Joan of Arc's First Letter

Joan of Arc sent her first letter to the English on March 22, 1429 asking them to peacefully withdraw from France and give up all of the cities and territories they had conquered and warning them of the consequences if they refused. This letter shows the boldness of Joan as well as her chivalric nature as she believed in giving her enemies a warning before engaging in battle. There is no record of how the English reacted upon receiving this letter however it is not hard to imagine them laughing at what they considered a preposterous threat from a presumptive teenage girl. They were soon to regret not taking Joan and her letter more seriously.

+ Jesus Maria +
King of England, and you, Duke of Bedford, who call yourself Regent of the kingdom France; you William de la Pole, Count of Suffolk; John, Lord Talbot; and you Thomas, Lord Scales, who call yourselves lieutenants of the said Duke of Bedford, do justly by the King of Heaven; render to the Maid who is sent here of God, the King of Heaven, the keys of all the good cities that you have taken and violated in France. She has come here from God to restore the royal blood. She is all ready to make peace, if you will deal rightly by her, acknowledge the wrong done France, and pay for what you have taken. And all of you, archers, companions of war, nobles and others who are before you; and if this is not done, expect news of the Maid, who will go to see you shortly, to your very great damage. King of England, if you do not do this, I am Chef de Guerre, and in whatever place I shall find your people in France, I will make them go
Read the Rest of Joan of Arc's letter to the English here

Vote for Joan as your Favorite Saint!

If you are looking for a more Christian based alternative to the annual NCAA basketball tournament known as “March Madness” you will be happy to learn that an Episcopal minister has created a tournament featuring 32 saints that is called “Lent Madness.” This tournament is all for fun, of course, but the creator Reverend Chris Schenck hopes his tournament will provide an engaging way for people to learn more about the true heroes of the Christian faith while they vote for their favorite saint. I think it is a great idea and was pleased to see that St. Joan of Arc is included in this year’s tournament. Joan has already won in her first round match-up against Lancelot Andrewes and has advanced to the “Saintly Sixteen” round where she goes up against Mary Magdalene today. To vote for Joan just visit LentMadness.org

Vive la St. Joan!

Joan of Arc Arrives in Chinon and Meets Charles

"Very illustrious Lord Dauphin, I am come, being sent on the part of God, to give succour to the kingdom and to you."

The first meeting between Joan and Charles VII is one of the legendary events in the life of Joan of Arc. According to the history Joan was able to recognize Charles and located him in a crowd even though she had never before met him or had any idea what he looked like. This first meeting took place at the castle in Chinon on or around March 7th of 1429 and an eyewitness, Simon Charles an emissary of the court, described it as follows:

"Informed that she was coming, the King retired behind some others. Nevertheless, Joan recognized him very well and made him reverence. She conversed long with him. And after hearing her, the King appeared joyful."

To learn more about this historic event please visit MaidOfHeaven.com at:
Joan of Arc & Charles VII: First Meeting