This person rose from a village to address kings. This person commanded armies, won miraculous victories, and was so feared in battle that some enemies surrendered without even fighting. This saint sat at court one year and the next was burned at the stake. And all before she was 20.
When Joan of Arc was born in Domrémy village in 1412, France was a shambles. France and England had been at war for nearly 100 years. Within France, pro-French and pro-English forces were still fighting, despite a truce. Conditions were violent and unstable.
At about 12, Joan's visions began. Saints appeared and told her to drive the English forces out of France. At that time, the lack of leadership in France meant there was hardly any resistance when pro-English forces attacked. The country was so divided that it didn't even have a crowned king. Joan's visions told her to change these things.
At 16, Joan convinced a relative to take her to the aristocrat Robert de Baudricourt, who could arrange a visit to the royal court. Slowly, Joan convinced people that her visions and her calling were real. Eventually, Baudricourt helped Joan visit the would-be king.
Joan convinced the king, Charles VII, that she was truly the messenger of God. He let her go to the town of Orléans, then blocked by pro-English troops. That began the short but successful army career of this young peasant girl. For the next year, she urged French armies to victories and paved the way for Charles VII to be crowned king of a more unified country.
In 1430, she was captured and put on trial by the king's opponents. They called her Satan's instrument, not God's. She got no real help from her king. She was burned at the stake after a sham trial on May 30, 1431.
In 1456, Joan was proven innocent. In 1920, she was declared a saint. The girl who commanded is now a role model.
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