How many people can say that hearing voices saved their country? Not many, but Joan of Arc is one of the few. Joan, also known as Jeanne d’Arc, began hearing heavenly voices in her early teenage years. Those voices commanded Joan to save France from England in the Hundred Years’ War, as well as seeing to it that Charles was crowned King of France. Joan led the French Army into battle at the age of 19, a remarkable feat in the early 1400’s. This makes Joan the most influential woman of her time.
In 1412, Joan was born to Jacques and Romée d’Arc, in the small peasant town of Domrémy (Biography.com). She was never taught to read or write, as there was so school in Domrémy, as well as her being female. Instead, Joan tended to her father’s farm and herds, all the while learning how to spin yarn and sew. Joan’s mother raised her to be a devout Catholic and was taught to live every moment as God willed it. A book about Joan’s early life also denoted that she was a very active girl and enjoyed sports. However, her simple life changed when Archangel Michael began to speak with her. Michael came to Joan …show more content…
She was also charged with crossdressing as she refused to change the way she dressed unless God commanded. On these charges, Joan was sentenced to death by burning at the stake. Joan was burned on May 30, 1431, in Rouen, France before an estimated crowd of 10,000 French citizens. This enraged the French people, causing them to fight back harder than ever before. The French defeated the English in 1450. Joan, though deceased, had another trial, and the French courts cleared her of all charges. In 1920, Joan was canonized by the Catholic Church as the patron saint of soldiers and France. (Joan of