Joan of Arc's Attempt to Liberate Paris

This beautiful statue of Joan of Arc is located at Place des Pyramides in Paris. Unfortunately, Joan herself never saw more than the outside walls of Paris as the attempt she made to liberate the city on September 8, 1429, ended in failure. This was Joan’s first military defeat however the circumstances that led to the failure at Paris were clearly not her fault. Perhaps the biggest factor was the delay caused by the King in launching the assault on Paris after Charles VII had been crowned King on July 17, 1429. If Joan and her army had been allowed to immediately march upon Paris after the coronation they most likely would have gained an easy victory as there were only a small number of Burgundian troops guarding the city at that time. Instead of immediately marching to Paris, Charles hesitated and agreed upon several worthless treaties with Burgundy promising peace. The delay allowed the Burdundians the time they needed to strengthen their defenses and obtain re-inforcements from the English. Such delays in military history have usually proven to be extremely costly e.g., Napolean at Waterloo, Germans with Operation Barbarosa, Confederate Army at Gettysburg to name few.

As for Joan, she did everything she could to lead her army to victory at Paris despite the long odds created by the inexcusable actions of her King. She personally led the assault and kept her troops fighting hard all day in an effort to overcome the great walls of the city. Just after sunset Joan was wounded in her thigh by a bolt from a crossbow. Lying wounded she pleaded with her troops and commanders to continue the assault but they carried her to the rear against her wishes and the assault ended. Joan wanted to renew the assault the next day but orders from Charles VII arrived that no further attempt should be made to take Paris and the army was withdrawn several days afterwards. Joan once stated on the march to the coronation at Reims that she “feared only treachery.” It was ultimately the treachery she had feared and not the enemy that defeated Joan at Paris.

"By my staff, the place would have been taken."

Crowning Achievement of Joan of Arc

“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.”

On July 17, 1429, Joan of Arc achieved what was her greatest accomplishment in liberating France 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 the ultimate victory over England it was necessary to unite France behind one King. Unfortunately for Joan the crowning of Charles VII also marked the pinnacle of her career. But she had changed the course of history and ultimately the man she conducted to throne of France would lead France to complete victory over the English.

Joan of Arc Vindicated on This Date

Today is the 554th anniversary of Joan’s trial being overturned by the Church on July 7, 1456. After a lengthy process known as Joan’s trial of rehabilitation or nullification the Church overturned Joan's conviction and declared that she was a martyr who was wrongly executed by corrupt partisan clergy abusing a Church trial for secular purposes. In a ceremony taking place in the archbishop’s palace in Rouen, where twenty-five years before Joan had been declared a relapsed heretic and burned at the stake, in the presence of many dignitaries including Joan’s brother Jean d’Arc, a sentence was pronounced that vindicated Joan. To read the entire pronouncement please visit the blog Le Fleur de Lys too at http://lefleurdelystoo.blogspot.com/2010/07/sentence-of-rehabilitation.html

Deo Vindice!

Battle of Patay Anniversary

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Patay, which was the most overwhelming victory that Joan of Arc achieved in her brilliant military career. After the battle of Orleans the English military leaders were concerned but still confident they could defeat the French when they engaged in combat. After the overwhelming victory by Joan of Arc at Patay the English leaders realized they were in serious trouble and that Joan was a real military commander to be feared.
To learn more about the battle of Patay try some of the resources listed at:
http://www.maidofheaven.com/joanofarc_long_biography.asp#loire

Joan of Arc’s Memorial Day

This Sunday, May 30th marks the 579th anniversary of the death of Saint Joan of Arc It seems very appropriate to me that the anniversary of her death falls during Memorial Day Weekend this year as she was one of the greatest soldiers to ever live. As the famous Scottish author and historian Andrew Lang once wrote in comparing Joan to William Wallace “She was the bravest of the brave.”

