Joan Of Arc: A True Hero

From 1337 until 1453, the French and British were fighting over who was the rightful heir to the French throne in the Hundred Years’ War. The warring between the two countries was almost stopped when King Henry V had several consecutive victories, leading to his ability to forced Charles VI to name Henry V as the successor for the throne. This was to be the end of conflict until Henry V died in 1422 a few months before Charles VI did. The two deaths led to a disagreement of who was to inherit the throne. It was expected that Henry VI, the infant son was to become king and the court advisors were going to rule in his place until he was old enough. However, the second claim to the throne came from Dauphin Charles, the son of the late Charles …show more content…
She began to become a new type of hero for the people. She was a female hero who was still feminine, however she also was a warrior and a leader. The important factor in Joan being considered a hero was that she was virginal at the time. This made her not only more of a religious fact, but also she was not expected to be at home caring for her children. This new type of female hero was applauded by Christine de Pisan a well-educated French woman who was the Court Historian. Among her writings was the defense of women’s reputations as being malicious and sneaky through taking the viewpoint of the women, which was hardly ever written about. Because of her interest in unusual achievements for women, Joan was a perfect subject for her. In The Song of Joan of Arc, Pisan creates the new persona for Joan, that being the superior warrior graced by God. For example Pisan compares Joan to Joshua from the Bible stating, “If God worked many miracles through Joshua, when he began to conquer and destroy so many Places, still, he was a man, powerful and strong. But Joan was but a shepherdess, though she was braver yet than any Roman!” (Pisan, St. XV). This shows that now Joan was more than just the Maid, she was a warrior as