Joan Of Arc Influence

“I am not afraid; I was born to do this”. Joan of Arc, also known as “Maid of Orleans”, is saying that leading an army to victory was her destiny. With the glory of God on her side, she has nothing to be scared of. She was born to save her country. She felt that she had a purpose in life and fighting for her country was what God intended for her. Joan of Arc is an important figure in world history because as a woman she was able to do things only men did, at a time when women had very little input into affairs of war. She actually did it even better. At that time it was very unusual for a woman to portray any roles normally a man would hold. Joan shows many levels of courage, bravery, and feminism.
Joan of arc was born in 1412 in Domrémy-la-Pucelle,
France. Her father was Jacques of Arc, and her mother was Isabelle Romee. Joan had three brothers: Jacquemin, Pierre, and Jean. She also had a sister, Catherine. Joan was never taught how to read or write but was taught like most women at the time. She learned things such as sewing and spinning. Her devoted mother instilled her deep love for the Catholic Church and its teachings. At the age of 12 Joan started to hear voices.
Joan’s biggest influence was her mother, since her mother was the woman that got her so devoted to Christ.
In 1425, roughly at age of 12, she started to hear voices from God. The voices of three saints, told her to free the French from the English, who were currently embroiled in the Hundred Years’ War. People thought she was crazy when she tried to spread the news. As a matter a fact people thought she was a mental patient. She was not taken seriously at all. Two reasons she was not respected was because it sounds crazy to say you hear voices and because she is a woman and women at that time had no place in the army. Women had very little respect in 1400’s, they were not expected to have education nor would they ever fight in the army. Although she was never going to let barriers such as being a female stop her from fulfilling the job God had asked her to
do.
In 1428 Joan travels to Vaucouleurs, provoked by voices, asks to join the Dauphin, an army brigade, but is turned away.
One year later, in 1429, Joan asks again, but this time dressed as a man, she was accepted. In February, 1429, Joan is finally given a small army by the French to fight Europe. Joan of Arc led the French army to victory over the British at Orléans April 29, 1429, at age 17; although it was not until May, when Joan had a sudden inspiration that the battle of the Siege of Orleans finally began. Joan leads her army to victory, and with this victory Charles VII was able to solidify his position as king of France. Unfortunately in 1431 Joan was captured by the English. She was imprisoned for dressing like a man and being a “witch,” she was burned alive at the stake at only 19 years
old.
The French were devastated by Joan’s death, although it helped to further motivate them throughout the war. Joan was later seen as a martyr. Joan of Arc took a brave step, especially in that time period where a girl fighting in battle was unheard of. Her actions showed a lot of courage and gave motivation to a lot of women now and back then in that time period. It not only changed war but changed people perspective of what a woman can do.
Joan shows many levels of courage, faith, bravery, and feminism. Her story of overcoming stereotypes, such as women were of lower importance, is inspiring. I can apply Joan of Arc’s lesson because in the world of athletes, males tend to be more dominant and I feel that it can be changed. She accomplished something close to impossible in her time period and is still an inspiration to people even after her death. Joan of Arc is a great person to look up to not only because she was a female who accomplished wonders but also because she never let anything stop her from accomplishing a goal. I feel the most amazing thing about her is how dedicated she was. She showed dedication to her country, and to God, in the face of fear throughout her life.