the people of France would view him as their legitimate King. Joan understood that to achieve ultimate victory over England it was necessary to unite all of France behind one King. Unfortunately for Joan the crowning of Charles VII also marked the pinnacle of her career. But Joan had changed the course of history and the man she crowned King of France would ultimately lead France to complete victory over the English.