In the official history, it would seem, thoroughly, literally to the smallest details, the biography of the national heroine of France Joan of Arc is recorded. They wrote books about her, made films, she was canonized by the Vatican. But few people know the life story of the Virgin of Orleans, or Jeanne the Virgin, which is so unlike the textbook. And believe me, it is no less interesting and mysterious than the life of a poor shepherdess from a small village on the border of Champagne and Lorraine.
Let's say right away that Jeanne acquired the surname d'Arc only … in 1831. And Jeanne herself called herself Jeanne the Virgin or Jeanne of Orleans. Moreover, the girl got the nickname "Orleans" even before she took part in lifting the siege of Orleans.
Who are her parents?
Now about the origin of Jeanne. Jacques d'Arc, a poor peasant from the village of Domréme, is considered her official father. Everything is correct here, with the exception of one - Jacques was not a simple peasant, but the headman of the village and a tax collector in his district. About his "poverty" can be judged by the document, which said that Jacques d'Arc belonged to: "twenty hectares of land, of which twelve were arable land, and four were meadows and four more were forests." In addition, Jacques had more than a dozen horses, a large herd of sheep and cows. "Poor peasant" in 1419 acquired for use … Il castle (now destroyed). Why does a peasant need a castle? All that is known about Jeanne's mother is that her name was Isabella de Bouton - judging by the prefix "de", she was clearly not from a peasant family.
But according to another version, Jeanne's real parents were persons of royal blood. Namely: her mother was the Queen of France Isabella of Bavaria - the wife of Charles VI the Mad and Louis Duke of Orleans - the son of Charles V the Wise and Jeanne de Bourbon. The Queen's relationship with her brother-in-law (her husband's brother) was no secret to anyone. In addition, it is known for certain that Charles VII was not the son of the lawful spouse of Isabella, the insane king Charles VI, who had not slept with his wife since the late 1390s. Thus, Jeanne could be not only the half-sister of King Charles VII, but also her own. Jeanne's half-brother was the son of Louis of Orleans Dunois, nicknamed the Royal Bastard. He was a wonderful military leader who beat the British more than once in the battles of the Hundred Years War and, by the way, had great respect for Joan, calling her "princess".
This version explains a lot. For example, the fact that the "simple shepherdess" wore clothes … with the coats of arms of the House of Orleans, and the coat of arms that the king granted Jeanne after the lifting of the siege of Orleans included the crown of princes of the blood.
And one more interesting fact. In January 1429 (even before Jeanne's arrival in Chinon, where she first met then not with the king, but with the Dauphin Charles), the Maid of Orleans took part … in a knightly tournament, in which only knights could participate. Or faces of royal blood.
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Why did she come?
The passion of Queen Isabella of Bavaria for love affairs became the cause of a new outbreak of the Hundred Years War. The fact is that after the death of his eldest sons, Charles VI the Mad refused to recognize Dauphin Charles (the future Charles VII) as the heir to the throne, because he knew for sure that this was not his son.
As a result, in 1420, Charles VI, with the active participation of Isabella, concluded a treaty with the English king, according to which the grandson of Charles VI in the female line - and he was also the heir to the English king - was recognized as the heir to the French throne. The fact is that the daughter of King Charles VI married King Henry V of England and bore him an heir, the future King of England, Henry VI, who was both the grandson of the French and the son of the English king. The Dauphin refused to submit to his father's will, but the French parliament, located in Paris occupied by the British, condemned the Dauphin in absentia and sentenced him to exile from France. True, soon the English king Henry V, a brilliant commander who defeated the French at Rouen and Agincourt, died unexpectedly. His heir, the future King Henry VI, was then only one year old. But this baby was entitled to two crowns: English and French. By the way, from that time on, the British monarchs, up to 1801, turned to their French brethren only as "calling themselves the kings of France."
