Joan of Arc: Her Story Book Review
...ly forced her to abandon her plan of taking Paris. After all she did for France she was only allowed to lead a small mercenary band to fight the English and Burgundians in northeast Paris. It was here that she was somehow left on the other side of a suddenly closed gate, where she was quickly captured by Burgundians, who were dumbstruck by their luck. Joan was held captive awaiting her trial. It was made clear that Charles VII made no effort to free her, or even submit ransom for her (which surely would have been accepted). During this time Joan tried more than once to escape her captors, but was brought back each time by the voices in her head telling her it was wrong. (Pernuod, 69-101) Her trial was hardly a trial at all. It consisted of her judgement being made by the very men that had accused her. Their primary goal was to confuse and bewilder this quiet peasant girl, and they did not even bring about a charge on her. Finally they concluded that her fault was not asking the churches permission to dress like a man, and it was decided that she would spend time at a women’s prison, instead of the military run prison she was held captive in. When she agreed to this punishment and wore men’s clothes again. For this she was charged as a “relapsed heretic,” and sentenced to be burned at the stake. Joan of Arc was nineteen years old when her ashes blew into the wind on May 30 1431. (Pernuod, 103-137). After Joan’s death King Henry VI was crowned King in Paris, and the English were able to strengthen their cause in France. Paris finally fell to the French, and Charles VII regained control of the French church. He finally called for a new trial to be given to Joan. After over 100 witnesses, Joan’s first trial was deemed procedurally flawed and was nullified. Twenty seven articles were created to address the bias of the trial, but none of it would bring back a young girl who went from a peasant to a French heroin in only two years. I found the book has both great importance and value to the study of history. What I found to be most important about this book was that it covers several fields of historical importance. Among those fields are women’s history, french history, and the history of Catholicism. This book is important to women’s history because although at the time Joan was alive, her accomplishments for her gender were not extremely significant, however now as we look back, there is not a stronger more determined woman in all of history. Joan of Arc dominated in a field that was never even open to woman, she defied the odds, and although she was not single handedly responsible for getting woman the vote, or demanding equal pay for equal work, as we look back on important woman of history, Joan of Arc certainly rings in all of our minds. Her impact on french history is clear, without her dedication to the french army and it’s cause would never have gotten the English out of France, and Charles the Dauphin would never have become King Charles VII of France. As for her effect on Catholicism, she claims that the voices of Saints Catherine, Margaret and Michael told her that Charles the Dauphin was God’s chosen king. She was condemned on several charges, including witchcraft, yet was still hailed a saint. I personally believe that the subject of the book is very interesting, however I recognize that it is also very gender and religion specific. I found it inspirational to read of a young woman my age, who was able to use her spirituality to contact God and find his goal and purpose for her life. She was able to overcome all sorts of hurdles and obstacles, relying only on her inner courage and determination. Joan of Arc is an excellent role model for trying your hardest and never letting anything hold you back. This book probably would not have been as interesting to me had a been a male reading it, or someone with limited spiritual beliefs. I found the story so appealing because I could relate to Joan in several ways, however if one is not able to find a direct connection between themselves and the character of the book, it is understandable that the book loses some of its appeal. The author uses excellent primary sources for the book. Adams acknowledges in his preface that because there have been so many books and other forms of documentation on such an amazing woman, he found it very easy to find primary sources. He was willing to take the time to look for them, and was able to find them. He acknowledges the speaker or documenters of the event by saying things like: “...letters confirming nobility that the king sent her” (Pernoud, 81), which leads directly into a quote. He has a bibliography in the back of the book, in which he separates his sources according to where they came from, as well as topically. He effectively uses several forms of primary sources, including letters, first hand accounts, transcripts from the condemnation and rehabilitation trials. The translator of the book never used endnotes or footnotes, and we are left to as...