On February 21, 1431, the trial of Joan of Arc began. The Maid of Orleans was not only a political enemy, she heard the voices of the Saints, ancient prophecies spoke about her. She was accused of witchcraft, but was burned for heresy.
Secret goals
Contrary to popular belief, Jeanne was not a poor peasant girl. Her home in Domremi may not have been a luxurious palace, but for the 15th century it was quite comfortable and spacious. Jeanne even had her own room. The Maid of Orleans belonged on the mother's side to a noble but impoverished aristocratic family. In addition, by the time of the meeting with Charles VII, she had excellent command of weapons and kept in the saddle, which was absolutely unusual for a girl of that time. These facts suggest that she was prepared for this in advance. Some researchers believe that the city brotherhoods of Saint Marseilles and Saint Michel, who were the "voices of the Maid of Orleans", were behind the appearance of Jeanne. They assigned her a diplomatic rather than a military task, their goal is to "educate" their king, to elevate the third son of the king, the future Charles VII, to the throne.so that you can then use it for your own purposes. Jeanne had, first of all, to provide financial support to the Dauphin. It was about this, allegedly, that her banner spoke, which is interpreted as follows: “Give silver for the coronation so that Karl could fight the English; bolder, Marcel will keep his word. " Karl did not remain in debt, in parliament new rights were granted to the third estate - the burghers. Only now Jeanne was no longer needed, on the contrary, she became too dangerous a figure to keep her alive.in parliament, new rights were granted to the third estate - the burghers. Only now Jeanne was no longer needed, on the contrary, she became too dangerous a figure to keep her alive.in parliament, new rights were granted to the third estate - the burghers. Only now Jeanne was no longer needed, on the contrary, she became too dangerous a figure to keep her alive.
Merlin's prophecy
The Inquisition had enough reasons to "sharpen its teeth" on Joan and without a political motive. Some rumors about "Merlin's prophecy" are worth something. Modern historians, in particular Olga Togoeva, argue that the girl had prepared in advance for the first meeting with the Dauphin.
Imagine France in the 15th century - a country that is by no means democratic. Moreover, the period of the Hundred Years War. The prince must have had sufficient reason to listen to a simple girl from the people, even if she claimed to be sent from heaven. There were a lot of such people at that time of general decline.
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But Jeanne had a trump card up her sleeve. One of the witnesses at the process of Joan's rehabilitation referred to the "prophecy of Merlin", in which the legendary wizard predicts the arrival of a maiden from the Oak Forest in Lorraine, who will appear "on the backs of archers and go against them", that is, against the British. Another contemporary of events, Jean Barbin spoke about the prediction of Mary of Avignon about the coming of the maiden in armor. Obviously, Jeanne heard these legends during her lifetime and successfully operated on them, which subsequently gave the church a reason to accuse her of idolatry.
Mother of God in armor
In addition to pagan prejudices, Jeanne also resorted to Christian images, likening herself to the Virgin Mary. She was opposed to the "depraved ruler" Isabella of Bavaria, who actually ruled the state under her husband Charles VI the Mad and went down in history as the "destroyer of France."
Virginity was the force that sustained Jeanne's popularity. Of all the women of that time, only a queen or a saint could lead an army. The heroine herself was examined more than once by specially invited matrons who confirmed the fact of her virginity, and her opponents, the British, tried to accuse Jeanne of debauchery.
However, her innocence, so supportive of her during her success, came down to her side during the Rouen captivity. According to the protocols of the rehabilitation process, during the inquisitorial investigation over the Virgin of Orleans, they tried to outrage several times. Subsequently, many English authors, including William Shakespeare, will argue that Jeanne not only lost her innocence at the time of the execution, but was also pregnant. The British and the inquisitors needed to "deprive" Jeanne of her virginity in order to turn her into a "public woman", in which there is nothing more sacred, who can be accused of heresy and burned without causing God's anger and popular unrest.
Karl's betrayal
One of the main mysteries of the Joan of Arc case is the silence of King Charles VII, who owed so much to the Maid of Orleans.
As you know, the king himself was not involved in her death. Joan of Arc was captured during the siege of the city of Compiegne by the Burgundians. She was betrayed by raising a bridge to the besieged city and leaving one on one with a large army of enemies, who after the battle sold her to the British. Even contemporaries saw here a carefully planned operation, in which Guillaume de Flavi - Captain Compiegne was accused: by betrayal he took her prisoner."
But even before the last defeat the Maid of Orleans was already "out of work". Her disagreements with the king began immediately after the coronation, after which the growing influence of Joan turned into a threat to his power, which he had long sought.
It is interesting how Charles VII initiated the process of Jeanne's rehabilitation. Secretly! After the liberation of Rouen, he wrote to his adviser: "In this city, a process was carried out, organized by our ancient enemies, the British." This hint prompted a revision of the process.
Broken sword by Karl Martell
Karl had every reason to fear Jeanne, whom the people loved so much, and most importantly, the soldiers. There was a legend about the heroine's legendary sword. It was believed to be owned by Karl Martell, who personally left him in the abbey after the victory over the Saracens in the fall of 732. It is very important that Karl Martell was not a Frankish king, but an all-powerful major, who was the de facto ruler under the weakened Merovingians. The acquisition of the legendary sword in ancient times played a special role in the initiation of royal power and continued its history in courtly French novels. Thus, with the sword of Karl Martell, Jeanne once again emphasized what her real place was under the Dauphin.
Already in the course of the rehabilitation process, even under Karl, a story appeared that Jeanne, as if with a stick, drove the prostitutes around the camp with this sword, and broke it on the back of some girl. This rumor showed that, despite all her successes, Jeanne could not be worthy of the king and did not differ in her morals from the lower class, which has no idea what to do with the symbols of royal power.
Demons of Jeanne
In the eyes of the Inquisition, Joan's initial "sin" was not heresy at all, but witchcraft. The main reason for this was the “voices” that Jeanne allegedly heard. The Maid of Orleans claimed that the "angels of heaven" told her what to do, it was they who sent her to the Dauphin. But the inquisitors did not believe in her angels. They prescribed these speeches to demons and fairies.
The homeland of Jeanne - the village of Domreri was famous for its ancient Celtic sanctuaries. The Maid of Orleans was asked about the local fairies, about the rituals of the village, about the magical knowledge that she could inherit. Subsequently, the inquisitors reported that they had obtained a confession from Jeanne in relations with Richard and Catherine of Larochelle, whom rumor accused of witchcraft. They "proved" that this witch trio went out on sabbaths, and once tried to see a certain "white lady" together. The version of Jeanne's witchcraft was worked out much more thoroughly than in heresy, but for some reason, at first it faded into the background, and then disappeared altogether from the accusation.
The last word of the inquisition
Everyone understood that the Maid of Orleans should not only be condemned, but also sentenced to death. Consequently, the charge could only be the most serious. Why then did the accusation of witchcraft not fit, since at that time the "witch hunt" had already begun? But in the inquisitional treatises for witches there was a small loophole. Witchcraft could be considered a superstition that did not entail the death penalty. Only heresy remained, but according to the laws, the convict in it could sign a renunciation and get off with imprisonment. In addition, the accused himself must confess his sin. Therefore, the judges went for a trick. The head of the tribunal, Bishop Cauchon, promised Jeanne to save her life if she renounces heresy and swears obedience to the Church. One text was read to the illiterate Zhanna, and she signed another,in which she completely renounced all her delusions. Of course, Cauchon did not keep his promise, the "sinner" was again thrown into the same cell, and a few days later, under the pretext that Jeanne had again put on a man's dress, she was accused of falling into heresy again. The bonfire became inevitable.