The Dauphin, believing that his time had come, concluded an agreement with the Scots about a joint struggle with the British and tried to turn the tide. He managed to defeat the British at God, but they soon took revenge, defeating the French army at Crovan in 1423. By 1429, a small territory in central France remained under the rule of the Dauphin. The British laid siege to Orleans. French troops under the command of Charles of Bourbon tried to shine a siege of the city, but were defeated by the British. It was a humiliating defeat for the French - after all, they fled from the battlefield with an eightfold superiority over the enemy!
It seemed that the fate of France was a foregone conclusion. And at that moment Jeanne the Virgin entered the action.
The French had an old legend that in case of mortal danger to the country, a warrior maiden would save her. Jeanne declared herself such. In 1428 (a year before the English siege of Orleans!), She appeared in the city of Vaucouleurs, which is closest to Do-mrem, where she announced to the commandant of this city de Baudricourt that Saint Michael and Saint Catherine had called on her to expel the invaders from France. De Baudricourt did not believe Jeanne and sent her home.
After some time, she reappeared in Vaucouleur. This time the commandant behaved more agreeably (apparently, he received the appropriate instructions from the Dauphin). De Baudricourt gave Jeanne men's clothing, weapons, a horse, and an armed escort to accompany the Virgin to the Chinon castle. It was there that the Dauphin was located, no longer hoping to ever become king. On March 4, 1429, Jeanne arrived at this castle. The Dauphin took advantage of what Jeanne wrote to him in a letter that she would definitely recognize him, and arranged a check on her, placing another person on the throne, and he himself hid in the crowd of courtiers. However, Jeanne passed the test, recognizing the king (still - not to recognize her own brother!).
She announced publicly that she was sent by God to free France from the British, and asked the Dauphin for troops in order to lift the siege of Orleans. In Chinon, Jeanne amazed everyone with her skill in horseback riding, her impeccable knowledge of the games common among the nobility, requiring perfect mastery of weapons. For a "simple shepherdess" it was amazing, but for a princess of royal blood - quite capable.
Who was burned in Rouen?
This was followed by a brilliant military campaign, which ended in May 1429 with the complete lifting of the siege of Orleans and a turning point in the war. Inspired by Jeanne, the French seemed to have forgotten about their recent defeats. At the urging of the Maid of Orleans, troops moved north of the country and liberated Reims, the city where French monarchs had been crowned for centuries.
Well, then, in the spring of 1430, Jeanne was captured by the Burgundians at Compiegne. For 10,000 gold livres, they sold it to the British. In February 1431, the trial of Jeanne began in Rouen. She was accused of heresy and witchcraft. The virgin was sentenced to be burned at the stake. The auto-da-fe took place on May 30, 1431 at the Old Market Square in Rouen. Later, a new court will acquit Jeanne, and in 1920 the Vatican canonizes the Virgin of Orleans, canonizing her. But soon after the execution, rumors spread throughout France that Jeanne was alive, and instead of her, another woman was burned in Rouen. This was indirectly confirmed by the fact that the face of the executed was covered with a paper cap, and the fire itself was almost completely covered with a wooden shield on which the text of the sentence was hung. And the entire square was filled with ranks of British soldiers, covering the execution site with their backs from the townspeople. In addition, in the archives of the Lower Seine and the Archbishopric of Rouen, there were no protocols on the execution of Jeanne, which led to some reflections.
And in 1907, one very interesting document was discovered in France. It was a marriage contract dating from 1436. It was concluded between Count Robert d'Armoise and … Jeanne, the Virgin of France.
You can, of course, consider the lady mentioned in this marriage contract an impostor, if not for some very interesting circumstances. In 1439, she personally visited Orleans, where she was enthusiastically received by the inhabitants of the city. Lavish balls and dinners were given in her honor, and 210 livres (a fairly large sum for those times) were issued from the city treasury to Jeanne Deva for "the good service rendered to the named city during the siege." Let us recall that only ten years have passed since the liberation of the city from the English siege, so many people lived in it who remembered their savior well. So if Jeanne d'Armoise was an impostor, she would have been exposed immediately after her appearance in Orleans.
Jeanne, becoming the mother of two sons, died a natural death in 1449.
Magazine: Mysteries of History No. 9-C. Author: Alexander Egorov