The anniversary of the death of Saint Joan is celebrated every year by Catholics as her Feast Day which is a way to remember her life and service to God. At MaidOfHeaven.com there is a special page about Joan’s Feast Day containing descriptions of the heroic way that she met death by people who observed her execution in Rouen on May 30th 1431. You can visit this page at:
http://www.maidofheaven.com/joanofarc_feastday.asp

During this Memorial Day Weekend I hope everyone will have a chance to stop and remember Saint Joan of Arc as she was perhaps God’s greatest soldier of all.

Vive la Jehanne

Joan of Arc’s Longest Day

“Rise tomorrow very early, earlier even than today, and do the best that you are able. It will be necessary to keep always near me, for tomorrow I shall have much to do, and greater need of you than I have ever had. Tomorrow the blood will flow from my body, above the breast.”


On May 7, 1429, Joan of Arc led her forces against the seemingly impregnable fortress Les Tourelles at Orleans. In the course of the fighting Joan was severely wounded when an arrow pierced her body just above her breast. Without Joan the soldiers and their commanders quickly lost their resolve fearing the worst without Joan and the assault on Les Tourelles appeared as if it would end in failure. Then the miraculous occurred when Joan re-appeared on the battlefield and seized her banner and lead her army forward to make another assault upon Les Tourelles. Jean d’Aulon, who was the head of Joan’s military household, later recalled the amazing turn of events: “. . . the lords and the captains who were with her, seeing that they could not well gain it this day, considering how late it was and also that they were all very tired and worn out, agreed among them to sound the retreat for the army. This was done, and, at the sound of the trumpet call, each one retreated for the day. During this retreat, [d'Aulon] who had been carrying the standard of the Pucelle and still holding it upright in front of the boulevard was fatigued and worn-out, and gave the standard to one named Le Basque, who was with the Lord of Villars. And because [d'Aulon] knew Le Basque to be a brave man, and he feared that harm would come from the retreat, and that the fortress and the Boulevard would remain in the hands of the enemy, he had the idea that if the standard were pushed ahead, due to the great affection in which it was held by the soldiers, they could by this means win the boulevard. And then [d'Aulon] asked Le Basque if he would follow him when he entered and went to the foot of the boulevard; he said and swore he would this. And then [d'Aulon] entered the ditch and went up to the base of the side of the Boulevard, covering himself with a shield for fear the stones, and left his companion on the other side, believing that he would follow him step-by-step. But when the Pucelle saw her standard in the hand of Le Basque, because she believed that she had lost it, as [d'Aulon] who had been carrying it had gone into the trench, she came and took the standard by the end in such a way that he had to let it go, crying, "Ha! My standard! My standard!" And she shook the standard in such a way that the one who is testifying imagined that others might think that she was making a sign to the others by doing this. And then he who was speaking cried: "Ha, Basque! Is this what you promised me?" And then Le Basque tugged at the standard that he dragged it from the hand of the Pucelle, and after this, he went to [d'Aulon] and brought the standard. Because of these things, all those in the army of the Pucelle gathered together and rallied again, assailed this boulevard in such great fierceness that, a short time afterwards, the boulevard and the fortress were taken by them, and abandoned by the enemy, and the French entered the city of Orleans by the bridge . . .”

Joan Begins Her Holy War

On April 26, 1429, Joan of Arc led her army out of Blois to relieve the besieged city of Orleans. I wrote about this grand event in Maid of Heaven as follows:

“Once made chaste by your shining example,
the army marched toward Orleans as planned.
What a procession is must have been, with
singing priests leading the way for four thousand.
Gleaming in your armor while holding your
banner, you cheerfully exhorted your command.”

One of the priests no doubt leading the way was Joan’s personal chaplain Father Pasquerel who later described the departure in picturesque detail:

“The day we quitted Blois to go to Orleans, Joan had all the priests gathered around the banner and they lead the march with the soldiers following. We marched out of the city by the side of the Sologne assembled in that fashion while we sang Veni Creator Spiritus along with several other anthems.”

For Joan this was the day she had long been waiting for, to finally take command of her army and lead them forward to fulfill her God given mission. Veni Creator Spiritus indeed!